Acclaimed taquería Trompo ceased operation at their Jefferson Boulevard store last week, in what likely marks the final closure of a store that has struggled to find a permanent spot in Dallas.
In an Instagram Live video, Trompo Owner Luis Olvera said the taco shop was locked out of the store by its landlord on Jan. 3 after failing to pay back rent.
“I have invested in a new property, a new project, trying to find my permanent home, trying to find my forever home for Trompo,” Olvera, who was born and raised in Oak Cliff, said in the video. “For a business to have to spend a lot of its time, resources, money into a location every single year, to try to just be able to operate, it’s a little challenging.”
Signs posted to the door of Trompo notified of the store’s lock changes. Photo by Emma Ruby.
Trompo moved to five locations in seven years, but the September 2022 of the Jefferson Boulevard store was what Olvera hoped would be his final location. He also opened two offshoot restaurants in that time, including a Bishop Arts location that closed in December 2021.
In 2016, Trompo garnered national attention after landing on Bon Appétit’s list of the best tacos in the whole country.
Despite the taco shop’s acclaim, sales at the Jefferson Boulevard shop never materialized. According to D Magazine, customers told Olvera that struggles to find parking and concerns that the restaurant’s popularity would lead to long wait times, kept them away.
“Jefferson was my final push, my Hail Mary,” Olvera said.
