Taco Time offers street-style Mexican favorites in Tavares – News – Daily Commercial

TAVARES — Jose and Alma Guzman may have grown up in different countries, but their upbringing was very similar when it came to their love for food. Together, they created Taco Time Mexican Grill where they could showcase both of their Mexican-style favorites.

“In Mexico, there are street places called antojitos, which means Mexican cravings,” Jose said. “We modeled our restaurant after those. We aren’t your typical Mexican restaurant with platters and combinations. We wanted to keep it simple by offering the favorites like tacos, burritos, sopes and more.”

From 2003 to 2007, the Guzmans owned a Mexican food store where they first introduced their food in The Taco Wagon. Although the tacos were very popular, the crash in the economy forced them to close their doors.

They both held odd jobs here and there, but wondered what their calling was in life. They were reading one day about how everyone should ask 10 of their closest friends what they would be successful at so they decided to give it a try. All ten of them said they should open a restaurant.

Now 12 years later, with their five children by their side, Jose and Alma are at it again.

“Alma deserves the credit on the food,” Jose said. “I still work for RoMac and help here when I can, but she does all the cooking and our kids help out too. We are a family-owned business.”

The restaurants specializes in authentic Mexican tacos, offered three different ways.

Nayarit style features a soft corn tortilla with choice of steak, marinated pork, pork shoulder or chicken and topped with cabbage, onions, cilantro and tomato sauce for $1.75 each. This is a popular style in South Mexico, where Alma is from.

Norton style offers a soft corn tortilla with choice of fried pork, beef cheek, beef chitlins, beef tongue or chorizo Mexican sausage topped with onions, cilantro and tomato sauce for $1.75 to $2.50 each. These are popular in North Mexico where Jose’s family is from.

Supreme is the “Americanized taco,” featuring a hard or soft shell with choice of steak, marinated pork, pork shoulder, chicken or ground beef topped with lettuce, tomato, cheese, tomato sauce and sour cream for $2.25 each.

Aside from tacos, they also offer tortas (Mexican sandwich), sopes (thick fried tortilla topped with beans, choice of meat, lettuce, onions, cheese, sour cream and pico), gorditas (fried tortilla stuffed with choice of meat, lettuce, onions, cheese and pico), tostadas, burrito locos and quesadillas.

Speciality desserts, made by their oldest daughter, Alma, are also available daily.

On the weekends, they offer specialties like menudo (beef tripe soup served with onions, cilantro, jalapeño and corn tortillas), pozole (pork or chicken soup served with cabbage, onions, radish, cucumbers and hard corn tortillas), and tostadas de ceviche (lemon cooked shrimp with onions, tomatoes, cilantro, cucumbers, jalapeños and avocado served on a tostada).

Taco Time Mexican Grill, 15200 Old U.S. Hwy 441 in Tavares, is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. For information, go to facebook.com/tacotimemexicangrill.