TACOS EL FRANC COMES NORTH: TJ’S MICHELIN-RECOGNIZED TAQUERÍA ARRIVES IN NATIONAL CITY (SAN DIEGO COUNTY).
By Holden De Mayo, PillartoPost.org Taco Editor
There’s a new smell wafting through Westfield Plaza Bonita—smoke, spice, and nostalgia. The legendary Tijuana taquería Tacos El Franc, a Michelin-recognized name south of the border, has opened its first U.S. outpost, and for taco traditionalists it’s a small culinary border crossing worth celebrating.
Founded in 1974 as a humble street stand and later a brick-and-mortar on Tijuana’s busy Avenida Sonora, El Franc’s journey north feels like a victory lap for a city whose tacos have defined an entire region’s appetite.
The new location sits inside the large mall’s restaurant wing, next to the kind of chain eateries that make this debut all the more audacious. Instead of neon margaritas and frozen platters, El Franc doubles down on simplicity—meat, tortillas, and smoke.
A wall of sizzling grills anchors the room, and the scent of adobada—marinated pork carved straight from the spit—drifts toward the terrazas where diners crowd in after a day of shopping.
Two patios, a modest bar, and a bright open kitchen lend a casual elegance, polished but not pretentious. What the space lacks in street-corner grit it makes up for in confidence.
There’s an understanding among staff and customers alike that this is no experiment—it’s a translation. Partner Roberto Kelly, speaking at the opening, promised “authentic tacos as if they were on the other side of the border.”
On that point, the kitchen delivers. The adobada taco remains the headline act: smoky, pepper-bright, with just enough fat to melt into the tortilla. The carne asada—grilled over mesquite—lands juicy and fragrant, especially when chased with a spoon of their green salsa, sharp with lime and cilantro.
The supporting cast is equally strong: tripa, suadero, cabeza—each with its own rhythm of texture and seasoning. Quesadillas ooze a clean, salty cheese that softens the edges of the spice, while the beef-tallow fries are a guilty-pleasure side that probably shouldn’t exist but thankfully do.
Tortillas are sturdy, handmade, and warm; salsas come in small bowls rather than packets, as they should.
Prices reflect the move north—tacos run around three to four dollars each, more than Tijuana’s curbside rates, but fair for the quality and setting.
 |
| Union-Tribune photo |
Service is brisk and friendly, with the kind of practiced ease that shows the staff have eaten here too. Lines can grow long at dinnertime, so aim for a late lunch if you want elbow room. Some may miss the chaos of the original—cars idling, horns blaring, smoke curling into the night air—but authenticity isn’t always about the street corner.
El Franc’s National City edition is an act of preservation: same recipes, same rhythm, but in a space where Southern Californians can linger over their tacos instead of rushing back across the border.
After nearly five decades of perfecting the humble taco, El Franc arrives in the U.S. like an old band on a new stage—tighter, cleaner, but still with soul. If this first location is any sign, the franchise has managed what few taquerías can: exporting flavor without losing faith.
 |
| USA location: National City/Bonita shopping mall |
No comments:
Post a Comment