Hasta luego, 2024.
If your New Year’s resolutions looked anything like ours—less stress, extra salt—then you’re in luck.
Beloved taco shop TBT El Gallo relocated from their teeny address at 2118 W Cary St. to 2614 W Cary St. this past November and they officially secured their liquor license at the end of December.
They’re now open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m.—10 p.m. for lunch, dinner and, “one of the most aggressive happy hours in the city,” says TBT owner Carlos Ordaz-Nunez. They’ve also recently added Sunday service from 11 a.m.—5 p.m.
The OG brick-and-mortar and the new digs are less than half a mile apart, but there’s a world of difference between them.
“I’ve never run a full-service restaurant before,” says Ordaz-Nunez. “There has been a lot of learning along the way.”

When we first chatted with Ordaz-Nunez almost four years ago, the Mexican-born, Mechanicsville-raised chef was popping up at breweries with a tent and a grill. Today, he is operating a punk-rock taqueria in a prime piece of real estate.
“I want us to have a fantastic ambience reflective of taqueria culture in Southern California and Mexico City,” says Ordaz-Nunez. That means a cocky neon rooster (el gallo) in the window; a mishmash of dining room seating including a hot pink booth ideal for Modelito sippin’; funky framed art and potted plants galore.
And absolutely no sugar skulls or Sombreros.
“We’re more Spanglish than traditional,” he adds. Ordaz-Nunez did concede to one standard Mexican restaurant tchotchke, though. “We do have a portrait of Frida Kahlo,” he laughs. “I mean we have to, I literally have her tattooed on my body.”
Ordaz-Nunez and his team were supposed to get TBT 2.0 up and running this past March, but they ran into the typical restaurant opening delays. “We hung in there, kept our heads up and powered through,” he explains. “The best part of this slow ramp-up process has been seeing what people actually want from us.”
What people want are the tacos—the foundation of TBT—ranging from the wildly popular birria version (Slam Dunk) that first garnered Ordaz-Nunez acclaim to veg-friendly ALL CAPS, made with marinated mushrooms, smoky miso, oregano oil, queso fresco, cured egg yolk and onion.

“I love being the taco shop you come to and say ‘Damn, what do you mean you guys fermented your al pastor brine and that’s why the pork belly is really funky?’” says Ordaz-Nunez.
People also want well-made margs, obviously, to pair with their burritos and street corn.
Ordaz-Nunez says they’re still building out their full bar program, but when it’s complete, guests will be able to sip on agave-centric cocktails with spirits sourced from indigenous and women-owned distilleries; beer brewed by Mexican and Latin American brewers, or at least beer that “highlights Mexican flavors;” Mexican rums (yes!); and Mexican and Latin American wine.

“We want people to come here and order a drink and think, ‘Mexico is really banging with a lot of stuff,” says Ordaz-Nunez.
He also wants people to enjoy a meal out without emptying their wallets.
“I don’t want to be a $16 cocktail spot,” he says. “One of the five pillars that we’ve built our brand on is providing a fair value to people.”
Guests will most readily find that fair value with TBT’s happy hour, which just launched Wednesday January 1 and will run Monday through Saturday, 3-6 p.m.

Enjoy $3 off the restaurant’s “Totally Badass Margaritas,” which are, in fact, deftly balanced (and surprisingly strong); $3 off drafts; $6 tall boy Tecates with a tequila shot; $3 off All Heart (tequila, coke, lime, salt); and more.
Food deals range from $5 specialty tacos, $2 off chips and guac or queso, $3 chicharrones and more.
Ordaz-Nunez has been dreaming this dream of artfully plated tacos and an unexpected, delightful bar program housed in a quirky, intimate setting since he was hustling in freezing temps with only a tent and a grill. “We want to be worth the wait,” he says.
Note: From 11 a.m.-5 p.m. this Sunday (Jan. 26) TBT is transforming into Taco BelGallo. The menu includes a spin on the chain’s fiesta potatoes, crunch wrap supreme, gordita crunch and more.
TBT El Gallo is open Monday-Saturday at 2614 W Cary St. 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. (lunch), 3-6 p.m. (happy hour) and 5-10 p.m. (dinner). They’re open Sundays 11 a.m- 5 p.m. Follow TBT on Instagram for menu updates and event announcements.