At Angel City we draw inspiration from the stories of our hardworking customers, partners, and fellow Angelenos. So for National Taco Day 2016 on October 4th, we wanted to feature our beloved taco vendor, Downtown Tacos, and the man who makes the deliciousness happen, Pablo Romero.
Pablo has and his tacos have become a fixture at Angel City since we opened our doors four years ago. He originally started to come out every week for Tuesday Tacos and Trivia and at countless Angel City events throughout the years, and he’s now at the Public House every night.
Pablo doesn’t just make tacos, he incorporates Angel City’s beers into his sauces and marinades, creating a natural harmony between delicious Mexican food and beer. You can taste Angel City Pilsner in his asada, and pick up notes from our Belgian Style Wit in his pollo. And of course, his handmade guacamole is the perfect complement to our annual brew of Avocado Ale.
We sat down with Pablo Romero, the owner of Downtown Taco, to learn more about the story behind his business.
So how did it all get started?
Pablo started working in a restaurant when he was 19 years old as a dishwasher. He soon convinced the chef to move him to prep cook. Once he started working with food, he was hooked. He moved on to work in the catering industry. With a good amount of experience under his belt, he decided to set off on his own.
“I had a kid on the way so I wanted to start doing something for me that I could really own. I started incorporating a lot of the different cuisines — French cuisine is kind of my forte, a lot of the sauces, when I was in fine dining, I was a saucier and meat guy.”
“I used to live down the street from the brewery. One day I was driving by and I had remembered a friend telling me that Angel City had a very welcoming relationship with their neighbors. I had a big batch of beer I wanted to make, so I stopped by to see if I could buy a sack of grain.”
Pablo was, and still is, an avid home brewer, and after convincing our brewer Dieter to sell him a bag of grain, they got to talking.
“He saw my hat, and he said ‘oh, that’s a pretty cool hat, where did you buy it?’ I told him ‘No, that’s my brand,’ He thought it was a clothing brand, I told him ‘No, I do tacos.’”
Dieter’s eyes lit up. Cinco de Mayo was the following week. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Pablo and Angel City make sense together – with us constantly experimenting with new beers, Downtown Taco can do the same. And coming up with fantastic new recipes is what we’re all about.
The inspiration for Pablo’s tacos is clear, but you have to taste it to really understand. So for National Taco Day, Taco Tuesday or any night of the week, we raise a glass – and a taco – to Pablo!
Note: Blog was originally published in October 2016 and has been updated now that Pablo is at the brewery daily!
