New fast-casual Mexican restaurant started as a food truck
Taco Fino Express is a full family affair. All parts of your experience at Park Street’s new fast-casual Mexican restaurant have been influenced or touched by a Serrano family member in some way.
Maybe you’ll recognize Arcelio and Antonia Serrano’s youngest son, 13-year-old Romeo, at the register, because he runs the restaurant’s social media pages. You might smell meats being prepared by Arcelio, who has over 25 years of experience in professional kitchens. You’ll taste the sauces developed by Antonia, who manages much of the business side of the restaurant.
In the center of the restaurant, you’ll find a large replica of the Park Street bridge, hand-made by 23-year-old Erik, another Serrano son. An entire wall is covered in a design created by the Serrano boys.
“Our goal is to meet Alameda families, make friends, and make sure they eat healthy and delicious food,” Antonia said.
Taco Fino began as a food truck in January 2023, where they primarily sold food at Skylinks at Buchanan Fields Golf Course in Concord. The food truck was a chance to establish their name before opening a restaurant. Now, barely a year later, they’ve opened their first brick-and-mortar location in Alameda, and they have attached “Express” to their name to distinguish it from their food truck. They are currently in their soft opening and are planning a fiesta for their grand opening on Saturday, February 15th.
But this isn’t the Serranos first venture into family business, or even into food. About 20 years ago, the family had a restaurant in Fresno, where they sold burgers. Then in 2011 they moved to Concord to open a furniture store, which they ran for 12 years.
Yet old habits die hard. The furniture store did well, but Arcelio found himself wanting to re-enter the food world. With the support of his family, they left the furniture business and started Taco Fino.
“It was about what our heart desired. We knew that our passion was in the kitchen,” Erik said.
When they were ready to open their first permanent location, they struggled to find a spot in Concord as they had originally planned. Then they came upon the Park Street location, and were really excited.
“We’ve seen the people, we’ve seen the vibe, and we fell in love with it,” Erik said. “We see the community here, we knew that they would give us a chance, an opportunity to come and try our food. So, you know, we couldn’t say no.”
The Park Street Bridge replica that adorns the center of the restaurant is a homage to their journey to Alameda. “We come from Concord and we have to go through the Park Street Bridge,” Antonia said.
Erik said he believes the friendliness and openness of Alamedans encourages word of mouth and is great for business. He has been hearing people say that Taco Fino’s California burrito is “to die for.” A twist on the California burrito, which typically has french fries, Taco Fino’s version uses tater tots. “It gives it kind of a little switch, because when people look at it, they’ll be like ‘I’ve never seen that,’” Erik said. That burrito has been their most popular item so far, just as it was at their food truck.
Erik said they strive to make everything as “perfect as possible,” and their ingredients are fresh daily. The meat cuts are chosen specially for their restaurant and flavored with Arcelio’s unique seasoning.
“His touch is just different,” Antonia said of her husband’s cooking. They hope to re-introduce items that were popular at their food truck, she said, including shrimp tacos, a signature item.
The food truck is currently on a break while they devote their attention to the Park Street restaurant. “We will get it back out on the road soon,” Erik assured.
Vicky Nguyen is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Vicky-Nguyen.
