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Taco Fest presented by Good Foods is coming up on Sept. 14 at Henry Maier Festival Park at the lakefront. So, we reached out to another of our amazing taco vendors, Mr. TacoMex Grill, to ask about the delicious things they'll be bringing to Milwaukee from Wauconda, Illinois. This is also a reminder to get your Taco Fest tickets while they last!
When it comes to experience, Ricardo Vega of Mr. TacoMex Grill brings a great deal to the proverbial table. For years, he served Mexican fare at events under the moniker 3 Amigas before establishing a restaurant of the same name with his sister-in-law at a supermercado in Wauconda in 1999.
Starting in 2023, he established a new partnership with Zeb Hafeez, who assisted him in adding two food trucks that operate under the Mr. TacoMex Grill name. From the trucks, they serve a variety of dishes including tacos, burritos, elotes, enchiladas, quesabirria and nachos.
“Our business has really expanded,” he says. “Last year, we participated in 15 festivals. This year, we’ve done over 45 events with the trucks.”
He says that he’s excited about serving food at Taco Fest, first and foremost because they will be introducing a new item for the festival: Tacos a la Diabla featuring shrimp cooked in traditional diabla sauce made with chiles de arbol.
“I’m excited for people to come and try our new dish,” he says, noting that it will have all the spicy flavor that the original dish, Camarones a la Diabla, has.
Vega was also kind enough to answer a few more of our classic Let's Taco 'Bout questions.
What is your most popular food item? Vega says that right now their tacos are the most popular item on their menu with their steak tacos at the very top. But he says that their nachos are a close second.
What kind of food will you be serving at Taco Fest? Vega says they will have a variety of tacos including lengua (beef tongue), steak, chicken and shrimp. They will also debut their tacos a la diabla featuring shrimp cooked in a spicy diabla sauce.
If you could park your truck anywhere for one day, where would it be? “If I could be anywhere, I would love to be somewhere in Manhattan. I haven’t been there yet. Or at Niagara Falls. Can you imagine?”
You can keep up with the Mr. TacoMex Grill Truck by following them on Facebook.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
