Popular Bridgeport Restaurant Will Close This Month

BRIDGEPORT, CT — Taco Loco, a Mexican restaurant that has been a staple of Bridgeport's Black Rock neighborhood for decades, will close next week, its owners announced on Friday.

The restaurant's last day in business will be Friday, April 29, after which a Colombian/Latin restaurant called Parchados en La Fonda will move into the space, Taco Loco owner Miguel Tomasio said in a Facebook post.

But Nutmeggers won't be deprived of Taco Loco's food entirely: The restaurant's Taco Loco and Loco Catering food trucks will remain in business, with the owners' son Zachary taking the lead.

"Zachary, having grown up in Taco Loco, is now a husband and father himself," Tomasio said in the post. "After taking over the catering and food truck side of the business eight years ago, he has successfully grown that business, and repeatedly been awarded 'Best Caterer' from the prestigious wedding website, On the Knot. There is not a weekend that you do not see our trucks on the highway from New York to all corners of Connecticut."

The catering business will be run out of a new prep kitchen, Tomasio said, though he didn't specify where it would be located.

Miguel Tomasio said he and Rose will miss their staff — as well as their customers, who he said have become more like family.

"Being in Bridgeport for forty years, we have been fortunate to know generations of customers," he said. "From your parents bringing you to Taco Loco has a child, to your first date, to your engagement, to your children, and now your grandchildren. We have lived life with you and you with us, enjoying your company every step of the way."

Though Taco Loco opened in 1982, the restaurant moved to Black Rock in 1989. Tomasio said he and his wife felt at home there, and said they "ran like hell" to make their business into the success it became.

"Be happy and be well in your life," Miguel wrote in his letter. "Know we value you all, and we cherish the bounty of memories and the opportunities Rose and I have had to serve you."