It’s hard to believe that it was almost a year ago that we announced that mobile taco truck Baby Loves Tacos was in the process of opening a permanent restaurant in Bloomfield.
After many tantalizing months – and a few speed bumps along the way – Baby Loves Tacos is now open for business!
The space will officially open tomorrow, January 6, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. After that, the restaurant will be open Tuesday through Saturday starting next week, with official hours to be announced on their Instagram page.
Although the spot has been on everyone’s radar throughout their long and arduous “soft-opening,” the restaurant was pulled into the limelight this week when the health department shut the space down before it was open.
The story even made WTAE Channel 4 news.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bdd05Yenwh9/?taken-by=babylovestacos
Since last summer, Baby Loves Tacos has been operating a donation based, “soft-opening” system in their space on Liberty in Bloomfield. The situation escalated on Wednesday when the Allegheny County Health Department closed the restaurant for “operating without a valid health permit.”
The misunderstanding was resolved, and Baby Loves Tacos received all of their official permitting today. Despite the unexpected attention, owner Zachary Shell says he still feels positive about the experience.
“I only have good things to share to be honest,” says Shell. “We are just super grateful.”
Located in the former Jim’s Wraps & Salads at 4508 Liberty Avenue, Baby Loves Tacos is counter service restaurant with take out and limited standing room.
The menu features tacos, burritos, rice bowls and salads. Customers can choose from proteins like chicken, brisket, and chorizo, as well as various vegetable options like buffalo cauliflower and barbecue mushrooms.
Shell, a Pittsburgher native, moved back to the city from Philadelphia two years ago. In that time, Baby Loves Tacos has gone from a red Aussie grill on Penn Avenue to their first brick and mortar space.
After overwhelming success at his first pop-up, despite low temperatures and blistering winds, Shell started doing more and more pop-ups around the city. After serving tacos at spots like Tazza D’oro in Highland Park, and Commonplace Coffee on the North Side, Shell set up a consistent Friday night pop-up at the Pear and the Pickle Cafe on Troy Hill.
Finally, while driving down Liberty in Bloomfield one day, a vacant storefront caught Shell’s eye. The rest, as they say, is history.
“It’s really exciting and gratifying to have this idea that was not just something I’d thought about one day, but really was culmination of a lifetime of doing this stuff, growing up in Pittsburgh, and seeing the way the city has evolved,” says Shell. “We’ve been able to employ two full-time people, and three part-time because people love what we do.”
Follow Baby Loves Tacos on Facebook and Instagram for upcoming information on the space’s permanent hours.
Baby Loves Tacos (4508 Liberty Avenue)
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