After months of anticipation, Millvale is welcoming a new baby this week.
Baby Loves Tacos will hold a soft opening for its Grant Avenue location on Friday night from 5 to 8 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Starting Jan. 28, it will operate Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The 1,600-foot-space, which previously housed Tazza D’Oro, is three times the size of the eatery’s Bloomfield site. It boasts seating for 35 and serves bundles of joy in the form of tacos, burritos and bowls.
Co-owners Zack Shell and Kat Muscianesi launched the business two years ago. The couple envisioned a family-friendly place where customers could enjoy food that went beyond the typical Tex-Mex fare.
Baby Loves Tacos works with local growers such as Tiny Seed Farm and Garfield Community Farm to keep the shelves stocked with fresh produce. Within the next month, the Millvale location will feature an area where people can buy fruit and vegetables on Saturday mornings.
Shell and Muscianesi, who credit the Millvale Community Development Corporation and the Triboro Ecodistrict with making their expansion possible, are excited to give Millvale residents a place to stock up on healthy food year-round.
Having a larger kitchen also allows Baby Loves Tacos to expand its menu to include more daily specials such as soup and brisket chili. Once they secure a café license, they’ll be able to operate a smoker and offer outdoor seating on the adjacent patio.
On Saturdays, they’ll serve breakfast tacos, burritos and bowls, along with Huevos rancheros. The brunch selections have earned them a loyal following. Even their 5-year-old son, Kazmir, the baby who inspired the restaurant’s name, is a fan.
“We’re excited to be in Millvale because it’s the next step in the evolution of our business,” Shell says. “We had a lot of opportunities to do things in other areas of the city; this made the most sense because the community wants and needs this kind of place.”
