Local taco shop Wild Taco is folding in Cap Hill but will soon open in the Edgewater Public Market food hall.
“At that location we got capped out, so we’re not renewing our lease and walking away from the space,” said Yoon Terry, who opened the restaurant at 215 E. Seventh Ave. in 2022 with Barbed Wire Reef founder Rico Aragon.
Its last day will be Aug. 10, even though its lease goes through April.
“With the opportunity to open Edgewater, the brand is still staying strong,” continued Terry, who is also the chief operating officer for all the concepts under Aragon’s restaurant group.
Wild Taco’s offerings include cheeseburger and chicken-and-waffles versions of the Mexican classic. But in the Governor’s Park section of Cap Hill, its sales fell around 30% after Seventh Avenue opened back up to cars in 2023, Terry said. The one-block stretch in front of Wild Taco was pedestrian-only for several years after the pandemic.
“We took that over purposefully because of the small-size capacity. I didn’t know how the brand was going to do, and we still wanted to have it manageable,” Terry said of the 1,200-square-foot unit, which had been home to Tacos Tequila Whiskey beforehand.
Terry said sales exceeded expectations by around $500,000 for the first two years, largely because of a tented patio on the street. But the street reopening cut Wild Taco’s outdoor seating in half.
Wild Taco will open in Edgewater Public Market in early September, Terry said. It will replace Carnivore Exotic Taqueria, another concept by Aragon that Terry referred to as the “masculine” version of Wild Taco. Barbed Wire Reef and treat-focused coffee shop Saints or Sinners, which Aragon also owns, will remain in the building too.
The plan is to add more higher ticket dishes such as enchiladas to the menu, to supplement lost revenue from the location not having a bar, she said. In Cap Hill, 60% of revenue came from food and 40% from alcohol.
Wild Taco also has a 3,000-square-foot spot at 4499 W. 38th Ave. off Tennyson Street, the former Barbed Wire Reef space, which will stay open. The group also operates five food trucks.
“The Berkeley location is doing really well,” Terry said. “It just has more size and capacity.”