Houston food truck Orange Taco opens downtown restaurant

Macleod and Houston Adegoke joke that their Taco Tuesday at-home project at the start of the pandemic was never supposed to become a full-fledged business.

While others tried their hand at baking sourdough bread, the Adegokes experimented with tacos instead. One night, they filled flour tortillas with a Thai-inspired chicken recipe sprinkled with a peanut-lime topping.

“Why don’t you sell tacos?” » asked Houston’s mother.

Nearly three years later and after a short stint operating a food truck, the Adegokes have now opened Orange Taco in a downtown storefront at the Houston Center, 1200 McKinney. They sell tacos, quesadillas, fried rice, salads and other dishes combining a multitude of Mexican and Asian flavors.

“We truly believe that once people find something they love, they will return,” Macleod said.

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The Adegokes had never worked in restaurants before starting Orange Taco, but they believed they had the ingredients needed to run a successful business.

Houston, who owned a liquor store with her mother, took cooking classes through an online program and sold cookies — baked at home — at an East End farmers market. Macleod brought a background in business consulting and experience in branding.

Before launching Orange Taco as a food truck, they developed a formal business plan with each step planned out: they chose the color orange because it was “pleasing to the ear”, but also because they love the fruit and its popularity in Texas. They thought a rent-free trailer would help them determine if their brand had potential.

Still, the couple said they were uncertain on many fronts: the different permits required, the unexpected challenges of running a food business and perhaps, most of all, whether anyone would actually pay for their tacos.

“Nervous,” Houston said. “Anyone would do it.”

Only one customer showed up on the first day. They described the first week as a “disaster”.

In the meantime, they continued to refine their recipes and focused on their signature “Orange Taco,” filled with tender brisket tossed in caramelized orange barbecue sauce, topped with a burst of pickled red onions , avocado aioli and fresh orange zest.

One day, customers flooded them with orders after a woman with a huge following on TikTok posted about the tacos (the Adegokes said they didn’t pay her). Business would continue to grow and they were buying between 100 and 200 tickets a day, they said.

After eight months of operating the food truck, they decided to close it to focus on opening a physical space.

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The couple, who have a 3-year-old son and an 8-month-old daughter, have spent the last year looking for a space and refining their recipes.

They believe downtown traffic will continue to increase and hope customers will be attracted to their assortment of tacos, now available at breakfast (Elegant Rise adds an egg and Hollandaise sauce to their signature taco). .

On the taco side, there is now spicy brisket, ranch-dressed chicken tenders and a vegetarian among the six choices. Quesadillas can be filled with sautéed breast or chicken. Sides include ginger fried rice, miso glazed carrots and queso.

They’ve expanded to serving salads like one with soba noodles and another lunch recipe calling for a sesame-ginger vinaigrette.

The menu also includes cocktails, margaritas and palomas, as well as a dessert, orange cake.

“We’ve been waiting long enough,” Houston said. “We are ready.”