Taco Fest Is Almost Here: Check Out All the Amazing Vendors
Last week we gave you a sneak peek of some of the vendors we’ll be featuring at our Taco Fest but now, as promised, here is a full list of all our amazing taco vendors complete with the lowdown on what delicious tacos they’ll be serving.
TACO GO
TACO GO may have two locations, but it's their first in 3.3 Mall near Taikooli that's one of the closest things to a taco stand here in Beijing in regards to design. For Taco Fest they'll be bringing classic beef, pork, and chicken tacos. Going beyond classic, each of these has a little TACO GO twist: the chicken and beef are marinated for four hours in a paste made from dozens of spices and five different kinds of jalapeño. The meats are then piled into a tortilla dipped in a stewed broth with cheese before being fried. For the pork tacos, pork is slow-cooked for two hours in oil, lemon juice, and sugar and served with coriander, raw onion, and green salsa.
Furongji 福荣记
A Cantonese restaurant hidden in Beijing’s hutongs, Furongji will be bringing Canto-Beef and Pork Belly Gua Bao -- which can be thought of as a sort of “Chinese taco” – to the festival. Gua Bao (刈包 in Chinese) consists of a steamed bread pocket that has a similar shape to a taco and is stuffed with either pork or beef along with various toppings. Originating in Fujian, they have become a popular street food across Southeast Asia and even in the Chinatowns of the US and Europe.
CIRCLE URBAN 圆场
Having opened up last year, this is CIRCLE URBAN’s first time at a Beijinger event, and we are super excited to have them! To the festival they’ll be bringing Chinese-Style Chicken Tacos with rattan pepper and fried chili crisp, American-Style Pulled Pork Tacos topped with pineapple salsa, and Traditional Slow Cooked Beef Tacos with a twist -- they are topped with mozzarella cheese. They’ll also have a variety of craft brews and cocktails with which you can wash it all down with.
GOLDEN HILL ALE HOUSE 秋山艾尔酒馆
Purveyors of craft beer and great food, GOLDEN HILL ALE HOUSE will be bringing three types of tacos to the festival. There's the Garlic Chicken Cheese Taco, which consists of chicken breast, homemade garlic sauce, romaine lettuce, cheddar cheese, parmesan, homemade salsa, and chilies. The second is the Masala Black Pepper Beef Taco which is stuffed with beef tenderloin, masala chili sauce, lettuce, onion, bell peppers caramelized onions, chilies, and parmesan. Lastly, there's the Vegetable Taco which sees eggplant, onion, bell peppers, garlic sauce, masala chili sauce, and caramelized onions all stuffed in a tortilla. (Please note: as the garlic sauce contains anchovies, it’s not suitable for vegetarians.)
Mojí Mexican Restaurant 墨纪墨西哥餐厅
As purveyors of authentic Mexican cuisine, Moji views tacos as the soul of Mexican culture. They will be offering up traditional Carnitas Tacos, Camarones Cucaracha Fried Shrimp Tacos, in which big shell-in shrimp is fried in a special spice blend, as well as a Surprise Taco that'll only be available at Taco Fest -- all the more reason to come and see what it's all about.
iGELATO
iGELATO only uses fresh, natural ingredients with zero additives in their made fresh daily gelato. Their gelato is also low in sugar and low fat and is made using traditional Italian methods.
DRINKS LAB 饮料研究所
Not only will DRINKS LAB be bringing refreshing drinks to Taco Fest such as mojitos, but they'll be bringing the latest rage amongst Chinese foodie influencers -- the Zibo Taco, which hails from the otherwise nondescript Shandong city of Zibo, and features barbecued lamb meat served in a Chinese-style flour tortilla with scallions.
Emperor Zhengde's Chunbing 正德春饼宴
Another claim to the "Chinese taco" throne is much more of a local delicacy -- chunbing (spring pancake rolls), which feature meat, vegetables, sauce, and other garnishes all wrapped up in a thin savory pancake. According to legend, chunbing can be traced back to the Zhengde Emperor, who enjoyed traveling so much that his entourage created spring pancake rolls as an easy “fast food” for him to eat as he traveled. Emperor Zhengde’s Chunbing will be bringing two different kinds of chunbing to the festival: the Classic Pork Knuckle Chunbing, which sees slices of boneless pork knuckle topped with spring onion, alfalfa sprouts, and cucumber; and the Meatless Classic which combines egg, spring onion, and alfalfa sprouts.
To help cool you down they’ll also be serving two different novelty ice creams on a stick: a mythical "qilin"-shaped chocolate flavor ice cream and a gesang flower-shaped one with a strawberry yogurt flavor.
MORROW 墨佬墨西哥餐厅
Mexican cantina MORROW’s tacos all use white corn tortillas stuffed with a variety of meats, sauces, and fresh vegetables. At the festival, they’ll offer Beef Sauce Tacos, beef and a special sauce cooked for four hours; and Pineapple Pork Tacos.
Taco Bell 塔可钟
Chances are you’ve probably heard of American-Mexican fast food brand Taco Bell. At Taco Fest they’ll be serving Juicy Wagyu Beef Tacos, featuring Wagyu beef served with corn salsa and fresh tomatoes in a crispy taco shell; and the Taco Supreme, which is beef, spicy salsa, cheese sauce, yogurt sauce, lettuce, and sweet and sour tomatoes all piled into a tortilla.
TacoGPT
Everyone's favorite wine merchant CHEERS goes undercover to become TacoGPT for Taco Fest, having used ChatGPT as a “food consultant” to create four different kinds of tacos they'll serve on the day. First up they have Shrimp Salad Tacos, which features shrimp tossed with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and avocado served with a zesty dressing made from lime juice, olive oil, and a touch of honey. Next is the Black Bean and Corn Taco, with black beans and corn mixed with tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, and chili powder, all topped with lettuce, cheese, and a dollop of sour cream. They’ll also serve Chicken Caesar Tacos consisting of chicken breast, romaine lettuce, Caesar dressing, parmesan cheese, and croutons. Lastly is the Asian Slaw Taco, which has shredded cabbage, bell peppers, carrot, scallions, a dressing made from rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, and honey, and topped with either grilled chicken or tofu.
CHEERS will also have ChatGPT acting as an AI bartender. They'll be using its cyber recipes to make cocktails live on site.
HFFOUSA TACO 弗萨塔可墨西哥餐厅
Offering Mexican food with a healthy twist, HFFOUSA TACO will be serving up a whopping five different types of taco at the fest: Cancun Chicken, Beef Steak, Carnitas, Pork Rib, and Vegetarian. All of their tacos come topped with a variety of salsas, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and guacamole.
Las Musas
Making authentic Mexican street tacos and carefully crafted margaritas in the heart of Beijing, Las Musas uses only the freshest ingredients and prepares everything from scratch. Customers come in knowing they’ll be in for a truly magical taco experience. Las Musas will be bringing two special tacos to the festival: the Spicy Roasted Tomato Habenero Chicken Taco and the Spicy Green Chili Beef Machaca Taco. The combination of Habaneros and spicy green chilis from Mexico will permeate the meat to create a mouth-watering, forehead sweat-inducing taco experience. For vegans at the festival, they'll also have a Vegan Hibiscus Taco with vegan soy crema. Their sister company SLOWBOAT will also be at the festival serving up their signature craft brews and even have a beer challenge planned for you to take part in!
THE TACO BAR
One of the oldest Mexican restaurants in Beijing, THE TACO BAR has been bringing delicious tacos to Beijing’s masses for over ten years. They've got two tacos for the Fest: the first is THE FAT BOY, which is an homage to the Mexican-American classic combining spiced ground beef and pork, potato, queso, sour cream, lettuce, tomato, cheddar, and mozzarella. The second taco is THE CRY TO YOUR MOMMA which comes with a **BEWARE** warning due to its heat level. It’s got grilled chicken, onion, tomato, and cilantro topped with a SEE YOU TOMORROW SAUCE which is made from Carolina reapers – the spiciest chili in the world.
Tacolicious
Hailing all the way from Shanghai, 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 non-meat eaters, 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.
El Mercadito 墨摊儿
Mexican restaurant El Mercadito is committed to promoting Mexican food and culture. They’ll be serving up three different types of taco at the festival. First off is the Carnitas which features pork that’s been marinated in their chef’s secret sauce for 24 hours, next is the Carne Asada made with their secret sauce marinated slow-cooked beef, and finally Crayfish which uses tender, aromatic crayfish.
Nashville 乡谣
The first country music restaurant bar in Beijing, Nashville was founded 26 years ago, way back in 1996. Their tacos are chicken and beef, and this is some special beef! In May last year, they upgraded their second floor to Nashville Beef Bank which specializes in dry-aged beef, and it'll come into play at Taco Fest, where they'll use said beef to highlight their Signature Steak Tacos, which combines American Angus steak, guacamole, homemade sour cream, tomato salsa, and jalapenos. Their Chicken Tacos feature chargrilled chicken thighs, avocado jam, homemade sour cream, tomato salsa, and jalapeños rings.
SUSU 苏苏
Born deep in Beijing's hutongs, SUSU serves authentic and unique Vietnamese dishes in a simple and creative way. Now, you wouldn’t normally think of tacos when you think of Vietnamese restaurants, but back in 2021, SUSU rolled out their "Viet Tacos" as part of a collaboration with their compadres Las Musas. At the festival, they’ll be serving some of their signature tacos like the Shaking Beef Taco and Caramelized Carnitas Taco along with their brand-spanking new Bánh Xèo Crêpe Tacos that feature shrimp nestled in fluffy rice flour and turmeric pancakes.
TSINGTAO1903 Taproom 青岛1903 酒馆
As a brand under Tsingtao Beer, TSINGTAO1903 Taproom aims to create the perfect food to match their great selection of fresh beers. At Taco Fest, they’ll be serving a whole range of Chinese-Mexican fusion tacos: Peking Duck Tacos, Kung Pao Chicken Tacos, Zibo Grilled Lamb Tacos, and finally Tomato Beef & Cheese Tacos.
VINN 维恩餐吧
Before talking about VINN’s tacos we have to talk about their tomato salsa, because they actually created the salsa first and then designed their tacos around it. Their tomato salsa uses over ten different kinds of herbs and seasoning to create a sweet, sour, spicy, and refreshing flavor. In fact, it’s such a big hit that some of their customers have asked to buy it to take home to add to rice! They’ll be bringing Beef Tacos and Chicken Tacos to the festival which, along with their signature tomato salsa, both feature a soft tortilla on the outside and then a crispy tortilla shell on the inside.
Grassroots
Plant-based creamery Grassroots has created a brand new once-in-a-lifetime Vegan Enchilada Taco for Taco Fest. This creation sees minced Zrou “meat” combined with Grassroots’ mozzarella inside a soft tortilla that’s fried until golden and crispy and then served with Mexican-style chipotle salsa and refreshing Mexican coleslaw. They'll also have their wildly popular quesadillas, which aren't technically a taco, but come stuffed with Mexican veggies and gooey Grassroots cheese which are then grilled until crispy, so it's certainly close enough.
Great Leap Brewing 大跃啤酒
Having added tacos to their menu earlier this year, Great Leap Brewing will be serving their Beef Tacos and Chicken Tacos at the festival, with their beef offering being a highlight. Crafted especially by their head chef, the beef taco is made from 100 percent imported Australian Angus beef which is then ground, seasoned, and simmered for two hours, then mixed with in-house Mexican chili sauce to create a flavor that will leave you craving for more.
Q MEX Bar & Grill 库迈墨西哥餐吧
For the final vendor on our list we have Mexican restaurant and Beijing stalwart Q MEX Bar & Grill and oh boy do they have some exciting tacos lined up! At the festival, they’ll be serving up their Carnitas that sees slow-simmered pork topped with tomatillo salsa, chopped onion, and cilantro served in a white corn flour tortilla. This is the FIRST TIME that Q MEX is offering their Carnitas to the general public, having previously only served them exclusively at Mexican Embassy events for the past eight years.
The other taco they’ll be serving is Crispy Shrimp Tacos which feature shrimp topped with chipotle salsa, pico de gallo, sliced jalapeño peppers, onions, and cilantro all served in a lightly fried corn tortilla. This is one of Q MEX’s signature dishes and is executive chef Marcus Medina’s creative take on a style of tacos from a seaside town in Sinaloa, Northwest Mexico.
Now, if that list of fantastic vendors hasn’t got you salivating in anticipation for Taco Fest, we don’t know what will! To buy tickets you can scan the QR code in the poster, Presale Tickets are RMB 20, or Onsite Tickets are RMB 30.
Taco Fest will be taking place May 20-21 at Tiantongyuan Culture and Arts Center which is located at the intersection of Taipingzhuang Zhongyijie and Lishuiqiao Beilu, with a total construction area of 35,000 square meters. It has four floors above ground level and two floors below ground level. It is part of the three-year action plan of "Huitian Area" and a major livelihood project to effectively improve the public cultural service facilities in Huitian Area, directly serving more than 400,000 people and benefiting 850,000 Huitian residents. The center is a cultural home for the people of Tiantongyuan.
READ: Meet Tacolicious, the Legendary Taco Joint Coming Up from Shanghai for Taco Fest
Images: courtesy of the vendors, The Beijingers
