15 November 14-20, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | MusiC | El Taquito opened its small outpost with only an ordering counter and a few bar- stools along the sides of its tiny shop back in 2009, long before the renaissance of the fancy CocoWalk and Coconut Grove we know so well today. The spot was open weeknights until mid- night and then Thursday through Saturday until 2 a.m. Therefore, you can only imagine that it was especially popular on “Grove Thursdays,” which was known to attract hoards of University of Miami students living nearby in Coral Gables and the Grove. On Thursdays especially, students would hit up the formerly raunchy bars like Barra- cuda’s, Sandbar (which is now totally up- dated and clean), and Moe’s (R.I.P.) that even had a mechanical bull inside. Then, they’d zig-zag their way into line at El Taquito, which usually would have a line out of the door of hungry young men and women wait- ing to get their hands on perfectly cooked and simple al pastor or carnitas tacos to properly coat their cheap, beer-filled stomachs. Thankfully for those who were big fans of its tacos, El Taquito in the Grove was one of many of the small local chain’s locations in South Florida. Although the location in the Grove was the one that started it all, El Taquito has three larger and more expansive locations with much larger and more sophisticated menus elsewhere. One of said locations is along Calle Ocho in Little Havana at 1380 SW Eighth St. The other two locations are in Kendall at 13911 SW 42 St. and in Fort Lauderdale at 917 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd. El Taquito. Locations in Miami and Fort Lauderdale; eltaquitomexicanrestaurant.com. NICOLE LOPEZ-ALVAR ▼ KENDALL “MEGA” PUBLIX TO OPEN IN 2025 A giant, two-story Publix Super Market is currently being built in Kendall across from the Fresh Market and the Falls mall, and it may be the most modern Publix grocer to open in the county. According to eyewitness reports, a modern prototype Publix Super Market that is ru- mored to be a “mega” store will open at Briar Bay Shopping Plaza, which was once home to a much smaller Publix Super Market that opened back in the 1970s. Located at 13005 SW 89th Pl., the original Publix at the site was purchased by Publix in 2015 for $16.7 million. Up until 2022, it was a staple for those living in Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, and Kendall along U.S. 1 and 136th Street until most of the mall was demolished. (There was once a Total Wine, Sally Beauty, and Red Lobster connected to the property.) According to the Miami Herald, the super- market closed in August 2022 and was offi- cially torn down in the fall of 2023. The last remaining restaurant at Briar Bay Shopping Plaza is Outback Steakhouse. Over a year later, the modern prototype of the brand-new supermarket is being built, and it looks seemingly unrecognizable. The new “Mega Publix” is rumored to look and feel like the new Publix prototype that has been popping up across the Sunshine State in 2024. Earlier this year, New Times reported that a new 60,000 square foot Publix Super Mar- ket in Tampa at the Gandy Shopping Center was going viral on social media due to its large food court, a wine bar called “Publix Pours,” a burrito station, popcorn station, and other enticing vendors for a younger and broader demographic. Many new Publix supermarkets, like the one at the Gandy Shopping Center, feature taco, burrito, make-your-own bowl, and na- cho stations, as well as popcorn stations (with flavors like caramel, cheddar, you name it), a full-blown pizza bar with pizzas being made in a wood-fired pizza oven, and a sushi and poke bowl station. It is believed that the new two-story Pub- lix coming to Kendall will also have a “Publix Pours,” multiple food and beverage stations, and a large food court. These large acquisitions of retail proper- ties show that the mega grocer is only on its way to compete with other mega chains in Florida’s grocer space, such as Sprouts, Aldi, and Whole Foods. Publix Super Market Briar Bay Shopping Plaza. 13005 SW 89th Pl., Miami, at Briar Bay Shopping Plaza; publix.com. Opening in 2025. NICOLE LOPEZ-ALVAR Coconut Grove taco spot El Taquito has closed after serving al pastor and carnitas tacos to University of Miami students on Main Highway for 15 years. Publix is the savior of all hurricane parties in Florida. Photo by Nicole Lopez-Alvar Photo by Nicole Lopez-Alvar
