Authentic Mexican cuisine comes to Prospect Park

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By Abbey Mulcahy / The Hubbard School

The challenges of running a small business today didn’t scare off the owners of Tacosito, a new Mexican restaurant that opened in mid-June in the Prospect Park neighborhood. 

Through a partnership with a Mexican chef and employing a family-and-friends ownership structure, Tacosito is crafting what the owners call a unique and genuine menu that they hope will attract diners within the University of Minnesota and Prospect Park community.

Co-owner Terra Leight said the ownership team consulted a Mexican chef to create traditional Mexican foods with flavors the co-owners want to share with the community. 

“I wanted it more authentic, and she helped us bring those flavors together,” Leight said. “So our salsas? Family recipes. And our picante means picante.”

They also make more than burritos and bowls. The menu features tacos, tortas, sopes, and more.

Co-owner Tamatha Richman said their chefs make the sopes in the restaurant, infusing them with salsa. Many other Mexican restaurants ship them in. They also make their horchata and agua fresca in-house. Tacosito sells paletas, traditional Mexican popsicles, alongside their other food.

The owners’ families are also involved with the business.

“It’s a big collab between friends and family,” said Leight. Her children and cousin are among the workers at the restaurant, while the other family members make up the advertising and marketing team.

Before Tacosito, the storefront was the restaurant Urban Wok, an Asian fusion stir-fry restaurant. The owners switched to Tacosito to move away from being a franchise and to bring something new to the neighborhood, which already has a handful of Asian restaurants nearby.

“We thought bringing Mexican, what we love, to the area and sharing that with the community would be an investment,” Leight said.

But getting Tacosito started wasn’t easy. For starters, it was also more expensive than budgeted. 

Tariffs caused prices to increase for kitchen equipment. The owners had a lengthy search for equipment made in the U.S., but they’d have to wait longer than planned for it. Leight said they got the store’s front sign just in time.

Some items are still delayed: The banner directing cars to the parking lot hasn't arrived yet, which makes it difficult for drivers to know where to go. 

“That’s why we delayed our grand opening, hoping that everything would come together, still, there are missing pieces. But that doesn’t change our food and our customer service,” she said

Another difficulty is location. On the corner of University Ave and 29th Ave SE, next to the Prospect Park metro station, Tacosito is in retail space on the ground floor of the Link Apartment complex. 

“A lot of the students get off at the (Light Rail) stop and they take a left,” Leight said. “Nobody knows we’re here, there's no reason for them to come this way.” 

Leight said their biggest goal moving forward is community outreach. In addition to setting up Uber Eats and DoorDash, Tacosito is working on finishing its catering menu to get more involved in the community. 

Leight said they hope to cater to churches, businesses, and the University. They currently offer free delivery through their website.

Tacosito also hosts events on their outdoor patio, often centered around university sporting events in the area. Richman said that last week Tacosito hosted a tacos-on-the-patio event, where they served tacos with an outdoor grill. 

These events will continue into the school year, Richman said, keeping the emphasis on students before athletic events. “We’re excited for the kids to come back, and we can share our food and concept with them,” Leight said. “It’s very different.”