One of Wales' most successful taco trucks is poised to launch a bricks-and-mortar venue following years of delivering award-winning street cuisine from a truck.
The husband-and-wife team of Simon and Kath Callow, the driving force behind the renowned Mexican street food truck El Cabron, have announced plans to establish their own taqueria in Pontyclun, Rhondda Cynon Taff.
There will be a soft launch over the August bank holiday weekend (Saturday, August 23 - Monday, August 25), before its official opening the next month.
The El Cabron adventure began when the Callows chose to elevate their passion for preparing Mexican street cuisine to new heights.
They purchased a black and white burger van for £500 and chose to convert it into their personal food truck in 2022, crafting mouth-watering, cheese-pulling tacos and nacho bowls at every location they visited, reports .
The El Cabron tacos van established itself as a recognisable presence throughout Pontyclun, Church Village and Tonteg, alongside appearances at Street Food Circus festivals, Sticky Fingers in Cardiff and various working men's clubs.
During 2023, El Cabron secured the prestigious People's Choice Award at the Welsh Street Food Awards at Cardiff's Tiger Yard, establishing them amongst Wales' premier Mexican food trucks. That same year, they progressed to the British Street Food Awards finals, where their black bean quesa claimed the title of finest vegetarian dish in Great Britain.
Simon has expressed surprise at the resounding success of their business.
"We always liked the idea of owning our own business, to do something and work for ourselves," he said. "But we didn't realise it would take off like this as it has done.
"It's been a bit of a whirlwind the past three years and this is our first venture into a permanent new place".
The Callows have come full circle since they first started serving their delicious tacos at a pop-up event at the micro bar Pipeworks in Pontyclun, Now, they've secured a unit just across the road.
Simon shared that they've been hard at work transforming the unit into their very own taqueria. "We've had all the extraction, we've ripped out and then just started building everything up," Simon explained.
"We've just been cracking on with everything that needs to be done and hoping to get it done by August bank holiday weekend."
Naturally, the restaurant will serve El Cabron's signature tacos and nacho bowls, but Simon also revealed plans to obtain an alcohol licence to sell Mexican beer at the venue.
Simon confirmed that they will maintain their popular truck, with plans to continue serving their delicious tacos across the south Wales area in the future.
When questioned about their aspirations for the restaurant, the father of two responded: "Just the best. We've had a lot of feedback throughout the year from people who have never tried this food before - completely random people, of all ages and backgrounds, and they have told me how amazing it is.
"We're not trying to blow our own trumpet here, but that's what makes it all worthwhile."
He went on to say: "We feel super proud of what we have achieved and what we are about to do. We've been working hard, but also we couldn't have done it without our friends and family.
"We don't have regular paid staff so we've relied on friends and family with support, child care and everything else. It's been a massive team effort."
