Taco Monster’s new location is a beacon of resilience for immigrants
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA/KECY) - In an olive-colored building off of Fourth Avenue and West 22nd Street, any sign of the former Coco's Bakery and Restaurant that once stood there are gone. Now they've been replaced by signs that read 'Taco Monster' in energetic neon green, navy blue, and hot pink.
That's the newest location of the taco shop known to satisfy monstrous, late-night taco cravings, marking the first brick and mortar location for its owners.
"To come from a food truck and now to an actual restaurant, it's amazing," said Cinaith Guinn, daughter of Taco Monster's owners. " They're living it up and soaking everything in."
The original taco truck housed in a parking lot off of Pacific Ave. and 16th Street near Yuma Palms features a wide variety of offerings from your taco shop classics to bacon-wrapped hot dogs.
For Guinn, there's nothing better on the menu than the fried quesadilla. The form in which she describes every single ingredient with a face of gusto immediately sells you that the cheesy goodness you get with the fried quesadilla is a must-have when visiting Taco Monster.
Influence of the various indigenous communities of the Desert Southwest also appears on their menu, with offerings of a Fry Bread Taco and even a Desert Fry Bread.
Guinn explains that her parents immigrated at a very young age from Guadalajara, a major metropolitan city in the Mexican state of Jalisco.
Upon arrival in the United States, English was a huge barrier for them. But one that didn't stop them from starting a business that years later would flourish into one of the most popular food spots in Yuma.
"I feel that everyone that immigrates to America looks for that piece of the American Dream," says Guinn. "This is my parent's piece of the American Dream.
