A Houston taqueria will be temporarily closed after being damaged by a fire. Fire broke out at the Garden Oaks location of La Calle Tacos around 4:30 pm on Monday, August 20.
Thankfully, no one was injured during the blaze, but the restaurant suffered extensive damage. It will be temporarily closed while owner Ramon Soriano makes the necessary repairs.
The damage was extensive.Courtesy of La Calle
Unfortunately, this is the second La Calle location to be damaged by fire. The restaurant’s location at Midtown’s Bagby Park was closed for more than a year after a fire broke out there in January 2023.
"When I first received the call yesterday about the fire, I couldn't believe this was happening to another one of my restaurants," Soriano said in a statement. "I'm so thankful that my team was safe and we are all incredibly grateful for the Houston Fire Department who, within two minutes of the initial call to 9-1-1, were at La Calle to put out the fire and prevent further damage. It's going to take some time for us to rebuild and recover, but we will work day and night to get back to business."
The restaurant is making an effort to offer the affected employees a position at its other locations in Midtown and downtown, according to a release.
La Calle opened its Garden Oaks location in May 2022. Like its siblings in downtown and Midtown, it takes inspiration from Soriano’s experiences growing up in Mexico City. The restaurant serves breakfast tacos in the morning with a lunch and dinner menu that includes tortas, tacos, cevichito, and more. Famously, it does not use microwaves or freezers to prepare its scratch-made dishes.
Soriano also owns downtown’s La Diabla Retro Bar. Open since December 2022, the bar pays homage to Mexico City pop culture icons of the '80s and '90s through art, music, food, and drinks.
