Taco Chelo is coming to Tempe. Here's what to know

Taco Chelo is a fixture of downtown Phoenix. Now, the restaurant is expanding to Tempe. Taco Chelo

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In downtown Phoenix's Roosevelt Row arts district, businesses frequently come and go. But Taco Chelo has been a constant, serving customers on the corner of Roosevelt and Fifth streets since 2018.

Now, the neighborhood spot is expanding with a location planned for Tempe. The new restaurant is slated to open on the northeast corner of College Avenue and Sixth Street next door to wine bar Postino and brunch spot Snooze.

The team behind Taco Chelo includes chef Suny Santana, artist Gennaro Garcia and restaurateur Aaron Chamberlin. Chamberlin also helmed the now-closed St. Francis and Phoenix Public Market. He grew up in the East Valley, "which makes bringing the restaurant to my old stomping grounds in Tempe even more special," he said in a news release.

click to enlarge

The menu at Taco Chelo draws inspiration from chef Suny Santana's family recipes.

Taco Chelo

The menu at the new location of Taco Chelo will be similar to its Phoenix counterpart and will be created by Santana, whose mother is the namesake of the restaurant. Options will include tacos served on freshly hand-pressed tortillas, entrees and cocktails. Popular taco fillings include carnitas, beef barbacoa and Costra which blends carne asada with caramelized onions and cheese. The drinks menu leans heavily into margaritas and Mexican beers.

“Building community through food has always been the goal," Santana said in the release. "Connecting guests with a place that honors my heritage, and having it be so well-received that we can do it again, is beyond what I could have imagined.”

Also similar to the original location, the decor at the Tempe restaurant will be designed by Garcia and will include handmade tiles and furniture and original artwork. The artist teases a new twist, however, saying the design "plays on the elements people know and love from the original restaurant, but it’s going to inject a new level of vibrancy for a truly immersive experience.”

The new location is slated to open in Tempe this December. 

Taco Chelo

521 S. College Ave. #112, Tempe
Opening December 2023