This food truck remind you of California? All Boise, it’s opening a restaurant
A quirky Boise taco truck is opening its first restaurant this spring.
You can bet the new place will still sell tons of food to go.
Walkin Takos is on track to debut in May at 701 N. Orchard St. The 1,178-square-foot building is the longtime home of Tango’s Empanadas, which will relocate soon.
Walking tacos are a variation of the tortilla-wrapped Mexican staple. They’re created by tearing open a single-serving bag of chips – say, Doritos. Then piling it full of meats, cheeses, veggies, sour cream, salsa and other ingredients. (Ever heard of Frito pie? It’s a similar concept.) Cleanup is quick. Portability is key.
With Tango’s moving a few blocks down Orchard Street, Walkin Takos owners David Eisenhauer and Chase Harris purchased the soon-to-be-vacated space. They’re confident it’s time to step up to a brick-and-mortar. Walkin Takos was voted “Idaho’s Best” food truck last year in the annual awards program.
Success ‘right off the bat’
The two men started serving chips-bag tacos to the Treasure Valley a little over two years ago.
“We are both from the Midwest, and we both grew up with walking tacos,” Harris said. “Nobody here was doing it, but there’s tons of taco trucks. So we decided to be different. So we started the food trailer, and things started going well for us right off the bat.”
Walkin Takos is rated 4.9 out of 5 stars on Yelp and 4.7 out of 5 on Google. The fork-friendly feasts might be a bit different, but they’re totally approachable. “Our food was more than incredible,” a recent Google reviewer wrote, “it was surprising and delicious.”
It’s debatable where walking tacos originated. Either way, Eisenhauer and Harris encounter interesting reactions to their cuisine. “Really reminds me of the food trucks back in California,” a recent 5-star Google review said.
California? Try two dudes from Minnesota and Missouri.
“For us, it’s always been a Midwest thing. But we get that all the time,” Harris, 42, said, “especially from California. A lot of people come up, ‘Oh yeah!’ Because they have everything down there, apparently.”
Maybe it’s the stylish food trailer. “It’s kind of hip,” Eisenhauer, 50, suggested.
Whatever the case? “Our menu’s kind of like Idaho Tex-Mex,” he said.
Not just chips
Yes, Idaho: There are potatoes. Instead of starting your walking taco with a base layer of warm, housemade tortilla chips — or a bag of Doritos, Fritos, Flamin’ Hot Cheetohs or the like — you can choose a one-pound baked potato. Or french fries or sidewinder fries. Or tater tots. Or even a lettuce bowl.
Then select from six proteins (mmm, New Mexican pork chili verde). And pick from 21 tasty taco toppings. Eight are included in the $12 Walkin Tako price; additional ones cost extra. “And they’re all fresh,” Eisenhauer said. “That’s one of the biggest comments. Fresh ingredients and huge portions.”
Want to bring your own bag of chips? Do it. “We’ll load it up for you,” Harris said.
Craving dessert? There are several. How about a deep-fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich coated with cinnamon and sugar? “Which is really delicious,” Eisenhauer said. (Ya think?)
It might not always be super-healthy. But it can be. When ordering walking tacos, customers guide the customized journey. Walkin Takos is able to accommodate dietary restrictions and preferences, too, such as gluten-free and vegetarian. (Instead of a lettuce base, low-carb fanatics could even bring one of those little pricey bags of Quest protein chips and ask them to “load it up.”)
Just remember: This is not supposed to be Mexican food. Or California food. Or Southwest or Midwest food.
“We’re just like the rest of America,” Harris said. “We’re just melting pot. A little bit of everything from every region that we can, and just kind of blending it together.”