Los Angeles, CA - October 16: Angel Moreno prepares vampiro tacos at Tacos El Xolo in Boyle Heights on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023 in Los Angeles, CA. Moreno got his start making food in Tijuana and now owns this taco stand. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
San Diego, California – After half a century of fine-tuning the perfect taco on the streets of Tijuana, one of Mexico’s most beloved taquerías has officially crossed the border. Tacos El Franc, a culinary institution known for its smoky carne asada, spicy adobada, and handmade tortillas, opened its first U.S. location this week in San Diego’s National City.
What began in 1974 as a humble taco cart in Colonia El Soler has grown into a cross-border culinary brand steeped in history, family, and smoke. Founder Don Javier Valadez eventually expanded from his original cart to a brick-and-mortar shop, Tacos La Glorieta, still tiled in its iconic red and white. By 1986, he launched Tacos El Francés — named with a wink to the family’s French ancestry — and a taco empire was born.
Now, Tacos El Franc is making its U.S. debut at Westfield Plaza Bonita, complete with two terraces, a bar, and ample seating for taco lovers on both sides of the border. The new location features the same throwback checkerboard tiles and brick-lined walls, along with a brigade-style kitchen led by taqueros trained directly by Don Javier himself.
“This wasn’t just about opening another taco shop,” said Roberto Kelly, one of the partners behind the expansion. “It was about making sure the taco that shows up in National City tastes exactly like the one in Tijuana.”
To make that happen, teams were trained in Tijuana in everything from salsa prep to the choreography of the kitchen line. Every detail — from the mesquite-grilled meats to the precise rotation of taqueros at the trompo — was supervised by Don Javier to ensure fidelity to the original.
Tacos El Franc’s arrival in California marks more than just another restaurant opening — it’s a symbolic moment in the growing presence of Tijuana-style tacos in the American mainstream. These are tacos defined not just by flavor, but by a philosophy of technique, speed, and street-level charm. In a city already home to institutions like Tacos El Gordo and Tijuanazo, El Franc’s opening is both a homecoming and a challenge to stay authentic under brighter lights.
With a second location planned for the Gaslamp Quarter and national buzz from the Michelin Guide and Netflix’s Taco Chronicles, Tacos El Franc is betting that the same formula that made it a legend in Tijuana can translate stateside — parking spots and all.
