New Pico's Tacos location, with a drive-thru and a focus on fast service, to open this month (2024)

RACINE — “The taco life chose us” reads the text on one of the Pico’s Tacos and Cerveza food trucks.

Right now, the truck is sitting in the parking lot at 3505 Spring St., the future location for the next restaurant owned by Angela and Carlos Espinoza. It will be known as Pico’s Tacos Premier.

Angela has a history in the restaurant business in Racine.

Having grown up with her family’s restaurant, Los Mariachis, 5821 Washington Ave., she took over Los Mariachis after her parents, Bonnie and Ramon Madrigal, both died.

Angela and her husband, Carlos, wanted a restaurant that was all their own as well, so in 2015 they opened the first Pico’s Tacos location, 550 Three Mile Road.

Later came a mini-fleet of two taco trucks.

One truck is often parked at a dedicated location in the Menards parking lot, 3101 S. Oakes Road, Mount Pleasant.

The second truck is often parked at the Spring Street location, but sees more travel, going out for rentals and other events such as Summerfest in Milwaukee.

One of the Pico’s Tacos trucks will be at the Racine Public Library’s “Lunch Break at the Library” events on Wednesdays throughout the summer.

After closing on the Spring Street property last December, Pico’s Tacos Premier is set to open before the end of June in the new Spring Street location. The Espinozas’ plan for the new restaurant was a spinoff of their previous endeavors rather than an expansion.

Pico’s Premier will incorporate a smaller menu than Pico’s and Los Mariachis, focusing on a faster ordering-to-serving experience. It includes a drive-through window, something the first two locations do not have.

“All the big hitters will be on this menu. We won’t offer enchiladas or anything like that, even if that’s something you see in most taquerias,” Angela said. “At this location, for speed purposes, with a drive-thru, we are trying to get everything pretty done at a very short amount of time. So, it’s going to be pretty much a condensed version of things, but it will focus on our local favorites and staff picks.”

The new restaurant will share a menu closer to that of the food trucks, which the Espinozas describe as a “staff choice menu.” A few familiar favorites that will be featured are street tacos, fries and burritos. Some new menu items coming to Premier will include a breakfast burrito and a new style of fries that will companion with the already popular carne asada fries.

A liquor license is also set for the new location, with a small bar menu being planned. Along with a selection of beers, the Espinozas plan to have the standards of taqueria beverages: margaritas, micheladas, and palomas to purchase.

Much like the roots of Los Mariachis, the Espinoza children work in the restaurant alongside their parents. It is yet to be seen if one of them will eventually take over the family business, but Angela and Carlos agree it will be there for them if that is what they choose.

“We will be waiting,” Carlos said. “We like to work, and we will make sure they leave happy.”