Chorney-Booth: Don Taco gets a fresh start with a new name and possible expansion

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Not all business partnerships are meant to last forever. When chef Alli Said started selling tacos in Calgary in 2019 it was as a partner at the music venue Mikey’s on 12th. Said had been leading the kitchen at Mikey’s for years, dating back to its Juke Joint location, quietly testing out recipes that spoke to his Mexican heritage in addition to the restaurant’s other face. That grew into a little taco window at the back of the club and, once the pandemic hit, a standalone takeout taco shop in a strip mall on 4th Street N.W.

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But things change and it’s time for Said to spread his wings. Mikey’s on 12th recently became a victim of inner-city development and is in the process of relocating to Bowness, but Said will not be moving along with his former business partner Mike Clark. He’ll instead focus on what he loves – casual Mexican food made from the heart – while rebranding Mikey’s Taco Shop as Don Taco. It’s a new start and as a bonus, customers will stop mistaking him for “Mikey” when they come in for food.

“I just want to do my own thing,” Said says. “Tacos are growing. Everyone is making tacos and we’re trying our best to keep it authentic.”

The new Don Taco in the northwest Highwood neighbourhood looks much like the old Mikey’s Taco Shop, decorated with colourful murals and papel picado, although the old logo has been replaced with a smiling taco character with a jaunty moustache. Said is keeping it take-out only, but there is a bench out front for those who want to eat their tacos immediately. It’s a friendly and jovial place – Said’s energy is infectious and he always has a hello for regulars as they come in (and there are plenty of regulars, to be sure).

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Food-wise, Said keeps his fare approachable, yet unapologetically Mexican. While some taco seekers in Calgary look for tacos filled with ingredients like beef tongue (lengua) or tripe (tripitas), Said has found that there’s just not a big enough market for him to keep those ingredients at the ready, at least in a semi-suburban location. Rather, his tacos are served open on soft tortillas and topped simply with Mexican-style ingredients that won’t overwhelm the typical Canadian palate.

Don Taco’s tacos are sold mix-and-match style at $12 for three (or $4.25 each). Combinations include the ever-popular Pastor with grilled pork, pineapple, and pickled radish, Baja fish with pico de gallo and coleslaw, pork belly chicharron with chipotle, and beef brisket with tomatillo. Said is in the process of tweaking the menu, but Mexican food fans can also expect items like cheesy empanadas ($4.50 each), giant burritos filled with any of the taco meats ($15.25), tortilla soup ($6.99), churros ($6.25) and the oddly irresistible “Dori-nachos” ($8.25), essentially a bag of Doritos topped with queso and other condiments, with the option of added taco meat.

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Now that Don Taco is Said’s main focus, the sky’s the limit with his little venture. He already is in talks to secure a second location (stay tuned on that) and has been participating in several pop-ups and events to get the word out beyond the northwest. He also sells his own bottled hot sauce at the shop and provides chips and salsa to Cold Garden – the future is full of possibilities in a city that continues to love its tacos.

Don Taco is located at 4121 4th Street N.W. and can be reached through Instagram at @dontaconw.

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The plaza where Don Taco Sits at 4th Street and 40th Avenue N.W. in Highwood has long been a bit of a secret food hub. It’s the previous home of the excellent Rau Bistro (which has since re-located to Crescent Heights) but, in addition to Don Taco, it still provides a few other good places to eat in a part of the city that is not particularly rich with restaurants. Here are a few to check out:

Flavours
Run by Adebola Esan, who was a teacher in her native Nigeria, Flavours has been bringing West African cuisine to Calgarians for a little over a decade. Homey and family-friendly, the restaurant specializes in classic dishes like puff puff dough balls, jollof rice, pepper soups, suya skewers, and much more. It also offers catering services.

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Yellow Chilli
New to the plaza this spring, Yellow Chilli is an Indian restaurant that serves nice versions of everything one would expect from a neighbourhood curry house and more. Expect samosas, momos, butter chicken, goat curry, prawn Madras, biryanis, Indo-Chinese dishes, and a lengthy list of vegetarian selections.

Pig and Whistle
After years of the huge space that once housed a Stavros pub sitting vacant, signage for the Pig and Whistle pub recently went up on the corner of the plaza. No opening date has been announced yet, but the development is welcome news to pub-goers in the northwest.

Elizabeth Chorney-Booth can be reached at elizabooth@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram at @elizabooth or sign up for her newsletter at hungrycalgary.substack.com.

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