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ASHEVILLE, NC – Founded on South Carolina’s Folly Beach in 2006, Taco Boy has become known for fresh, scratch-made Mexican-inspired eats and drinks in the Lowcountry. The family of taquerias currently has three locations: the flagship restaurant on Folly, a second in downtown Charleston, and the latest in Summerville, SC. By the end of 2022, Taco Boy plans to open in West Asheville. And in early 2023, its second North Carolina location will open in South Asheville’s Biltmore Park.  

The new openings in Asheville will coincide with the rollout of a new food and beverage menu across all locations, which will unveil the talents of Taco Boy’s new Culinary Director, Charleston-based Chef Francisco Alvarez, who is applying his training at lauded Las Vegas restaurants to the cuisine of his family’s Mexican heritage. Taco Boy’s new elevated craft cocktail and beverage menu that will also rollout later this year is from Taco Boy’s new Beverage Director, Asheville-based mixologist Maty Hollingsworth. It’s the beginning of an exciting new era for Taco Boy, with even more tantalizing news yet to come. 

Taco Boy West Asheville is at 521 Haywood Rd., on West Asheville’s main hip thoroughfare. Though nearly a turnkey location, big changes are afoot. The opening will follow a remodel geared toward community collaboration, where food, drink, music, entertainment, and art will intersect. The restaurant will feature work sourced from local artisans. Hiring will begin in November. 

The new restaurant in South Asheville will take up space at 2 Town Square Blvd. #130 in Biltmore Park Town Square, and is expected to open as early as late January 2023, with hiring happening around the New Year. Taco Boy Biltmore Park joins a slew of local and independent restaurants, cafés, and retail businesses located in the walkable South Asheville community. 

“I couldn’t be more excited to bring Taco Boy to Asheville,” says Taco Boy founding partner and owner Karalee Nielsen Fallert. “Living in both cities has confirmed what I always believed as a visitor: that our values, as a family of neighborhood taquerias, align with the greater sense of purpose I feel within the community in Western North Carolina. We believe that all good things are possible with the power of inclusivity, generosity, interconnectedness and tacos….and always EXTRA guac!” 

At both its new Asheville locations, Taco Boy will continue the restaurant’s charitable mission to “Use the power of tacos to nurture people, activate fun, inspire action, and build community.” It will be partnering with local Asheville nonprofits for a variety of fun and fundraising initiatives, just as it does in Charleston with local nonprofits in the Holy City.  

ABOUT TACO BOY 

THE FOUNDER: Taco Boy was founded in 2006 by one of Charleston’s most prolific and progressive restauranteurs, Karalee Nielsen Fallert. She is the founder and CEO of restaurant management company All Good Industries, and is a founding partner and co-owner of Charleston’s Park & Grove, The Royal American, The Bounty Bar, The Green Heart Project (connecting students with fresh produce and nutritional education), and the Montessori Learning Collective in North Charleston, as well as Taco Boy(s). She is also a leading advocate for community projects and women-led initiatives. Her awards and accolades are many, but include, most recently, the Charleston Wine + Food festival’s prestigious Laura Hewitt Culinary Legend Award in 2020 for her contributions to the Charleston culinary community. She is looking forward to bringing that same passion for community building to Asheville. 

THE CHEF: Taco Boy is newly helmed by Culinary Director Francisco Alvarez, whose approach to the restaurant’s cuisine is wholly authentic. From spending his summers working in a tortilleria in Mexico to cooking in some of the finest restaurants in Las Vegas (Estiatorio Milos, International Smoke, and Madero Street Tacos), Francisco brings to Taco Boy a technical level of expertise in Mexican cuisine and a passion for making handmade heirloom corn tortillas using the centuries-old process of nixtamalization, which lends greater flavor and health benefits to corn tortillas. 

THE FOOD: A citrus- and salsa-infused feast for the senses, Taco Boy offers scratch-made tacos, fajitas, and quesadillas, authentic sides including rice and beans, chipotle slaw, and Mexican street corn, guacamole with surprising optional toppings and other satisfying starters, plus margaritas and Latin-infused craft cocktails, and a weekend brunch menu that delivers more Mexican-inspired flavors to the table. The restaurant is diet sensitive, offering vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. Taco Boy is committed to using responsibly sourced, high-quality ingredients. With the roll out in Asheville, tortillas will be handmade using heirloom corn and a traditional nixtamalization process. More to come on the tortilleria and this ancient method! Find Taco Boy’s menu and more details at tacoboy.net. 

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