A taco tour will allow Columbus residents to enjoy one of the city’s newly renovated areas.
The State Street Taco Tour will take place from 5-8 p.m. Saturday and allow attendees to try the six different taquerias located around State Street.
In addition to allowing the public to try out the restaurants, the event will also showcase recent infrastructure improvements and beautification in the area.
The idea for a taco-themed event came about when organizer Erick Ramirez invited a few friends to join him along the newly renovated street to try his favorite local restaurants.
“I wanted this close group of friends to go through and try every taco shop on State Street,” he said. “I just wanted to kind of show people what State Street had to offer.”
Ramirez said that one of his friends had heard of similar events happening in other cities, and suggested that Ramirez open the event up to the public.
Expecting to attract 20 or so new attendees, Ramirez created a Facebook event and shared it with his friends. They then shared the event, and soon more than 1,000 Columbus residents had expressed interest, with more than 100 confirming their attendance.
The offerings of State Street may be getting more attention from event planners in the future, thanks to the State Street Revitalization Project.
The corridor has experienced increased attention from the city since the project launched in 2014 as part of its comprehensive plan. Two green spaces, new sidewalks and a multi-use trail are among various improvements that have been made to the area.
Ramirez said he hopes that the taco tour will be an opportunity for the community to appreciate the developments.
“It was just time for Columbus to pay more attention to it (State Street). They redid the sidewalk, put in some nice streetlights and plants,” Ramirez said. “I drive through there every day and I enjoy it.”
All the restaurant owners are excited for the event, Ramirez said, and he is looking forward to people getting to “enjoy the scenery and try new foods.”
Ramirez said he hopes the event will be an opportunity for people to get together and appreciate their community.
“It’s just an event to bring people together, discover the local businesses on that side of town and just appreciate Columbus,” he said.
The State Street Taco Tour is open to the public and attendees are encouraged to visit all six restaurants for the best possible experience.
For attendees up the the challenge of trying six different tacos, a Taco Tasting Pre-Order Package is available. The package which provides tickets for one taco from each restaurant, two drinks and a taco tour-themed vinyl sticker and magnet.
To receive the pre-order offer, tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/state-street-taco-tour-tickets-46684194683.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Featured restaurants” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Here are the six Mexican restaurants participating in the State Street Taco Tour 5-8 p.m. Saturday.
Sabor De La Vida, 1625 State St.
Taqueria J&C, 1741 State St.
Panaderia y Taqueria La Espiga, 2232 Illinois Ave.
Taqueria El Mexicano, 251 Center St.
Taquiera SalvaMex, 2241 State St.
La Guanajuato, 2710 State St.
Full event details are available on the State Street Taco Tour event Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/164652817562897/.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
