CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Taco and tequila restaurant Tacologist will open next week in Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood, pending an inspection on Monday.
Tacologist plans to open to the public on Friday, April 26. The restaurant takes over much of the space formerly occupied by Uptown Cleveland’s Corner Alley, located on the corner of Ford Dr. and Euclid Ave. Inside, Tacologist is 4,100 sq. ft. large, with about 1,800 sq. ft. of patio space.
Beyond its opening date on April 26, Tacologist plans to host a weekend-long Cinco de Mayo party a week later.
The restaurant is run by the owners of Tres Potrillos Mexican restaurants in Northeast Ohio. But Tacologist will follow a new design concept, combining elements of chemistry with the restaurant experience.
According to Tacologist general manager Gavin Moore, the restaurant will tie in a periodic table of tequila for visitors to choose from. The walls will be decorated with chemical structures of the food and drinks offered at Tacologist -- a sciencey theme intended to appeal to local students and young professionals.
“We’re really gauging for students,” he said. “We want to appeal to all of Case [Western]’s grad students, all of University Hospital’s employees and residents. We really want to create an environment that’s warm and welcoming… but also a pretty cool restaurant.”
Tacologist will have a menu of fresh-made tacos with both corn and flour shells. The drink menu includes fresh-squeezed juices for margaritas, and cold beer.
The restaurant will offer a happy hour, Mondays through Fridays from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m., and every day from 9 p.m. until close. The happy hour will offer $4 classic margaritas, $4 house wines, $4 mixed drinks, $4 draft beers and $4 sangrias.
Inside Tacologist, the space will be decked out with handmade tables made of refurbished wood from Mexico. The restaurant’s tile work also consists of tiles imported from Mexico. Flatscreen TVs will dot the space.
The shop features an outdoor patio for Cleveland’s warmer days, with bulb lights hanging overhead couches and tables for visitors to hang out at.
“We’ll have little patio seating with umbrellas, just a hangout zone for college students, for families, for anyone,” said Moore. “We’re a very friendly, open environment here.”
Tacologist announced its plans to take over the space in June of 2018, following the closure of Corner Alley in May of 2018.
Along with Tacologist, the building will also be the home of a bank, a Verizon store and BurgerIm, a fast-casual burger chain.
You can follow Tacologist’s Facebook page for updates about the restaurant.
Tacologist will open this spring in Uptown Cleveland's former Corner Alley space. (Photo by Anne Nickoloff, cleveland.com)