Taqueria Otates
“The Hidden Gem of the Glass City”
By Linda Alvarado-Arce
Taqueria Otates is a family-owned and run taco truck that opened in 1998. Otates is a small town in San Jose de Otates, Guanajuato, Mexico. The Taqueria is currently located at 708 East Broadway in East Toledo, Ohio. Its hours of operation are from 10:30 am- 5:30 pm., Wednesday- Sunday, and their Facebook: Taco Truck- Taqueria Otates, says they take credit cards. Their season begins at the end of March and goes until the beginning of November.
Taqueria Otates got its start when Irma Aranda would go with her husband, Rodrigo, to watch soccer games on Sundays at Schneider Field on Glendale Ave. in Toledo, Ohio. Irma would pack tacos in a cooler for the family to eat as they watched the game. As they ate their tacos, others at the field would ask if they could make extra so they could also eat. The family would eventually start packing the cooler with extra food until the demand got too large, and they were able to buy a FedEx truck that they would convert into a “taco truck,” the same taco truck that they have to this day.
They currently have six employees. In the photo are three of the employees: Brenda (daughter), Irma (mother), and Sonia (daughter). Brenda and Sonia attribute the success of their taco truck to the consistency of the food. Brenda says, “It is not fancy,” but it is all made with “care.” When asked what they attribute to their success and long lines, they told me it was because they “engage with their customers” and “the people just love our food, and they keep coming back.”
When I visited the taco truck, they had a line across the whole city lot, of people waiting in the cold and rain for their food. They even have a small building on this lot that they would love to buy someday to store additional items. If you have a chance, go visit Taqueria Otates. Support our local food venues!