City Tacos’ five-year tenure next to Petco Park will come to an end later this month following a takeover of its leased space by the San Diego Padres.
The owner of the eatery, one of seven City Tacos locations in the county, said he learned in May there would be new ownership of the building where the taqueria is housed, and that “I needed to sign a letter that I’d be OK with getting kicked out.”
Owner Gerry Torres said he wasn’t pleased with the decision but acknowledges that his contract allows for a termination of the lease, which was due to expire next year. The restaurant will serve its last meal on June 30.
“I pleaded with them, please allow me to finish the season with the Padres,” Torres said. “You wait all year round for the season and events down here. In East village, with no events, no Padres, there’s nothing going on.”
Up until recently, City Tacos’ landlord was J Street Hospitality, a local hotel owner and operator, but early last month the Padres purchased the lease rights from the company, which has had its offices in the building on Seventh Avenue, Torres said.
The Padres, in an emailed statement, explained the team’s motivation for acquiring the lease.
“With limited square footage inside Petco Park, the Padres took over the lease to expand our office footprint and provide additional restaurant and entertainment space for games and events at the ballpark.”
Torres is hoping that there may be a possibility of opening a City Tacos venue within the ballpark. It was a verbal offer made by the Padres and concessions operator Delaware North, and there have been no firm guarantees, Torres said.
A representative from Delaware North did not respond to a request for comment.
City Tacos opened shortly before the start of the COVID pandemic in 2020 and did not reopen until little more than a year later, once fans were permitted to attend Padres games. The location, adjacent to Petco Park’s Gaslamp entry gate, was ideal for promoting the City Tacos brand, Torres said. He had signage both outside the park and inside.
Prior to the opening of City Taco’s, the space was occupied by Larry’s Deli, which was owned by J Street Hospitality and operated by Azul Hospitality Group.
Torres owns one other City Tacos location in Los Angeles, in addition to Tour de Tapas – Euro Small Plates & Sips in La Mesa. Later this year, he will open Fonda del Barrio in the former Barrio Dogg space in Barrio Logan.
Although disappointed by the imminent move, City Tacos offered a conciliatory, farewell message in an email sent Monday to its patrons.
“We are blessed to have been even a small part of the pre-game or post-game route of Padres fans who stopped in to enjoy our tacos,” the email reads. “We are also lucky to have such loyal East Village and downtown residents who visited our taqueria regardless of events taking place at America’s No. 1 ballpark.”