Tacolicous (632 Emerson St, Palo Alto)

Tacolicious may have launched in 2009 as a stand at the Thursday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, but Joe's affair with Mexico started when he was a kid. Back in the 70's, his parents would hitch a catamaran to their VW van and drive the family down to Baja to camp on the beach for months at a time. When Joe returned to Mexico as an adult, it was trip that he and Sara took to Mexico City, eating their way through modern spots such as Contramar and El Califa, that provided the "aha" moment that ultimately lead to Tacolicious. By the start of 2010, T-lish had opened its first brick-and-mortar on Chestnut Street. Today, we have three Bay Area locations as well as one in Manhattan Beach, LA, and the food we serve is as San Franciscan (see: Marina Girl salads, pastrami tacos) as it is a heartfelt homage to Mexico (see: suadero, chicken tinga).