Check Out Who'll Be at Taco Fest This Weekend (Apr 20-21)

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We are counting down the days until Taco Fest next weekend (Apr 20-21), and to get you salivating in anticipation, here's our vendor lineup!

From traditional favorites to daring innovations, we’ve got a diverse array of vendors each serving up their own unique twist on the beloved Mexican classic. With fusion twists including Korean, African, Indian, Vietnamese, Yunnan, and more, plus numerous tacos that are exclusive to Taco Fest, it's gonna be a flavor fiesta!

So, without further ado, let's dive into the delights awaiting you at this year's Taco Fest...

Baddie 

American joint Baddie has got two types of tacos to enjoy. The first is the Slow-Cooked Beef Taco, in which slow-cooked beef is sliced and pan-fried on the spot then topped with fresh salsa and guacamole. The second is the Baddie Fried Chicken Taco – in which deep fried marinated chicken leg is topped with a mildly spicy sauce.

Berlin Bites柏林百特

Bringing tacos with a special German twist to the mix is Berlin street food aficionados Berlin Bites. They’ve created four exclusive tacos for the fest, so you’d better snatch them up while you’ve got the chance! First up they’ve got two meaty numbers, the Döner Taco, basically a smaller version of their döner kebabs with chicken, mixed veggies and herb sauce; and the German Taco, honey mustard sauce is smeared on the bottom followed by a generous helping of sauerkraut, topped with a whole Thuringian sausage, flash-pickled onions and adorned with mayonnaise – all the German essentials in taco form pretty much.

Berlin Bites

Then they’ve also got the Vegan Supreme – a house-made chunky salsa with a touch of additional sweetness from corn and pineapple combined with their flavor-packed oven-baked quinoa. Lastly, for those with a sweet tooth, they have the Sweet Dessert Taco, a deep-fried taco layered with a cream cheese yogurt spread, chopped peanuts, and dried cranberries topped with a drizzle of chocolate sauce. As if that wasn’t enough, to accompany the tacos, they’ll be offering Watermelon Tequila Shots to boot!

Bollywood Tales by Dastaan宝莱坞故事印度餐厅

Brand new Indian restaurant Bollywood Tales will be making their Beijinger festival debut. For the fest, they’ve created two exclusive tacos, one is the Bollywood Tandoori Chicken Taco that takes tandoori roasted chicken and combines it with Indian spices, Brussels slaw and a smattering of mint chutney. The other is the Masala Veggie Taco – assorted roast vegetables with a zingy tomato salsa.

Circle Urban圆场

Now with four branches in Beijing, Circle Urban is certainly doing something right, and that something might just be their delicious food! They’ll have three types of tacos on the menu: Pulled Pork with Pineapple Salsa, Cheesy Beef, and Spicy Chicken with Yogurt Sauce. They’ll also have a range of craft beers for imbibing, plus tequila shots if you fancy kicking things up a notch.

DELI NYC纽约三明治

A new kid on the block DELI NYC will be making their Beijinger festival debut, swapping out sandwiches for tacos. Of said tacos, they’ve got four up for grabs: Philly Beef, Pastrami Pickle, BBQ Pulled Pork, and Lemon Chicken. If their tacos are anywhere near as good as their sandwiches, you’re certainly in for a treat.

Emperor Zhengde's Chunbing 康陵正德春饼宴

Kangling Zhengde Spring Cake Banquet will serve a variety of chunbing (spring pancake rolls) at the fest. Chunbing – meat, vegetables, sauce, and other garnishes all wrapped up in a thin savory pancake – is sort of a “Chinese taco” if you think about it. According to legend, chunbing can be traced back to the Zhengde Emperor, who enjoyed traveling so much that his entourage created spring pancake rolls as an easy “fast food” for him to eat on his journeys, so why not grab yourself a chunbing and eat like royalty!

esse coffee X unicorn shark爱喜咖啡X独角鲨精酿

Joining forces for Taco Fest are ESSE COFFEE and UNICORN SHARK, and they’ll have two types of tacos at the fest. The first is the Convenient Taco. Described as the “most down-to-earth taco”, it combines pork with green peppers, cilantro, and a soulful broth. The second is the Cold Tuna Taco, with tuna, bell pepper, cucumber, onion, and salad dressing – it’s a little like a tuna salad all wrapped up in a taco. 

Great Leap大跃啤酒

Great Leap will be serving their Beef Tacos and Chicken Tacos at the festival, with their beef offering being a highlight. Crafted especially by their head chef, the beef taco is made from 100 percent imported Australian Angus beef which is then ground, seasoned, and simmered for two hours, then mixed with in-house Mexican chili sauce to create a flavor that will leave you craving for more.

Han Seventeen韩十七

Han Seventeen encompasses two brands, with one focusing on Korean cuisine and the other focusing on Indian cuisine, and you’ll get to experience a taste of both at Taco Fest! They’ve got two exclusive tacos: the first is the innovative Turkey Mac Cheese Taco featuring Anja mozzarella cheese mixed with Korean samyang turkey noodles – making for one carby combo!

The second is the Korean Beef Kimchi Taco which combines fatty beef with kimchi and lettuce all sandwiched in both a hard and soft taco shell. If you’re looking for a snack to go with your tacos, they’ll have the traditional Indian street food Panipuri – hollow deep-fried dough balls filled with mashed potatoes, sweet and sour sauce, masala, onion and a chickpea sauce.

HFFOUSA TACO弗萨塔可墨西哥餐厅

Offering Mexican food with a healthy twist, HFFOUSA TACO will be serving two types of tacos: Cancun Chicken and Steak. The former uses selected high-quality chicken breast and the latter S-grade beef loin, both are topped with a variety of salsas, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and guacamole.

Hi-Town Bistro海塘Bistro

Hi-Town Bistro will have two types of tacos up for grabs at the fest, the first is the Spicy Pepper Beef Taco which is sure to be a hit with spice fans, with yellow beef and Yunnan chilies to add a healthy kick. The other is the Black Beef Tripe Taco, featuring fresh beef tripe mixed with a secret sauce. Along with tacos, they’ll also have a range of Azerbaijan-style barbecues including beef, lamb, and chicken all served with pineapple, tomatoes, and peppers.

Home Plate BBQ本垒美式烤肉

American barbecue spot Home Plate will be taking their signature barbecued meats and turning them into some tasty tacos which are all exclusive to the fest. There is the Brisket Taco, which combines smoked brisket with tomato salsa, diced red onion, cilantro, and pickled jalapeños for a touch of tang.

The Smokey Char Siu Taco, a fusion of East meets West, sees hand-pulled pork imbued with homemade char siu barbecue sauce and nestled with crispy pork crackling, cucumber, and green onion. Lastly, in the Buffalo Chicken Taco, crispy fried chicken is coated in their tangy buffalo sauce balanced out by tomato salsa, shredded lettuce, and a decadent blue cheese dressing.

IN&OUT一坐一忘

Putting a Yunnan spin on tacos is Lijiang-themed eatery IN&OUT, with their exclusive Lemongrass Roasted Chicken With Bait Block Taco. For those who don’t know, bait block is a Yunnan specialty made from processed rice and is a popular snack in Kunming. To go with the taco, they’ve also got Fried Potato With Yunnan Mushrooms, Fried Yunnan Tofu With Yunnan Mushrooms, and to wash it all down, Sour Papaya Juice With Rose Jam.

Las Musas TaqueriaLas Musas 墨西哥餐吧

Making authentic Mexican street tacos and carefully crafted margaritas in the heart of Beijing, Las Musas uses only the freshest ingredients and prepares everything from scratch. Las Musas will be bringing three tacos to the festival: the Spicy Habenero Chicken Taco, the Spicy Green Chili Beef Machaca Taco, and the Hibiscus Flower Taco, the latter of which is a vegan number.

Besides tacos, they’ll also have Mexican Street Style Dorilocos Vegetarian – aka Doritos topped with cucumber, aguachile sauce, chili crisp, pico, and cilantro – plus some of their signature drinks including Frozen Classic Margaritas, Mango Mojitos, and Classic Mojitos.

MOJI 墨纪墨西哥餐厅

As purveyors of authentic Mexican cuisine, Moji views tacos as the soul of Mexican culture. They have created three brand new tacos for the fest that they will be unveiling for the first time: the Campechano – featuring a mix of pork and beef mince, the Spicy Beef Tendons and the Tripa, which features beef tripe as its main ingredient. All come served in a soft tortilla topped with handmade Mexican sauce and other garnishes.

MORROW Grill & Cantina of Mexico墨佬墨西哥餐厅

Mexican cantina MORROW’s tacos all use corn tortillas stuffed with a variety of meats, sauces, and fresh vegetables. At the festival, they’ll offer Chicken Tacos and Beef Tacos.

Nashville 乡谣餐吧

The first country music restaurant bar in Beijing, Nashville was founded 28 years ago, way back in 1996. They’ve got two tacos to enjoy at the fest, the Signature Black Pepper Steak Tacos, which combines dry-aged American Angus steak, guacamole, homemade sour cream, tomato salsa, and jalapeños. Then the Roasted Chicken Tacos feature chicken thighs, guacamole, homemade sour cream, tomato salsa, and jalapeños.

NBEER CRAFT BREWING CO. & PUB牛啤堂精酿啤酒

Craft brewpub NBeer will be bringing three different types of tacos to the fest. They’ve got Braised Beef Brisket and Cheese, featuring griddled beef with tomato salsa, sautéed onions, and garlic, topped with chipotle-tomato gravy. Grilled Chicken and Cheese: grilled chicken leg with garlic, onion chili sauce, finished with chopped cilantro and onion. Lastly, the intriguing creation Spicy Mixed Tropical Fruit and Cheese, mixed tropical fruit with lemon juice, chili powder, and cheese.

Q MEX BAR & GRILL库迈墨西哥餐吧

Mexican restaurant and Beijing stalwart Q MEX Bar & Grill will be bringing back their exclusive Carnitas Tacos to the fest. Featuring slow-simmered pork topped with tomatillo salsa, chopped onion, and cilantro served in a white corn flour tortilla, this will only be the second time that Q MEX is offering their Carnitas to the general public, as they’re normally reserved for Mexican Embassy events.

Along with Carnitas, they’ll have Crispy Shrimp Tacos, which see shrimp topped with chipotle salsa, pico de gallo, sliced jalapeño peppers, onions, and cilantro all served in a lightly fried corn tortilla. This is one of Q MEX’s signature dishes and is executive chef Marcus Medina’s creative take on a style of tacos from a seaside town in Sinaloa, Northwest Mexico.

Slider Nation小堡邦

Usually known for their sliders, Slider Nation will be turning their hand to tacos with their brand new Viral Smashburger Taco. It has all the usual suspects of the OG Slider but in taco form – a homemade flour tortilla is smashed right on top of a 50g Wagyu beef ball, then flipped and topped with cheese, spicy sauce, shredded lettuce, pickled jalapeños, and fresh cilantro. “It’s one big texture bomb”, says Chris, an avid slider fan.

It was inspired by the smashburger taco that went viral on TikTok last year, with the owners of Slider Nation deciding to give it a whirl after it was requested by customers at their recent block party. Needless to say, it was a huge hit, and as well as being at Taco Fest, they’ve also decided to include it on their menu full time! To pair perfectly with the taco, they’ve also got Slushee Margaritas, Chili Lime Salted Coronas, and Signature Fresh Thyme Infused Gin & Tonic with notes of organic Meyer lemon peel.

SUSU 苏苏越南菜

Born deep in Beijing's hutongs, SUSU serves authentic and unique Vietnamese dishes in a simple and creative way. Now, you wouldn’t normally think of tacos when you think of Vietnamese restaurants, but back in 2021, SUSU rolled out their "Viet Tacos" as part of a collaboration with their compadres Las Musas. At the festival, they’ll have some of their signature tacos on the menu like the Shaking Beef Taco and Caramelized Carnitas Taco, which come rolled in corn or flour tortillas, with homemade salsas and dips.

Taco Bell 塔可钟

American fast food brand Taco Bell will be joining Taco Fest once again. On the menu will be the Gravy and Beef Taco, featuring Wagyu beef served with sweet and crisp corn salsa; and the Beef Taco Supreme, with beef, fresh spicy salsa, cheese sauce, fresh yogurt sauce, crisp lettuce, and sweet and sour tomatoes all piled into a tortilla for a classic, colorful combination.

Taco Taco 

Joining us all the way from Shanghai and for the first time is Mexican restaurant Taco Taco! Opening their first branch back in 2020, Taco Taco now has four branches in Shanghai. They focus on Mexican food that’s fitness-friendly, always using fresh ingredients and products. At Taco Fest, they’ll be offering a whopping six varieties of tacos: Slow Cooked Beef, AI Pastor, Thai Pork, Chorizo, Pollo, and Vegan, the latter of which has a mushroom and zucchini filling. For the perfect taco pairing, they’ll also be serving their signature Margaritas.

The Local  

The Local will be offering an impressive five different types of tacos at the fest, including an exclusive taco: Buffalo Chicken. It features slow-cooked buffalo chicken, cheddar cheese, and their homemade jalapeño ranch dressing in a crispy flour taco shell. The Local are really proud of their buffalo wings and thought it would be fun to have those flavors in taco form.

Along with Buffalo Chicken, they’ll also have Ground Beef Tacos, with lettuce, cheese, cilantro, and their homemade taco sauce; Grilled Chicken Tacos, with cheese, peppers, onions, and spicy sour cream dressing; Grilled Shrimp Tacos, with taco slaw and creamy “old bay” sauce; and finally Grilled Fish Tacos, with taco slaw and Baja fish taco sauce. 

TRIBE GARDEN Restaurant & Lounge 部落花园非洲餐吧酒廊

One of Beijing’s newest African restaurants, TRIBE GARDEN has two tacos on offer at Taco Fest: the Goat Meat Taco and Smoked Turkey Salad and Smoked Salmon With Avocado Taco. Along with tacos, they’ll have African Plantains and European Style Mixed Sausages – including Italy herbs, Nuremberg, and meatloaf. Plus, if you want something to sip on, they’ll have a Virgin Mango Mojito, other non-alcoholic drinks, and a range of cocktails.

TSINGTAO1903 Taproom 青岛1903酒馆

As a brand under Tsingtao Beer, TSINGTAO1903 Taproom aims to create the perfect food to match their great selection of fresh beers, and we for one think that their tacos fit that description to a T. At Taco Fest, they’ll be introducing their Grilled Lamb Tacos, which see grilled lamb infused with cumin, chili powder, and spring onion all wrapped in a soft tortilla shell. Plus there will be Crispy Fish Tacos: fish fillets are coated in their signature batter then fried to a perfect golden brown until they’re perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and finished with their homemade tartar sauce and crisp lettuce shreds.

Aside from tacos, they’ll have a limited edition beer at the fest: Primary Beer. An unfiltered and unpasteurized beer known for its cloudy appearance, it retains active yeast cultures and a plethora of vitamins – who said drinking beer was bad for you!?

V,INN 维恩餐吧

Before talking about V,INN’s tacos, we have to talk about their tomato salsa, because they actually created the salsa first and then designed their tacos around it. Their tomato salsa uses over ten different kinds of herbs and seasoning to create a sweet, sour, spicy, and refreshing flavor. It’s such a big hit in fact that some of their customers have asked to buy it to take home to add to rice!

They’ll be bringing Beef Tacos – which feature Australian Wagyu beef and Chicken Tacos to the festival which, along with their aforementioned signature tomato salsa, both feature a soft tortilla on the outside and then a crispy tortilla shell on the inside. They’ll have Burritos, a variety of snacks like Jalapeño Poppers and Potato Wedges With Beef Sauce.

Wawabeer Taproom 哇哇兔精酿餐吧

For brewpub WAWABEER, it’s all about the beef, which they'll be putting on four different varieties of beef tacos at Taco Fest, including the exclusive Third Uncle’s Secret Taco. Said taco uses Australian Angus 5+ beef shank that’s been marinated for 20 hours then stewed for eight hours and then crumbled, sprinkled with broth, and topped with jalapeños, onions, and their secret sauce.

The other three beef tacos are the Milong Grain Fed Australian Beef, Australian Beef Rump, and Heart and Black Beef Tongue. All are marinated with yogurt and spices, roasted on a rotary barbecue, and accompanied by WAWABEER’s secret sauce and dipping soup. They will also have a vegetarian Corn Salad Taco, plus some of their signature brews.

PISTAQ Gelato PISTAQ意大利手工冰淇淋

For those looking for dessert or a sweet treat to indulge in between stuffing your face with tacos, then PISTAQ Gelato is a must-try. They specialize in authentic Italian handmade gelato which is all made in store. You can expect classic flavors like pistachio, strawberry, and coffee.

TUKTUK Thai Herbal Beverage TUKTUK泰式植物鲜萃饮

Specializing in lemongrass-based drinks, TUKTUK will have a range of Thai beverages. These include Sparkling Water with Lemon Grass and Lemon, Thai Iced Lemon Tea with Basil, Fresh Boiled Lemon Grass Juice, Lemon Grass and Lemon Americano, and Handmade Lemon Grass and Lemon. They use an innovative technique of utilizing Thai plants like lemongrass, pandan leaf, etc. to brew a soup-like base, which is then used to make distinctive and refreshing tipples.

Well, consider my taste buds tantalized! If you want to get in on all the tasty taco action, grab yourself a ticket now by scanning the QR code in the poster below!

Taco Fest 2024 will be taking place Apr 20-21 from 11am until 9pm at Tiantongyuan Culture and Arts Center. Tickets can be purchased by scanning the QR code in the poster above.

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Images: the Beijingers, courtesy of the venues

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