The newest restaurant inside of Boone Drug’s — Tacoba, a taco and coffee bar, opened on King Street Sept. 26.
Tacoba combines a cafe-style environment with a Mexican restaurant to make a unique addition to Boone Drug. Owner James Bance said inspiration for Tacoba stems from his Mexican heritage. The Latin American influence can be seen throughout the menu. Aside from tacos and coffee, they also sell traditional Mexican foods such as Molletes, which is beans on toast, and Tortilla Espanola, which Bance describes as a Mexican quiche.
While the combination of a coffee bar and taco shop may seem out of the ordinary, having an espresso machine in restaurants is not uncommon in Latin America, Bance said. He said he’s received several people questioning his reasoning for the mix.
“It’s totally normal in Latin America to have a coffee shop with tacos or with some kind of street food together,” Bance said.
Although this is Bance’s first restaurant, he is no stranger to working in one. Growing up, his family owned several restaurants that he and his relatives often helped in. Bance describes them as a “restaurant family” and said it’s because of this that he grew to love food.
“With good food comes good laughter, good times, good moments that people have together,” Bance said.
Locals have grown accustomed to having a place to dine inside Boone Drug with the space previously being filled by King Street Pharmacy & Fountain — an American food restaurant. Bance said Tacoba draws in “a great mix of all ages” from students to locals, thanks to its proximity to both campus and the pharmacy.
Aside from eating, he envisions the space to be used for studying or socializing and wants to attract more App State students. They plan to offer trivia nights on Wednesdays, a space to watch football games on the weekends and a student discount. They are open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“I just want there to be a space here where people can come in and meet people and meet friends and meet family and eat and have coffee and chill,” Bance said.
