By Conrad Dudderar
Senior Staff Writer
Diners with a yearning for chef-driven authentic Mexican street tacos, burritos and nachos are in luck.
The Urban Taco Shop will open Nov. 14 in a fully renovated space inside the Ranchwood Square Shopping Center at the northeast corner of Ranchwood and Vandament. Executive chef and owner Cody Hail will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday at his new Yukon eatery.
Urban Taco is adding this second location after finding success in recent years at 110 N Robinson Ave. in Oklahoma City.
“We’re super excited to be expanding out to the Yukon area,” executive chef Cody Hail said.
“We make everything from scratch in our kitchen. We don’t even have a freezer in house. We look forward to making our tortillas, salsa and everything else each morning for our customers in Yukon to enjoy.”
One of the primary reasons Hail decided to open another Urban Taco is because he lives in Yukon, his wife works in Yukon and his children attend Yukon schools.
“For quite a while, I’ve been looking to expand into this area closer to home,” he said. “This location also has a bigger kitchen than what we have at our downtown location. We’ve kind of outgrown our kitchen.”
With the larger kitchen and expanded hours in Yukon, Hail said Urban Taco will be able to offer more menu options.
“The downtown (OKC) location is only open for breakfast and lunch, Monday through Friday,” he said. “The Yukon location will have a full dinner menu, a bigger menu, and eventually we’ll have liquor and beer as well whenever the ABLE Commission grants our liquor license.”
Hail looks forward to bringing “Yukon’s only chef-owned and operated restaurant” to this community, pulling customers from Piedmont, Surrey Hills and west Oklahoma City as well.
“We’re excited to bring something different to this side of town,” he said.
A ‘Leap Of Faith’
After 10 years in a variety of kitchens, executive chef Hail took a leap of faith in 2014 when he decided to pursue his passion to open a chef-driven taco joint in the heart of downtown Oklahoma City.
His new endeavor, the Urban Taco Shop, allowed Hail to balance his passions of gourmet cooking and quality family time.
“Fast forward a few years and the response to our experiment has grown into a solid catering business and a food truck in addition to our brick and mortar restaurant to keep up with the demand,” according to the company’s website.
Urban Taco’s executive chef and owner insists on maintaining a chef-driven menu that features a variety of tasty tacos and other Mexican dishes at affordable prices, and in a lively and welcoming environment fit for everyone.
Hail even pushes the envelope with forward-thinking innovations like the widely popular Phoritto, Korean Bulgogi Burrito and other chef-inspired fusion dishes.
Each mouth-watering Urban Taco dish has a unique flavor and personality, handmade fresh using premium ingredients sourced from the best suppliers.
The Urban Taco Shop can bring its food truck to businesses, homes and anywhere else a truck can go. Urban Taco also offers catering for office lunches, corporate events, weddings, banquets, and other special occasions.
For more information, call 270-7825.
