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Taco Chelo expands to Tempe; here’s a look inside the second location

Doors to the popular taquería will open at the end of May

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By: Nicole Gutierrez

This monthly “Things To Do” special is sponsored by Visit Sonora.There's plenty of things to do across the Valley this May! ABC15’s Nicole Gutierrez gives you an inside look at the newest business developments in the Valley, places to check out and of course… lets you know all about the best events to take in with the family!

Bar and Merchandise area of the Taco Chelo Tempe location.

TEMPE, AZ — Taco Chelo, the popular taquería from Downtown Phoenix will mark its expansion in the Valley with the opening of its second location this spring in Tempe.

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The grand opening to the new location was originally set for May 10, but will now be May 30.

Taco Chelo is a collaboration of restaurateur Aaron Chamberlin, Chef Suny Santana and artist Gennaro Garcia.

Here’s what Chamberlin shared with ABC15 in a previous interview as the team prepared the opening about the Tempe location:

Why open in Tempe? “I was looking for restaurant sites, and I looked over and there was a space, and I was like, ‘this is it.’ And so really, it was it was nothing more than that was the location we found as we started to go out and look,” said Chamberlin. “We're really excited to be there. You know, it's a cool building. We have 25-foot ceilings, all glass, very different than the original Taco Chelo as far as building-wise. [It's] a corner unit [and] has great street visibility. We're right next to Postino and Snooze. And, you know, we just thought this would be a great, great place to go for [our next] location.”

This location will feature window walls.

What to expect: The Tempe storefront will have the “exact same menu” as the location in Downtown Phoenix, but the layout of the building will not be the same.

What’s here? “The pièce de résistance is the “retablo” (retable), a kelly-green elaborate structure with pops of neon serving as an altarpiece and displaying artwork, sculptures and more,” read a news release.

“There's going to be some design differences, you're not going to walk in and be like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is exactly like Taco Chelo.’ So, there's going to be some design elements that are different. We are going to have a patio on the front of the building and the entryway, which we're excited about. It's not going to be as big as our Downtown Phoenix location, patio-wise,” explained Chamberlin. “There’s still going to be that Taco Chelo feel, same great food. Suny is going to be there... the team, you know, and so we're excited about that."

Taco Chelo announces opening date for its Tempe, Arizona location

IF YOU GO

New location: 521 S. College Avenue Suite 112
- The Tempe storefront will open its doors to the public on Thursday, May 30, at 11 am.
Downtown Phoenix location: 501 E Roosevelt St.
- Hours of operation: Sunday – Thursday [11 a.m. – 9 p.m.] and Friday– Saturday [11 a.m. – 10 p.m.].