Tacos with a twist of B.C.
Tacofino is taking over Vancouver, with a new focus in each of three restaurants
VANCOUVER— Taquerias may be all the rage in Toronto, but the taco trend came early to Vancouver. Starting out as a humble food truck in Tofino, B.C., Tacofino has evolved into one of Van City’s hottest properties, recently opening up its third stand-alone restaurant.
It all came about through a series of coincidences. Toronto native Jason Sussman and now-wife Kaeli Robinsong found a food truck for sale on Craigslist, which set the wheels in motion. Getting into the food truck business gave them an excuse to move from Victoria to Tofino in 2009, where they could also spend more time near the pounding surf.
“We spent so many years on and off in Mexico,” said Sussman, who previously worked as a tree-planter and cook, heading south to California, Mexico and Costa Rica to surf in the wintertime. “No one (here) was really doing tacos at the time, so it made sense.”
Baja-style fish tacos — an ode to California surf culture — were an obvious fit for the food truck, but the co-founders decided to take tacos in another direction.
“Asian food is my first love — quite often I try to add Asian flavours into things,” Sussman said. With madefrom-scratch tacos using local, sustainable ingredients, Tacofino quickly developed a loyal following — so much so that entrepreneur Ryan Spong and hedge-fund manager Matt MacIsaac wanted to bring the brand to Vancouver, where the Tacofino food truck debuted in 2010.
“Truthfully, running trucks is hard, it’s like running a restaurant on steroids — all the restaurant stuff plus your truck breaking down, generators breaking down, and you can’t sell alcohol,” Sussman said.
That led to the opening of their first stand-alone restaurant on Hastings St., called Tacofino Commissary, in 2012. Its success led to the opening of a Gastown location — officially called Taco Bar and Burrito Bar, with a fastservice burrito bar off Cordova St. and a 60-seat dining room and 20seat bar off Blood Alley. But the locals refer to it as Tacofino Gastown — a name that just seems to stick. Earlier this summer, they opened their newest location: Tacofino Yaletown.
Food trucks have limited menus, so the restaurants allow Sussman to expand — and experiment with — his menus. Each restaurant has a different seasonal menu, though the everpopular fish taco is always available.
In Tacofino Commissary, Sussman was inspired by the idea of Japanese sharing plates. The space, designed by Omer Arbel, is decked out with long, communal tables and handblown glass lights strung like patio lanterns across the ceiling.
The Gastown location is different. Designed by Vancouverite Shiloh Sukkau, the restored heritage building was inspired by the surf culture of Tofino, Baja and SoCal, with graphic tile work and beachy accents alongside heritage brick.
The menu is also different. “I wanted to take . . . traditional Mexican dishes that I was inspired by and make them our own,” Sussman said.
In addition to classics such as the al pastor taco, the Gastown location is serving up quirky combinations such as a lamb birria taco with arbol chili and pickled nopals, and a spicy kabocha squash and pickled cauliflower tostada that packs a punch.
The cocktail menu offers much more than the requisite margarita, with inspired creations such as Mula Borracha, with mescal, pressed ginger and turmeric shrub; and Gold Rush, with pisco, triple sec and cava. Plus, there are tequila and mescal flights.
Tacofino’s newest location in Yaletown is different still. “In Yaletown, I took a lot more inspiration from surf and skate culture in California, in design as well,” Sussman said. The counter-service restaurant has a bar and patio with ’80s-inspired SoCal surf-punk decor. Also designed by Sukkau, the bar is constructed from powder-coated steel mesh, with a floor-to-ceiling mural that’s meant to conjure images of Venice Beach. The menu has a heavy focus on burritos — Sussman’s culinary obsession — with varieties such as smoked tuna and beef brisket barbacoa.
Sussman has pondered the idea of setting up shop in Toronto, but has no plans at this point. “Once I go further (than B.C.), it definitely is going to change my lifestyle,” he said. “I surf a lot less these days.” And that may be a deal-breaker. Vawn Himmelsbach was hosted by Tourism Vancouver and its partners, none of which reviewed or approved this story.