Tacowala Fuses Flavors Of Mexican & Indian Street Food In Somerville

SOMERVILLE, NJ — Tacowala, a Vegetarian and Vegan taqueria that fuses the vibrant flavors of Mexican and Indian street food, has some exciting news to share.

Recently, the eatery at 113 E Main St. in Somerville was certified as an Approved gluten-free restaurant by the Gluten-Free Food Program; the National Celiac Association endorses this Approved program.

"There are a lot of people that can't go out to eat because of worries of cross-contamination unless they go to a fully certified gluten-free restaurant like us," said Tacowala Owner Amish Shah to Patch. "We do nothing that is gluten. And we recently just got certified, because I had to pass the test and do the modules and all the training."

Shah began Tacowala during the COVID-19 pandemic as a catering business and it has since grown into a brick-and-mortar location at a former hoagie shop. He transformed it into a unique culinary destination.

As of March, he will be celebrating five years in business, including three years at his storefront location.

"Despite our growth, many people in the community are still unaware of what we offer, especially now that we are certified Gluten-Free and remain a strictly Vegetarian and Vegan establishment," said Shah.

Becoming a gluten-free destination wasn't Shah's initial intention. He wanted his Mexican food to be traditional, which meant not using flour and just corn. From there he continued on that path and found that many customers welcomed the gluten-free environment.

"I found there are people with Celiac, severe Celiac, that look for places without any cross contamination and I want to get the awareness out about it," said Shah.

Fusing Mexican and Indian food is truly a fusion of Shah's background. Shah was born in India and moved to the United States at 15 years old. He attended high school in Houston, Texas, then moved to Southern California for junior college before completing a Hospitality Management degree at San Francisco State University.

"Mexican food was always there and I fell in love with that," said Shah.

He eventually took an internship opportunity at a resort in Napa Valley where much of the staff was Mexican. They would invite him to their homes where he was exposed to traditional Mexican food.

Shah later worked as a personal chef and then traveled to Mexico City where he learned more about chili peppers.

"My backbone of all my salsas, sauces, and all that — they're based on Mexican dried chili peppers," said Shah.

Fusing his cultural background of Indian cuisine with his love of Mexican brought together Tacowala.

Tacowala offers sit-down dining, take-out, and catering for events.

For more information on Tacowala visit tacowala.com or instagram.com/tacowalausa or facebook.com/tacowalausa.

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.