Renderings courtesy of SMS Architects.
It could be a win but it’s definitely a loss: the owner of Baja Fish Tacos (5224 E. 2nd St.) in Belmont Shore—home to one of the city’s best Ensenada-style tacos and featured on my Essential Long Beach Tacos list—will be creating a new concept that still revolves around tacos, just don’t expect the typical.
Julio Guitierrez has been running Baja Fish Tacos, a fast-casual joint that is a far superior version of Rubio’s, for several years now. However, he has seen a large shift in the way eateries present themselves in the neighborhood: with the success of refined spaces-meets-elevated comfort food like Simmzy’s and Saint & Second, Guitierrez is entirely gutting his current space and ditching the fast-casual concept, specifically privatizing the space he uses for the Baja Fish Taco franchise.
Designed by SMS Architects, the space will honor the almighty taco with homages toward Mexico’s cultural legacies—handmade and painted tiles, plaster, warm colors contrasting with saturated brights—while honing in on an overall contemporary feel.
In terms of what will be specifically offered, Guitierrez has remained mum but promises that it will be a welcomed addition to the neighborhood.
He expects construction to begin no later than this fall.