Chicas Tacos Debuts Fresh Flavors At Venice Whole Foods Market

VENICE, CA — Chicas Tacos is growing and bringing its take on Mexican favorites to Venice in a special partnership with Whole Foods Market.

The fast-casual, award-winning taco company opened just in time for Cinco de Mayo last week inside Whole Foods Market at 225 Lincoln Blvd., Venice. The process has been four years in the making, and locals can now grab a vegan horchata with coconut milk or try out the new crispy taco from the eatery.

The menu includes dishes such as the grilled fish taco, leche de tigre ceviche, and added plant-based options. These items are all exclusive to the Venice Chicas and available to customers visiting the new Dogtown spot. None of the ingredients are frozen and most items can be made vegan. Abbot's Butcher also supplies the plant-based, meat alternatives at the location.

Venice is the company's third opening in Los Angeles in 2021. Chicas Tacos opened its Culver City location at 9343 Culver Blvd, Culver City, in January 2020. They also launched two other locations in February 2021: Chicas Beverly Grove, 8312 W 3rd St., Los Angeles and Chicas Tacos at All Season Brewing Co., 800 S. La Brea Ave.

Chicas launched in downtown Los Angeles in 2016 and was founded by marketing veteran Chris Blanchard, James Beard award-nominated Chef Eduardo Ruiz, and BLVD Hospitality founders Jon Blanchard and Nicolo Rusconi. All of the restaurant partners are born and raised in Southern California and they plan to add more locations in the future.

"This is our first Whole Foods (location) to date," founder Chris Blanchard told Patch. "It's just been such a blessing. They're a great organization as everybody knows."

As the fourth restaurant opens, the company hopes the partnership with Whole Foods grows even more.

And right now, opening in Venice just made sense, he added.

"I'm kind of a beach kid at the end of the day," Blanchard said. "I love the beach community. I've always wanted to come West since we opened in downtown in 2016 and this was the perfect time, perfect place, perfect partner. Venice has such a rich history. There are really phenomenal restaurants that have come out of the Westside, particularly Venice, and it's just a community we wanted to be a part of."

Chicas Tacos Venice will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (times may vary due to COVID-19). Limited outdoor seating outside Whole Foods Market is available at the store and future indoor seating is planned for the location once health guidelines shift. Visit www.chicastacos.com for more information.

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