Popular Local Food Truck Opens Brick-and-Mortar Restaurant in Norwalk, CT

November 10, 2023, Norwalk, CT: Within the four walls of 102 Wall Street resides an intimate 32-seat restaurant and craft cocktail bar aptly named “Taco Guy”. The guy is Adrian Hurtado, a fourth generation taquero and restaurateur who took his popular taco food truck brand and permanently parked it (June 15, 2023) in the thriving Wall Street neighborhood in Norwalk, CT.
 
“I grew up working with my father and grandmother at their restaurants. My family moved to CT from Mexico and opened a casual family-style Mexican restaurant,” says Hurtado, “Here I am now, with my own restaurant where I am able to share my family’s recipe, such as our carnitas recipe (a confit pork shoulder) that has been passed down from father to son.”
 
Hurtado pursued his restaurant career in CT, working in the kitchen and behind the bar at various trendy restaurants, including Bar Sugo, the same location where Taco Guy is now.  He moved to New York City to learn and grow as a bartender and worked at some of the best bars and restaurants in the world, like the legendary speakeasy PDT (Please Don’t Tell), Enrique Olvera’s ATLA, and the popular Flatiron District gem Cosme. Hurtado started his food truck biz right around the time of the pandemic, creating what he saw at the time as “his own destiny.” In early 2023, he saw the Wall Street space was available and knew it was meant to be his first brick-and-mortar restaurant.

  

 
The Taco Guy menu is inspired and rooted in Mexican flavors and traditions, with Hurtado’s own flair for unique flavor combinations and artistic presentations.  Land and sea dishes share the stage with vegan and gluten-free items. Favorites include papas al pastor (fried potatoes, pineapple butter, salsa roja, red onions, and cilantro mayo), spicy pork queso fundido (Oaxacan cheese, avocado, corn tortillas, cilantro), shrimp ceviche tostada, birria tlayuda (shredded beef birria adobo, refried beans, cilantro macho, macha oil), and a variety of made-to-order tacos filled with everything from fried avocado, pork belly, and beef short rib, to tripe, battered fried fish, and chicken tinga.
 
The Taco Guy cocktail program is just as intriguing as the menu. Fresh juices, syrups, aromatics, and garnishes are paired with premium spirits. When not in his kitchen, Hurtado himself can be seen shaking up a “Clarified Punch” made with Barsol Pisco, Velvet Falernum, ginger, honeydew, cucumber, and lime or a comforting fall favorite, the Oaxacan Old Fashioned made with Milpa Mexican corn whiskey, Barroso mezcal, and bitters. Classic and seasonal margaritas run the gamut from spicy, strawberry, and frozen to the “Cosmo Not” made with Casa Dragones blanco, triple sec, tonic, cranberry, and lime to the “Sazerac,” a brilliant concoction of El Jolgorio Barril mezcal, hibiscus-infused Peychauds bitters, and St George Absinthe.