BRIDGEPORT — Antique Taco is now open for business.
Owners Rick and Ashley Ortiz opened the doors at 5 p.m. Wednesday, welcoming a long line of hungry customers to try the neighborhood’s newest Mexican restaurant at 1000 W. 35th St.
And goodness, does the menu look tasty.
His mother, Mary Ortiz, is happy to have her son back in Bridgeport.
“It’s awesome,” she said. “We’re just so excited."
The restaurant at the corner of 35th and Morgan streets adds to a hefty list of taco shops in the neighborhood, but the main difference at Antique Taco is the outdoor patio lined with picnic tables.
The opening drew some neighborhood celebrities, including Won Kim, the a 36-year-old chef and painter behind the madness at nearby Kimski at Maria’s.
He ordered tacos for his staff and chatted with his culinary comrades.
"This is really going to help me out," Samber said. "I'm thrilled they're here."
Famished customers waited in a line that stretched out the door and down the block.
And the garlic shrimp taco: Sweet corn elote, garlic mayo, parmesan, hot sauce, avocado, basil, salsa and crispy onion.
One of the most popular items Wednesday was the potato and poblano taco:
But there are also house rosemary margaritas on draft. Customers drained quite a few of those on the patio.
"It's a good step for the neighborhood," said Chip Williams, a retired special effects and makeup artist who ordered up some tacos with his wife.
Antique Taco is open 5-10 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 5-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 5-10 p.m. Sundays, and closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
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