In South Bay’s Mexican food scene, the name Fernandez is king.
Luckily for locals, Miguel of the Fernandez family and his business partner Oscar Armenta will soon double the family’s empire with a new quick-service, “Chipotle-style” restaurant called Tacos Fernandez at 1290 Hollister St.
Armenta spoke with What Now San Diego about their vision:
“The name itself is obviously well-known for service and quality,” Armenta said. “And there’s definitely a lineage to the Birria place, but the concept will be very different. You’ll walk in and order tacos, a burrito, a bowl, a torta, or a tostada and be out within a few minutes, eating your food.”
In a sense, Tacos Fernandez will be filling in the gaps left by the original birrieria. Where the birrieria offers breakfast, Tacos Fernandez will offer dinner. Where the birrieria’s weekend wait time is known to surpass two hours, the taco shop will serve weekday workers in a rush.
As for the menu, the Fernandez brothers agreed that they would stick to different styles; Tacos Fernandez will feature high-quality, charcoal-cooked meats, blending many of Oscar Armenta’s traditional family recipes with Miguel Fernandez’s style and expertise.
In an effort to serve the community, Tacos Fernandez plans to offer quick-service lunch for teachers and students from the nearby high school, and for employees from surrounding businesses who are looking for a quick bite to eat on their lunch break. They will also be open for dinner.
“This community kind of needs something to do at night,” Armenta said. “We’re going to fill that void.”
The property at 1290 Hollister St. was managed by Rob Bloom of Duhs Commercial in early January, and South Bay residents can expect to see Tacos Fernandez open their doors in the next few months. Until then, there’s always Sunday morning birria down the street.
