A growing Houston taqueria chain is rolling into its third location. La Calle Tacos will open a new location in East River, the massive mixed-use development in the Fifth Ward.
First announced almost two years ago, the new La Calle will occupy almost 4,000 square feet and seat about 240 people, making it the restaurant’s largest location to date. Similar in configuration to the original location downtown, it will have a restaurant with a separate cantina area — an expansive patio with bayou views will be unique to East River.
Like its siblings in downtown and Midtown, La Calle’s East River location will take inspiration from owner Ramon Soriano’s experiences growing up in Mexico City. The restaurant serves breakfast tacos in the morning with a lunch and dinner menu that includes tortas, tacos, cevichito, and more. The 10 varieties of street taco fillings include carnitas, pastor, chicken, carne asada, and vegetarian guacamole. Famously, it does not use microwaves or freezers to prepare its scratch-made dishes.
La Calle’s original third location in Garden Oaks has been closed since August 2024 when it was damaged during a fire. Soriano has made the decision not to reopen that restaurant.
“It’s deeply unfortunate that we are unable to bring La Calle on Ella back for customers in Garden Oaks and I can assure everyone that we did all we could to make it happen,” he said in a statement. “We are thrilled, however, to join the community at East River and introduce a whole new audience to our menu. It’s an exciting time for La Calle and we can’t wait to celebrate over tacos and margaritas at our brand new space soon.”
Soriano also owns downtown’s La Diabla Retro Bar. Open since December 2022, the bar pays homage to Mexico City pop culture icons of the ’80s and ’90s through art, music, food, and drinks.
Located near the intersection of Jensen Drive and Clinton Drive in Fifth Ward, East River is a 150-acre mixed-use development. Phase I, a 26-acre section that was completed last year, will also include locations of Kyuramen, Lick Honest Ice Creams, and wine bar and restaurant City Cellars HTX. It’s also home to a 360-unit apartment building and East River 9, a nine-hole, par-three golf course.