'Taco Slinging' Eatery Opening LIC Outpost On Friday

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — A popular taco chain operating in Manhattan and Brooklyn is opening an outpost in Long Island City on Friday.

Tacombi, a mini-chain with nine self-described “taco-slinging” locations across the city, first announced plans to expand to Long Island City in January of last year, Commercial Observer reported, but is now expected to open on May 28, according to a statement from a restaurant spokesperson.

The new Court Square location at 27-10 43rd Avenue will be the restaurant’s first location in Queens — but it will continue to serve up its beloved selection of tacos.

“Our aim has always been to create a neighborhood taqueria where people can meet, share and discover authentic Mexican taco culture and we can’t wait to welcome in our new LIC neighbors,” the company told the Queens Post.

Before opening its first New York City spot in Nolita over a decade ago, Tacombi started its operation out of a Volkswagen trailer in Mexico back in 2005, according to the website.

Since then, the taco joint has opened locations across Manhattan and Brooklyn — from the Upper West Side to Fort Greene.

Although the Long Island City location is Tacombi’s first spot in Queens, it’s not the first time the taco restaurant has been in the borough.

At the beginning of the pandemic Tacombi started an initiative called Tacombi Community Kitchen, aimed at feeding New Yorkers who were going hungry — specifically in neighborhoods where many of their employees live, Queens included, reported CBS New York.

The community kitchen has now donated over 100,000 meals to date, according to the website, and Tacombi’s most recent contribution to the initiative was on May 5th, Cinco de Mayo, when the restaurant donated 100 percent of all proceeds made that day to the kitchen.

And, Tacombi is looking further into Queens in the upcoming months: The taco chain is preparing to open a Forest Hills location this summer, reported the Forest Hills Post.

Come Friday, the Long Island City location will be open from noon to 11 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.