Revelstoke’s Taco Club adds Latin flavours and tequila bar in new Mackenzie Ave. location

The Taco Club was a big hit when the ubiquitous salmon mousse-coloured food truck opened for business in Grizzly Plaza in July of 2012. It was Revelstoke’s first real food truck, and it added much-needed variety to the Revelstoke menu.

The Taco Club has been a success with locals and visitors ever since. Owners Mike Brown and Reilly Geidt created good food.

They’re also both down-to-earth, nice guys who understand Revelstoke’s need for an adaptable experience that fits with outdoorsy lifestyles. You could get something fast during the lunch hour, or lean your muddy bike against the truck after a ride.

Owners Brown and Geidt did a hands-on renovation to the former Isabella’s Restaurant, creating a contemporary, cantina-style interior with a well-stocked tequila bar. Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer

Last year, they made an unusual move into the former Benoit’s Wine Bar on Second Street East, using the food truck as a curbside kitchen to serve the bar inside. (The former wine bar didn’t have a proper commercial kitchen.) The system worked for a bit, but really what they needed was a full kitchen, and they found it on their new Mackenzie Avenue home — after extensive renovations of the former Isabella’s Ristorante. It will allow them to run the truck in Grizzly Plaza in the summer, and use it for catering and the festival circuit.

The new restaurant and its menu has evolved into a more formal, diverse experience. Under new head chef they’re expanding south from Mexico and incorporating Central and South American dishes.

“We wanted to create new flavour profiles that aren’t available in town in an approachable price range,” Brown said in an interview a few days after the Taco Club opened. “We have diversified, brought in new sauces, new proteins and new starches.”

In the weeks since opening, The Taco Club has attracted a diverse, youthful crowd. Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer

The Spanish-influenced Clams & Chorizo main is the top priced-item at $24, but most mains come in at the $12–$20 range.

Their Chimichurri Flat Steak features Argentinian flavours and the Pastel Quejo is a cheese-filled pastry created in Brazil.

Don’t worry, the taco and burrito mains that made them famous in Revelstoke and beyond are still there, just with more diversity on the toppings and sauces. The pear salsa is still available, but there’s more variety now. Cilantro crema, grilled pineapple, and fire roasted peppers are some of the new flavours and toppings in the mix.

The long, tiled bar dominates the decor in the new venue. It takes design pointers from the Sydney, Australia bar design scene, and is topped with a live-edge Douglas fir top salvaged from the local Take To Heart wood products lot. Behind the bar, their tequila selection is diverse.

“We knew we wanted to build a unique bar and that kind of took shape as we discovered different materials,” Brown said.

Brown and Geidt said they were happy to take a step back in the kitchen and work alongside their new red seal chef, Kegan Podolas. They’ve added entradas — try the fire roasted tortilla soup — and desserts like Brigadeiro (chocolate bombs rolled in candied hazelnut.)

In their sign, a nod to their origins in the Taco Club truck. Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer

When I visited before Christmas, they were still in opening mode, serving dinners. They have expanded into an all-day menu, with an 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. schedule.

Brown said the vision is for a loungy-style atmosphere during the day, while they bake breads and make sandwiches, then a transition into a cantina-style evening atmosphere.

In summer, they’ll open a patio space on Mackenzie Avenue.

For Brown, the new kitchen is the key. They’re seeking to keep their core customers but up the game.

“We now have the ability to improve upon what we were doing before,” he said.

The Taco Club joins a new wave of dining experiences in Revelstoke, each bringing new experiences to a rapidly diversifying food scene.

The Taco Club
206 Mackenzie Avenue
Revelstoke, B.C.
https://www.facebook.com/revelstoketacoclub
250-837-0988