Mexican street food specialists Taco Mex opened their first site on London Road back in December 2017. Since then, the business has gone from strength to strength, opening two new sites in Rustlings Road and Abbeydale Road South.
From the off, Taco Mex owner Shahzad has constantly strived for innovation. Realising quickly that demand was high, he expanded the business into the upstairs of their London Road site in order to give them more seating space.
Shahzad has been enthusiastically welcoming customers to his new venues.
Over the past year, they have ramped things up again, opening two new sites to help cope with the demand for takeaway, all while continuing to provide top notch Mexican fodder. “We were very busy in the London Road branch,” explains Shahzad, “so we decided to take on the other two sites and acquire a bigger, three-mile takeaway radius. The different branches now cover more areas, giving our customers better service and better-quality food.
“We have many customers around Abbeydale Road and there’s a link to Dronfield so the Abbeydale Road site now covers those, and then the Ecclesall Road site can take us up to Dore and Totley, which is difficult to get to from our London Road site, while keeping the quality of the food high.
“Since opening the new sites, we’ve had great customer reviews and they’re receiving much quicker deliveries now. I’m really proud of what we’re doing and it’s really working out how I’d hoped. Hopefully, in the future, we’ll open more, but for now we’re just sticking with the three.”
Shahzad has worked in hospitality for a number of years and explained to Exposed where this passion for food comes from. Shahzad said: “First of all, I love food! The idea for this place came from working for another popular Mexican restaurant in the city. I was head chef, but when they started, they were small, so I helped create the menu. I’ve been working in restaurants for a long time, so I thought about starting my own.”
The owner and chef also has experience managing a busy fast food chain, but he told Exposed that he originally trained in the classics. He said: “I started my career in a French restaurant and I was motivated in that cuisine, but I think it is easier to teach people Mexican cuisine, and we are committed to giving good quality here.
“My love of food comes from watching the guy who owned that first restaurant I worked in. He was so motivated, he inspired me to start creating my own dishes and it grew from there.”
“I’m really proud of what we’re doing and it’s really working out how I’d hoped.”
Taco Mex covers all your Mexican favourites from tacos, burritos, and fajitas, to nachos, enchiladas and chimichangas, as well as Mexican-style pizza tostadas and sweet and fluffy churros. They have all the bases covered with halal, vegan, and gluten free options, with everything made fresh from scratch on site.
“I try to give the best quality, the best ingredients and the best packaging.” Says Shahzad, “People need to try the food.”
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