By John Lee
GLUCKSTADT – Taco Loco owner Taqueria Danielle Leon says her restaurant is the best place to come for authentic, homemade Mexican food.
“We opened in May this year, so we’ve been open for almost three months,” Leon said. “My husband, Miguel Leon, is from Mexico and he always wanted to make a taco truck, which inspired the restaurant. We were given the opportunity to have a restaurant, so we ran with it.
Leon said everything in the restaurant, including the fries and salsa, queso, beans, guacamole, tacos and burritos, is completely homemade by their cooks who are all from Mexico.
“Nothing here is canned or processed,” Leon said. “We turned down food companies that offered us products because we want our food to be completely homemade and authentic. Right now we have a standard menu that you usually see at any basic Mexican restaurant, but we are working on a new menu to add desserts, margaritas and enchiladas along with a few other things.
Leon was born and raised in Jackson and moved to Madison in March 2020. She said Taco Loco was her very first restaurant and she took a leap of faith by opening it in May of this year.
“We came to the Madison area because of its strong growth and wanted to be part of the new development,” Leon said. “Madison was also closer to my husband’s job, and Madison had school options that suited our kids.”
Leon said that while she had no idea she would open a restaurant when she moved to Madison, she and her husband wanted to create something that their children, Kayden, Angel and Adalynn, would inherit and take over more. late.
She said her husband paints for many well-known builders in Madison through his construction company, M&D Construction. His painting led him to become good friends with Sony Manoj, the owner of the gas station mall on Calhoun Station Parkway which includes an Exxon Market Hotspot, a Cheers Vineyard liquor store and now Taco Loco.
Leon said Manoj told her husband about the open space next to the gas station, so they took the opportunity to claim the space and begin preparations for the restaurant.
“We started making preparations in the spring of 2021, but it took us about 14 months to open due to the need to wait for supplies and other difficulties like installing the bar and two bathrooms” , said Leon. “After that, we got building approval and are now fully open for business. It took a while, but good things are coming to those who wait.
She said Taco Loco stands out from other Mexican restaurants not only because of the authentic home cooking, but also because of the family atmosphere and the hard-working, all-out staff.
“Everyone here is amazing, friendly and most of all hard working and wants to be here,” Leon said.
Taco Loco is located at 311 Calhoun Station Parkway in Gluckstadt. The restaurant is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, visit their Facebook page or call them at 769-567-2579.
