La La Taqueria, a new taco joint at 108 Fifth Ave., began a soft opening on April 11 as a training period for its staff. During the period, La La Taqueria is only taking dine-in and take-out orders but is not making deliveries. The grand opening date will likely come in the latter half of the spring. The restaurant is in the storefront where Cafe Latino was located before closing up shop in late winter.
Originally named Pequena Taqueria, La La Taqueria owners Eloy Torralba and Jamie Navarrete began their business journey in 2018, opening a restaurant in Larchmont.
“It was my dad and my mother’s, but he has been running the store himself and I for the past two years,” said Alexandra Torralba, the daughter of the owners. “I started helping him because I took interest in the business world.”
Prior to La La Taqueria, Eloy Torralba worked for 10 years in a kitchen. “Once he had the opportunity to open a shop and expand, he chose it,” said Alexandra. “We talked with our landlord to find locations for our store. We wanted to grow little by little while showing different towns our food.”
In 2023, the Torralbas began considering a second location for the business. “People have asked when we are opening a new restaurant,’” said Alexandra. “Due to the success over the past two years and some research, we found Pelham! It’s small and nice, and hopefully the community will start to get to know us!”
Alexandra Torralba is excited to see Pelhamites learn about La La Taqueria’s food: “We’re just happy to expand and meet new people and get to know the Pelham community. For me, seeing new people and knowing a different community that has treated us great is amazing.”
Her personal favorites on the menu include tacos de carne asada and baja fish tacos.
