Permit documents recently filed with the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health indicate that The Taco Stand is planning to take over the space currently occupied by Tandoor restaurant at 5608 Mission Center Road, Suite 902. While the project has not yet been officially confirmed by the company, The Taco Stand has also teased a forthcoming Mission Valley location on its website, signaling that another San Diego outpost may soon join its growing roster.
Founded in La Jolla in 2013 by Julian Hakim and Aram Baloyan, The Taco Stand has become one of San Diego's biggest restaurant success stories. Inspired by the street tacos and casual taquerias of Tijuana and the Baja Peninsula, the original location quickly developed a cult following and had lines down the block for its handmade tortillas, grilled meats, fresh salsas and uncomplicated approach to authentic Mexican street food.
What began as a single storefront has since expanded into an interstate restaurant brand with locations throughout California, Nevada, Texas and Florida. Locally, The Taco Stand now operates restaurants in La Jolla, Downtown San Diego, North Park, Encinitas, Convoy District, Carlsbad and elsewhere throughout Southern California.
The company's success, however, extends far beyond tacos. Hakim and Baloyan later co-founded San Diego-based Shōwa Hospitality alongside Edo Kobayashi, creating a hospitality group focused on developing restaurant, bar and cultural concepts that emphasize design, community and distinctive culinary experiences.
The group's name references Japan's Shōwa era, a period associated with innovation, craftsmanship and cultural evolution, values the company has sought to incorporate throughout its growing collection of concepts. Today, Shōwa Hospitality oversees an eclectic portfolio that stretches well beyond Mexican cuisine.
Among its San Diego concepts are the intimate omakase restaurant Himitsu in La Jolla, the Japanese noodle destination Shōwa Ramen at UC San Diego, and the vinyl-focused Convoy Music Bar. The company's website also hints at future concepts currently under development.
The group's willingness to experiment has produced mixed results. In 2024, Shōwa Hospitality transformed La Jolla's beloved Coffee Cup Café into Comedor Nishi, a Japanese-Mexican breakfast and lunch restaurant blending traditional Mexican dishes with Japanese culinary techniques under former Pujol chef Francisco "Pancho" Ibáñez. Despite considerable anticipation, the concept operated for just over a year before closing, with the space now preparing to become Tacos & Jarros, a new family-owned Mexican restaurant from the operators of Cotija's Taco Shop and Cazadores Mexican Grill.
Hakim's own path into the restaurant industry was anything but conventional. In a 2018 interview, Hakim explained that he had originally been pursuing medical school with aspirations of becoming an orthopedic surgeon before a simple taco concept changed his career trajectory. After discussing the idea with his uncle, Aram Baloyan, who then only owned Pizza On Pearl in La Jolla, the neighboring storefront became available. The family partnered to launch The Taco Stand, forcing Hakim to ultimately choose between medicine and restaurants.
That same family connection also helped shape another San Diego institution. Pizza On Pearl, which dates back to 2009, later came under the stewardship of Aram Baloyan before temporarily being rebranded into Mr. Moto Pizza House, a concept launched by Baloyan's nephew, Gibran "Mr. Moto" Fernandez. Pizza On Pearl has since returned to La Jolla and recently expanded with a second location in North Park.
The proposed Mission Valley Taco Stand would occupy a highly visible location within Mission Valley Plaza, replacing longtime Indian restaurant Tandoor if the project moves forward. Although no construction timeline has been announced, the filing represents another step in Shōwa Hospitality's continued investment in San Diego despite increasingly competitive market conditions.
More than a decade after opening a modest taco shop in La Jolla, Hakim, Baloyan and their partners have transformed Shōwa Hospitality into one of Southern California's most influential independent restaurant groups, balancing rapid expansion of The Taco Stand with an ever-growing collection of chef-driven restaurants, bars and hospitality concepts that continue to reshape San Diego's dining landscape.
If approved, The Taco Stand Mission Valley will be located at 5608 Mission Center Road, Suite 902, in San Diego's Mission Valley. For more information, visit letstaco.com and showahospitality.com.
Originally published on July 4, 2026. Information first reported by Joey Reams of WhatNow.
