First Look: Tacolada

The eternal debate never ends over which Mexican American cuisine is superior: Tex-Mex or Californian. Tacolada, located at 9828 Great Hills Trail in the Arboretum, states its case by bringing San Diego’s unique take on Mexican food to Austin with burritos, carne asada fries, and rolled tacos. 

Originally from Holland, Tacolada owner Tony Farmand moved to America more than 20 years ago and fell in love with SD upon arrival. He rose to prominence as a partner at new-school Mediterranean chain the Kebab Shop, then moved to Austin in 2019 to help the business expand outside of California. 

“I got out of day-to-day operations at Kebab Shop a few years ago and thought I was gonna chill for a little bit, but my passion is food,” he says. The business owner opened family-friendly Steiner Ranch locale Farmand’s Kitchen & Bar before launching Tacolada as an ode to the first American city he called home. 

“There’s nothing like San Diego,” he muses. “I mean, look, we have great tacos here [in Austin] … but the San Diego, SoCal-style Mexican, you can’t compare it.” 

Indeed, the restaurant’s Baja shrimp burrito and classic California burrito, which comes with carne asada and french fries inside, are highlights. Both are made with housemade tortillas, and you can even combine the two protein sources for a surf-and-turf burrito special, another common San Diego treat. 

One of Tacolada’s main features is its salsa bar. The All-Day Verde is a mild yet flavor-packed punch, and the Honey Habanero sauce ranks as the spiciest (and it’s definitely a doozy). In between those spice levels is the Tacolada Salsa, the house red that you definitely need to put on the carne asada fries. 

Similar to Texas flautas, the rolled tacos feature deep-fried corn tortillas garnished with guacamole, pico de gallo, pickled onions, and crema. While the menu currently only offers a chicken option, Farmand swears Tacolada will soon sell the traditional San Diego beef rolled tacos that SoCal transplants have been clamoring for.

Like the Kebab Shop’s heavy Austin presence – there’s a location minutes away from Tacolada in the Arboretum – Farmand is quickly seeing a future where he will have five to 10 locations of his new business in Central Texas. A second outpost is already in the works. For the restaurant magnate, competing with Tex-Mex isn’t enough; eventually, he’d like to see how Tacolada stands up against his buddies back home. 

“My goal is to grow the brand in Austin first because I’m here and I want to make sure we do it right,” he emphasizes. “Then after that, this concept could do well anywhere in the nation. Even in San Diego. I think I could go back and compete with them there.” 

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