To celebrate its first year in business, the restaurant will offer a special menu on Monday, June 3, with discounts on customer favorites such as birria tacos as well as drink specials. It will also serve a champagne margarita, and anyone who makes a reservation for the party that runs from 3 to 8 p.m. via Yelp will receive free chips and salsa. There will be prizes from Taco Uprising and other Five Points businesses, as well.
The eatery's black-, white- and teal-tiled space opened in a newly renovated building that has three other commercial spaces...none open. When Taco Uprising debuted, at least sour beer bar Goed Zuur was still in business at 2801 Welton Street, and Valdez and co-owner Matias Gutknecht expected some of the storefronts around them to open soon.
But since then, Goed Zuur has shuttered and of the four spaces in the building, Taco Uprising is still the only one open. Across the street, the only active space is Brother Jeff's Cultural Center, which is surrounded by a number of vacancies, including a former Bodies by Perseverance (which moved to Downing Street) and the former Moods Beats Potions, which closed two years ago.
The bright and welcoming interior of Taco Uprising.
Kristin Pazulski
Plenty is going on along the stretch of Welton Street by that island, though. At 2962 Welton, Queen City Collective Coffee is often busy, and there are a number of restaurants and bars between 25th and 28th streets, including the Marigold, a plant-filled bar with the only rooftop in the neighborhood; the original Rosenberg's Bagels & Delicatessen; and Mimosas, which has a bustling brunch scene.
Taco Uprising has been an active part of the business community on Welton Street, most recently partnering with nearby Cervantes' for a giveaway during Cinco de Mayo. But between Taco Uprising and the businesses that are bustling is a fenced vacant lot with old astroturf and a lot of "for lease" signs.
"We need the energy [of other restaurants] to get people to walk that extra block or two," Valdez notes. "We don't have the visibility that the other restaurants do. Right now, it's tough.”
But there is hope.
Welton Street Cafe, the soul food restaurant that operated in Five Points for 35 years before closing in 2022, is set to open this summer in Taco Uprising's building at 2883 Welton Street, though its plans have already been delayed several times due to construction and permitting challenges.
Plus, the two spaces surrounding the taco joint have been or are about to be leased. One will become a bar, while the other is set to open as a comedy club. "There's a good mix of community involvement and community history," says the owner of that business, Ben Bryant. "The density and walkability are great."
Which is exactly what the owners of Taco Uprising hope diners will realize as more businesses debut in the neighborhood.
Taco Uprising is located at 2849 Welton Street and is open from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Monday, 9 a.m.. to 2 p.m. and 4:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit tacouprising.com.
