East Somerville’s Taco Loco Mexican Grill is a long-time local favorite.

By Sophia Oliveira

There’s always that one restaurant that incites a warm, comforting feeling inside. A spot that feels like home, because it is home to you. A place that you always find yourself coming back to, even without realizing it. For me, that place is Taco Loco Mexican Grill.

Located on Broadway in East Somerville, Taco Loco has been serving guests since the mid-90s, although not always from the location it’s at now. The original Taco Loco was right next door to its current location, now just flat land that’s been demolished to make way for something new.

Those moments we spent at Taco Loco together had become a core memory for me, moments I’d always go back to when reminiscing about my childhood. Now, it’s been over four years since I’ve seen my father– and I’ve been looking back on those memories of us at Taco Loco more than ever.

My father was deported back to his home country of Brazil in 2017, and I can’t remember the last time we had gone to Taco Loco together; I wish that we could have gone together more. Instead, to honor our time spent together, I went to the new Taco Loco and got my father’s signature order: two steak tacos, one pupusa revueltas, and one mandarin Jarritos.

Walking into the new location felt unfamiliar at first, but upon seeing the counter where we place our orders, I felt at home. It was the same style as their old location, with the kitchen being open and the display case having delicious food inside. The restaurant was decorated with murals on the walls as well as the many awards Taco Loco has received over the years. The women behind the counter treated me with the same kindness I had received as a child, making the experience all the more nostalgic.

While waiting for our food, I began chatting with long-time patron Michelle Chan. She said, “I’ve been coming here since my friends told me about it in middle school, and I haven’t been able to find any other place that does it like Taco Loco does”. Her go-to order is two chicken tacos in the warmer months, and when it gets colder she loves to get their sopas (soups), which she says are “the epitome of comfort”.

After getting my food, I decided to sit in the stools they had facing the window, looking out into the streets of East Somerville- the neighborhood I grew up in. There was also a larger dining area to the side of the counter, but I opted for the spot my father and I would always sit at, recreating the experience at the new location.

The steak tacos were $3.50 each, the pupusa $2.99, and the Jarritos $2.99. An affordable meal perfect for the many college students that call Somerville their home. The tacos were filled with juicy steak and fresh pico de gallo, topped off with refreshing crema. Each bite I took was filled with a sense of nostalgia as I imagined my father eating this on our many trips years past. A pupusa is a Salvadoran dish, a thick corn tortilla filled with various ingredients, such as beans, cheese, meat, and vegetables. Pupusas revueltas come with cheese and shredded pork inside. They come served with curtido (similar to sauerkraut) and salsa roja (red sauce). The pupusa was made to order, coming to me fresh and steaming off the grill. It was hearty and savory, the curtido and salsa roja being the perfect way to cut the heaviness of the pupusa. The mandarin flavor Jarritos was the perfect way to wash the meal down, its sweet mandarin orange flavor being the perfect complement to the intense flavors of the meal.

While Taco Loco may have moved down the street out of its old location, the memories of that location still live within the new one. It’s one of the few connections to my father I have left in the States. The food is affordable and delicious, sure to keep people coming back for more for years to come.