A Facebook post today said Boca is closed for good and a new taco joint is moving in.
A banner visible inside said a new restaurant, Local Taco, is coming soon.
The Citizen-Times confirms the news (and a reader backs it up in our comments): Boca owner Anoop Krishnan has sold the space:
Local Taco, which takes a farm-to-table approach to Tex-Mex, has locations in Nashville, Lexington, Kentucky, and Greenville, S.C. At its other locations, the menus include enchiladas, tacos and quesadillas with Southern twists, using ingredients like barbecue, cole slaw and spicy shrimp.
Citizen-Times link here.
Source: instagram.com via Jennifer Photo by Micah Mackenzie
We’ll keep you posted.
Boca was a downtown restaurant serving “modern American with a Latin twist,” according to its Facebook page, and was recently the site of a Food Network commercial.
24 Comments
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Odd that folks are criticizing Local Taco for coming in, but no one seems to be asking what provoked Boca to close. I’m just glad we won’t have an empty storefront on Lexington.
The space that currently hosts Wasabi used to be Quizno’s in the 90’s, and I don’t recall any hipsters acting butthurt about that business.
Don’t mean to “butthurt” your argument, but Quiznos is a franchise company. Locally owned big chain concept. Not an outside owned company seeking to capitalize. Kind of a weird gray area in my mind.
We’re so down on businesses such as Local Taco coming to town, but we trumpet and cheer for truly local businesses such as Chai Pani doing well enough to open a restaurant in Atlanta (and if things go well perhaps they’ll open more in other locations). What’s the diff? It’s a business utilizing a space, paying taxes, employing local people. I’ll check it out. If the product is good, I’ll continue to enjoy it. If not, there are plenty of other places. I won’t hold it against them that their roots are in Tennessee.
It’s funny to see the reactions to different businesses coming to Asheville: Yay New Belgium! Boo Urban Outfitters! Yay Trader Joe’s! Boo Whole Foods! But wait, we can still call it Greenlife? Yay!
Exactly wncrod. Well said on all points.
I’m sure this will be one of the “cool” chains that is accepted by everyone, including the buy local zombies and oblivious tourists, who will get excited by the name “local taco”. They will do great here. When was the last time a chain store/restaurant went out of business downtown?
CVS closed its downtown location, as I recall, and Bank of America is planning to if it hasn’t already.
Jersey Mikes didn’t do so hot Downtown.
I don’t think the term ‘chain’ applies here at all. In the restaurant business, chains are typically defined by a corporate-owen operation of 10 or more locations and are usually associated with franchising. Welcome to Asheville, Local Taco. I look forward to eating you.
The new menu is up in the window.
I can’t vouch for Local Taco, but I would love a San Antonio Taco Company here. It’s been a Nashville staple for quite a while now.
Santa, hope you give us a chance. We hate the word “chain”…every one of our restaurants looks/feels totally different. The concept was more about each restaurant having it’s own identity, promoting local farmers/produce, displaying local art, partnering with local charities, etc. We have been wanting to be in Asheville for a long time, because we feel like people here appreciate restaurants trying to buy local. So, hopefully we won’t mislead or give the impression that we don’t really buy local…we have and it will continue to be a major part of what we do and are. Thanks!
In fact you are a business that is not locally owned that portrays itself as being so by the name “Local Taco”. While your support of local farmers where you open new locations is cute and fun, you are not a local business and your profits do not stay in Asheville. Asheville had a very long and successful run of excluding chains, such as yours, from operating in the historic downtown area. Recently this resolve has diminished and similar operations like Tutti Frutti and Jimmy Johns have set up shop. I understand that you want to take advantage of the booming tourist economy in Asheville, but please don’t pretend to be something that you are not… LOCAL.
Recently?
….Mellow Mushroom…Subway…Doc Chey’s…Marble Slab…any number of banks, insurance agencies and real estate brokers…they’ve all been here longer than “recently”
Not to mention Quizno’s and Tripps
Good point, Ty.
Mellow Mushroom, Barleys, Hannah Flannigans are all chains too. Are they ok?
So excited to hear Local Taco is coming to town! Loved it when visiting Nashville this fall.
That is particularly misleading for a chain to come in, displace a true local piece of the town and BEHOLD! “LOCAL TACO*” (* Definition of “local” is now stretched to include Nashville, TN, Brentwood, TN, Lexington, KY, Greenville, SC.)
Someones getting an easy ride on the heartfelt “Buy Local” campaign.
I hate to see the local joints replaced by chains, but shit happens.
I must correct you, the local taco isn’t a chain its owned by one person. I currently work at the local taco in SC and will be opening the Asheville store very soon. It’s something I think Asheville will enjoy.
It’s True. I just spoke with Anoop on the street when I was going to eat lunch there today.