Tatas Tacos celebrates official opening of Portage Park location while Six Corners site undergoes renovations; comedy, trivia nights planned

by BRIAN NADIG

Tatas Tacos at 4929 W. Irving Park Road will be closed for about eight weeks for renovations, but fans of this Six Corners restaurant only have to travel a short distance to enjoy the same menu at the recently opened dining room at Tatas Kitchen and Social at 5700 W. Irving Park Road.

Usually only chain eateries such as Starbucks have multiple locations within eight blocks of each other, but Tatas Tacos owner Marci Berner said that her two area restaurants offer the same food but different atmospheres and experiences. She said that given the current challenges facing the restaurant industry, it’s about offering choices and options for the customer and trying new things to bring in more business.

“You have to move forward and be positive … and keep trying,” Berner said, adding that “there is no historical data” for restaurants to rely on how to succeed during a worldwide pandemic. “We are trying to do something … with our Kitchen and Social to bring the community together.”

The two-level Kitchen and Social location is significantly larger than the 1,600-square-foot facility at 4929 W. Irving Park and offers a large second-floor outdoor patio and a room for private parties in addition to the main dining room and a large bar with Happy Hour specials on the first floor, Berner said. Comedy and trivia nights and karaoke are some of the special events that are planned, she said.

“Our goal is to create an inviting experience for customers,” Berner said.

Plans are being made to acquire a public place of amusement license to allow for live music, Berner said. Tatas recently purchased the corporation for the site’s previous occupant, the Veranda restaurant, and also is seeking to acquire the property. Tatas hosted some private and special events there in 2021, but the formal opening of the dining room was only recently held, Berner said.

The Six Corners Tatas near Irving Park and Lamon Avenue opened in 2018, and the planned renovations will include a new cooler. A city Small Business Improvement Fund grant is helping to cover some of the project’s costs.

Berner said that with two locations so close to each other, Tatas’ commitment to the community is for the long term. “We are definitely not going anywhere,” she said.

Tatas also has a location in Lakeview at 2826 N. Lincoln Ave.

More information is available at www.tatastacos.com.

(photo by Rob Mandik)