New Boise restaurant plans to open where ‘legit’ one closed. When? ‘Soon’

If you were bummed when Taqueria El Torito closed last year, here’s a reason to cheer up.

The locally owned Mexican restaurant at 4628 W. State St. is on track to be replaced by what appears to be — yep, another locally owned Mexican restaurant.

El Faro Mexican Food is “coming soon,” according to a poster in the window. Aside from that, details are scarce. A peek inside reveals a space that looks like it could be up and running relatively quickly. But who knows?

There is one clue — about the menu. “El Faro” means “The Lighthouse” in Spanish. Plus, there’s an ocean and a sailboat on the poster. So it seems safe to assume that El Faro’s offerings will include fish, shrimp or other seafood tacos and burritos.

El Faro will need to aim relatively high to reach Taqueria El Torito’s former glory. With a history that stretched back to its start as a Garden City food truck, El Torito grew into a neighborhood favorite in northwest Boise. Opened in late 2016 near the corner of State and Collister — next door to New Garden Chinese Restaurant — it specialized in authentic and affordable tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tortas and more. Orders were taken at the counter and delivered to customers’ tables. A significant portion of the business involved takeout.

Taqueria El Torito rated four out of five stars on Yelp. “Legit,” wrote one reviewer shortly before it closed. “100% hands down best tacos in Boise.” Added another reviewer: “I come from So Cal and this place does it better than most in Boise.”

Will El Faro impress former Taqueria El Torito fans? Time will tell. For now, it doesn’t appear to have an online presence. If I’m able to shine more light on the situation, I’ll do so in the future.