Have You Tried These First-Time Taco Fest Vendors?
You may consider yourself a Beijing taco connoisseur, but have you tried these spots making their Taco Fest debut? At all our festivals, we try to bring together well-known stalwarts along with fresh faces in the hopes of finding some hidden gems you might never have heard of or tried before.
At this year's fest – happening May 3-4 at the National Tennis Center – we've got a number of Taco Fest first-timers, including our special guest from Shanghai, as well as a host of other new finds, so if you're looking to try something new, keep an eye out for these spots!
La Coyota
Making not only their Taco Fest debut but also their Beijing debut is La Coyota. They are joining us all the way from Shanghai for the festival, so unless you've had the chance to visit them in their home city, this will be a brand new taco experience for you! Founded by Mexican Chef Gaby Fernández, La Coyota has been bringing authentic Mexican flavors to Shanghai since 2013. At the fest, they'll be serving up some of their fan-favorite tacos, including: Taco al Pastor, where pork is marinated in a rich blend of dried chilies and spices and grilled to perfection; Cochinita Pibil, where pork is slow-cooked until tender in a traditional marinade of achiote paste and orange juice; and Carnitas, which sees pork cooked low and slow for that perfect balance of crispiness and tenderness.
Then there will also be the Choripollo Chicken, which combines tender chicken with mild, savory Mexican-style chorizo. And for vegan guests, they'll have a tasty plant-based Chorizo & Mushrooms Taco, full of smoky, satisfying flavor with a hearty bite, and their vegan Mexican Chorizo, which will also be available to purchase separately and take home. All of La Coyota's tacos are served on warm tortillas and topped with fresh ingredients.
Exclusive item(s):
- As they're coming to Beijing from Shanghai for the fest, all their tacos are exclusive to the fest.
MAMACOCO Bar & Restaurant MAMACOCO墨西哥餐吧
Mexican restaurant MAMACOCO will be showcasing two of their signature creations at the fest: the Pineapple Char Siu Pork Taco and the Mexican Beef Chili Taco. The former is their star product, a fusion dish that combines marinated pork neck with a pineapple glaze, char siu sauce and Mexican pickled vegetables; the latter features rich beef chili simmered with a blend of aromatic spices. Along with their signature offerings, they've created the Rockin' Cheese Elote (Mexican Street Corn) just for the fest. It sees smoky grilled corn layered with crumbled cheese, zesty lime and jalapeño peppers for a spicy kick.
Exclusive item(s):
- Rockin' Cheese Elote
Casa Lola South American Restaurant Casa Lola 南美菜餐厅
Casa Lola is bringing an impressive five different types of tacos to the fest: Beef Stew Taco, Slow-Cooked Octopus Taco, Fried White Bait Fish Taco, Grilled Flounder Taco and Slow-Roasted Spicy Chicken Taco. Aside from tacos, they'll also have a range of snacks such as Chimichurri Shrimp, Peruvian Citrus Seafood Ceviche Cup, Okonomiyaki, Takoyaki and Fried Chicken.
Lucky Taco 幸运墨西哥塔可
Lucky Taco will be serving up two tacos at the fest: True Chicken Tacos and Bullfighter Cheese Beef Tacos. Made with chicken breast and beef shank, respectively, they come topped with homemade sauce, fresh vegetables and tomato salsa.
The T Restaurant 酷车潮玩美式餐厅
The T Restaurant will be bringing two different tacos to the fest. The first is the General Tso's Taco, which sees the legendary American-Chinese dish all sandwiched inside a tortilla for a fantastic fusion creation. The other is The T Restaurant Double Layered Taco, which stuffs Mexican chili inside a hard taco shell inside a soft taco shell – hence the name – for one carb-y combination.
Exclusive item(s):
- General Tso's Taco
Goose Island Taproom 鹅岛精酿啤酒餐厅
Although Goose Island has joined some of our other fests before, this is their first time at Taco Fest. They've created two exclusive tacos for the fest. The first is the Yunnan Black Three Dices Taco, which takes the classic Yunnan dish "Hei San Duo" made up of minced pork, stir-fried chilli, and pickled vegetables, then tops it with cheese and puts it in a soft-shell taco. The other is the Black Truffle Pine Leaf Crab Taco, which combines shredded crab with truffle, avocado, nori and lettuce. Along with tacos, they'll also have Chicken and Beef Kebabs, chips and a range of their signature brews to sip on.
Exclusive item(s):
- Yunnan Black Three Dices Taco
- Black Truffle Pine Leaf Crab Taco
Certified Angus Beef ® x SALATE美国认证安格斯牛肉协会X塞莱德
Another spot that's joined our fests before, but a first for Taco Fest is Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB) and they've crafted a few exclusive offerings for the occasion. The first is the Beef Steak Taco, which sees char-grilled CAB beef flank steak paired with smoked beef chili sauce and American cheddar cheese. They'll also have a Smoke Roasted US Pulled Pork and Turkey Quesadilla.
Exclusive item(s):
- Beef Steak Taco
- US Pulled Pork & Turkey Quesadilla
Have you tried any of the tacos from these places? Whose tacos are you looking forward to trying the most? Let us know in the comments below!
For more information about the fest, check out these links:
- Taco Fest's Tasty Lineup, With a Shanghai Special Guest
- Live Music, Dancing, Games, Yoga & More Fun at Taco Fest
- Tennis-Themed Fun, Kids Zone, Market Stalls & More at Taco Fest
If you'd like to stay up-to-date with everything taco-related in the capital, join one of our dedicated Taco Lovers group chats! Simply add TBJButler on WeChat by scanning the QR code below and request to become a member.
Taco Fest will be taking place at the National Tennis Center West Square on May 3-4 from 11am to 8pm. Early bird tickets are RMB 20, and tickets at the door are RMB 30. You can purchase tickets by scanning the QR code in the poster above.
The Location
This year's festival will be taking place at the National Tennis Center West Square, which is located by the west side of the Olympic Forest Park. The venue is super easy to get to, situated right by Line 8's Lincuiqiao station's C2 south exit (林萃桥站 C2南), which is a mere 35 minutes by subway from Sanlitun.
The venue has ample open space to relax on, so why not bring chairs, picnic blankets, or perhaps even a tent so that you can make your own little base camp for the day? The location is pet-friendly, so feel free to bring your furry friends to join in the fun as well.
National Tennis Center 国家网球中心
2 Lincui Lu, Chaoyang District (near the west gate of Olympic Forest Park)
朝阳区林萃路2号(奥林匹克森林公园西门附近)
A Word From Our Sponsors
National Tennis Center
National Tennis Center (NTC), operated by China Open Promotions Ltd., is committed to creating a comprehensive sports leisure hub that integrates a full range of tennis experiences including dining, retail and all kinds of cultural events. NTC continuously explores new models for sports and entertainment to better establish itself as a new cultural and tourism landmark of Beijing.
Shou Chuang Langyuan
Shou Chuang Langyuan(首创郎园), a subsidiary of Beijing’s state-owned Shou Chuang Group, is a key brand under the group’s cultural and creative industry division, specializing in urban renewal. Committed to becoming "a first-class integrated cultural development platform in China" and "the most people-oriented urban cultural operator," Langyuan began in Beijing in 2009 with a focus on warm and precise operations. It has developed a distinctive "1+3+N" business model that merges cultural industries, cultural consumption, and cultural content to foster an urban cultural ecosystem.
Currently, Shou Chuang Langyuan operates multiple projects including Langyuan Vintage, Langyuan Park, Langyuan Station, BOM Xifanli, Hangzhou·Baima Lake Anime Plaza, Shanghai Cangcheng·Langyuan Bridge, and Shenzhen Langyuan Garden, with services spanning Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and beyond.
In 2025, Shou Chuang Langyuan will continue to deepen its support for Beijing’s cultural center development while expanding nationally. It remains committed to urban renewal, driving culture-driven new consumption, enhancing cultural services for grassroots governance, and advancing tech-cultural integration. Through market-oriented operations, it will further strengthen its ecosystem by blending cultural industries with commercial and public cultural services.
READ: Tennis-Themed Fun, Kids Zone, Market Stalls & More at Taco Fest
Images: the Beijingers, courtesy of the vendors
