Mission Taco Joint to open at the Streets of St. Charles, Tortillaria to close in CWE

The fiesta is headed across the river as the Tilford Restaurant Group prepares to open its fourth area Mission Taco Joint at The Streets of St. Charles. The Streets of St. Charles is a walkable mixed-used development currently home to a movie theater, apartments and retail stores, as well as local and national chain restaurants. Mission Taco will be the first Mexican bar and eatery in this development when it opens in April or May of 2017.

“It took a lot of thought and was a good opportunity for us,” said co-owner Adam Tilford. “We had this chance to build everything from the ground up, like Soulard, which we renovated from a shell.”

Even though the building is new, both the menu and the vibe will be familiar to diners who have visited the Soulard, Central West End and Delmar locations. The new space will feature a 40-seat patio and 135-seat dining room, making the St. Charles restaurant the largest Mission Taco yet. Like in Soulard, a large garage door is planned as part of the facade.

The same menu of unique street tacos, burritos, tortas, starters and sides will be available along with house cocktails and beer. Mission Taco will be open for lunch and dinner, and it will offer its late-night happy hour for local revelers or movie-goers.

“We hope to bring another different option for Mexican cuisine,” said Tilford. “We’re not like other Mexican restaurants – we feel more like a bar that serves tacos and burritos. We want this to be a place where people can go for lunch or come in the evening, hang out and make a night out of it.”

The Tilfords are also working on construction on the group’s first Mission Taco in Kansas City, which is also slated to open in the spring 2017.

The arrival of this latest project heralds the end of their first. After 12 years, the brothers are closing Tortillaria Mexican Kitchen at 8½ S. Euclid Ave., in the Central West End. Its last day will be Jan. 15, 2017.

Tilford said the lease was up at the space, and careful thought, it was time to move forward. “It is the hardest decision that we’ve made. Jason and I laid the tile on the floor at Tortillaria 12 years ago,” he said. “We likened it to having a grandparent passing away in their 90s. It’s sad at first, but 12-plus years for a restaurant is a great run.”

Tilford said their other concept, Milagro Modern Mexican in Webster Groves, won’t see any changes. The brothers are focused on bolstering the Mission Taco Joint brand. “The concept has proven to be very popular, (and) we’re humbled by that,” he said. “We’re trying to gear for more growth.”

Editor's Note: This article was updated Dec. 20 at 12:45 p.m. to include information about Tortillaria's closing. 

Catherine Klene contributed to this report.