Tapa Taco exists to offer authentic and delicious food with warm and unpretentious service. We view our restaurant as a space for connection. For people to connect with one another. To connect, explore and discover things about one another, ourselves and other cultures.
We set out to open a taco and margarita restaurant, but once our Chef Eduardo Pesantez joined the team, we greatly expanded the idea to include dishes from all over South America. Ecuadorian by heritage and trained in some of the finest kitchens in New York, Eduardo infuses the colors and tastes of his culture into every item on our menu.
We understand there are so many restaurants out there, and we aim to be a reliable and enjoyable source of comfort for our community.
Eduardo Pesantez, has more than 35 years of experience in the food industry. Ecuadorian by heritage and trained in some of the finest kitchens in New York, Eduardo interjects the colors and tastes of his culture into the classic elegance of metropolitan cooking. He has worked in many kitchens in the area and was the owner of Cravings Bistro in Benton Harbor and most recently The Grove, which occupied the space where TapaTaco is now located. This new concept allows Eduardo to highlight cuisine from his home country of Ecuador and to celebrate dishes from the surrounding countries of South and Central America
Sam opened his first restaurant concept, Shane’s Deli, with his college buddy Shane in 2001 in Wheaton, IL. He opened his next shop in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago in 2008. Z&H MarketCafe served gourmet sandwiches, specialty grocery items and a full coffee bar with 2 locations on 47th and 57th Streets.
Zach has worked in the restaurant industry for 12 years at various restaurants in Madison, WI, and has been a ceramic artist for the last 15 years. The enigmatic Bender sculptures you see around the restaurant are a creation of his. They represent all of us and our need for community and interactions with each other.