Taco restaurant La Calle opens in the Promenade

Trussville residents can add street tacos to their list of dining options.

La Calle Tacos and Snacks had its grand opening June 22 at its location in the Promenade shopping center. It specializes in street tacos and authentic Mexican desserts.

Owner Maria Greguol decided to open the restaurant at the urging of her husband, Francisco Garcia, who owns Garcia’s Grill in Pinson, and to fill a void in the Trussville food scene. 

“The closest place for tacos would be Pinson, Center Point or Hoover and we thought Trussville needed that,” she said.

She originally wanted to buy a building along U.S. 11, but there was nothing available. 

“Trussville is growing so much, every little piece of real estate doesn’t last long on the market,” she said. 

Once Greguol decided on the Promenade location, she and her husband took the empty space and made it their own. 

“We started from scratch and designed everything from the tables to the wooden walls to the painted floors,” she said. 

When coming up with a name for the restaurant, Greguol thought about naming it after the street of her father’s home in Italy, but decided that an Italian name wouldn’t fit. That’s when she decided to keep it simple. She chose La Calle, which means “the street” in Spanish, and is the perfect choice for a spot specializing in street tacos. 

“One day we were outside of Home Depot looking for wood and it just came to me,” she said. “After that, everything came together.” 

The menu features authentic street tacos, tortas and quesadillas with steak, chicken, pork, cow tongue, cow head, tripe, fish and shrimp.

Everything at La Calle is made in-house. Some of the meats come from her husband’s store, and tortillas are made daily by hand. 

The menu also features Mexican desserts and drinks, which Greguol has a passion for. Some of these include: aguas frescas, light, non-alcoholic beverages made with fruit and blended with sugar and water; locochon, a fruit cup with peanuts, chili powder and gummies; and Mexican rusas, made with grapefruit soda, liquid chili and fruit.

The dessert menu also includes cake slices, popsicles, banana splits, unicorn gelatin and more.

Greguol has assembled a team to assist her in making La Calle a success. At the beginning, it was all women, though she added a few men to the mix, including a cook. 

“It was fun having all girls here,” she said. “I like giving opportunities to everybody and want this to be very diverse place. I now have seven people working here.”

Although this venture is still new, Greguol is already looking toward the future.

“We definitely thought about making La Calle a chain if we can,” she said. “We have to get this location established first. We also have two food trucks that we plan to equip at a later time. For now, I’m going day-by-day.”

A hard worker by nature, Greguol said she inherits that trait from her parents — her Italian dad and Mexican mother. 

“I don’t care what you do,” she said. “It’s about working hard, and that’s what I learned from my parents, and that’s what I teach my kids.”

Greguol has been working at the restaurant every day since the soft opening in April and is excited about the opportunity to bring her concept to Trussville. 

“I want to satisfy my customers and for them to have a good experience,” she said.

La Calle is located at 5915 Trussville Crossings Parkway. Find it on Facebook at facebook.com/TacosandSnack.