Meet Tacolicious, the Legendary Taco Joint Coming Up from Shanghai for Taco Fest

Along with a great many of Beijing’s greatest taco makers set to attend our first-ever Taco Fest next weekend, there’s also going to be a special taco restaurant coming all the way from Shanghai to take part: Tacolicious.

A collaboration between Thijs Oomens and Saira Shazad of BYFO Hot Sauce, Adrian Wall of Joe’s Pizza, and Logan Brouse of Logan’s Punch, Tacolicious kicked things off with a bang when it opened in 2018, drawing the foodies of Shanghai with a menu featuring tacos with a hard shell on the inside and soft tortilla on the outside topped with everything from classics like beef and chicken to fusion options like mapo doufu.

"Tacos are the best vehicle in which to serve and eat food", says co-founder Oomens, "it's an edible plate/napkin and it's perfect for serving up so many kinds of dishes." It's a vehicle used at Tacolicious to present unexpected fusion cuisine, with the soft and hard shell tortillas in the middle an added bonus. "We feel it's the perfect way to deliver our style of tacos; hard tortilla for the crunch and bite, a layer of cheese (because why not), and the soft tortilla to soak it all up and hold everything together."

Tacolicious will be bringing four tacos to choose from to Taco Fest. These include the quintessential Al Pastor, spit-roasted pork and pineapple marinated for 24 hours in a savory and aromatic chili sauce; Fried Fish, which sees beer-battered fish combined with crunchy coleslaw, spicy aioli, and tangy tomato salsa; and their most popular option, Steak Asado, mildly spicy and sweet juicy beef tenderloin with slaw, chipotle mayo and salsa.

Finally, for those who aren’t too keen on meat, Tacolicious will also have a special vegan option: Zrou Chorizo. Secret spice blend marinated vegetarian “chorizo” topped with a creamy cilantro ranch sauce, pico de gallo, and their signature vegan-friendly smoky salsa.

You’ll be able to decide for yourself where these Shanghai stalwarts stand compared to the tacos on offer from spots around the capital for two days only this coming weekend, May 20-21. Early bird tickets are on sale now, so don’t hesitate to buy some today and get ready for a weekend of Taco heaven!

The Beijinger's First Ever Taco Fest is happening from Saturday, May 20 to Sunday, May 21, 11am-8pm each day at the Tiantongyuan Culture and Art Center in Changping. Early bird tickets are on sale now for RMB 20, you can scan the QR code in the poster to get your tickets.

READ: Get Early Bird Tickets for Our First Ever Taco Fest Now!

Images courtesy of Tacolicious