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All About Fat Taco Tequila Bar in Hoboken

by Diana Cooper
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There’s a taco and tequila bar in Hoboken that you’re going to want to add into your rotation. In 2021, Fat Taco took over Coco Havana’s old space at 32 Newark Street. With remodeling done by the Hoboken Hospitality Group, the restaurant has become something of an experience — doubling as a party spot on the weekends. Now, this spot is rolling out a new brunch menu that you’re phone won’t be able to eat first (think: french toast skewers, fruity pebble pancakes) and The Hoboken Girl was treated to a few of the new items. Read on for more about Fat Taco, home of birria tacos, tequila, and now, a seriously drool-worthy brunch. 

fat taco rebranded hoboken

How Coco Havana Became Fat Taco

The space at 32 Newark Street has gone through quite a few changes in the last few years — from Coco Loco to Coco Havana, and in 2021, Fat Taco. “Fat,” we’re told, stands for “Fun Art Technology,” the concept behind the rebranding.

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In early 2020, Jersey Digs first reported that Hoboken Hospitality Group gained approval from Hoboken’s Historic Preservation Committee to install new signage on the building, which would eventually become the new name of the restaurant, Fat Taco.

Tsujita

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Hobbs Inc

Shortly after, construction was underway and the owners, which happen to be the same owners as Birch and Wild Moose Saloon, got to work right away.

fat taco chicken spring rolls

^ Flautas (crispy rolled chicken tacos)

AXIS School of Dance

“We decided that Coco Havana needed an update. We felt that it was time and we think that it will be a nice addition to downtown Hoboken,” co-owner Gary Yip told Hoboken Girl in 2021, at the time of opening.Fat Taco is the culmination of a Mexican-inspired place that will be serving Mexican food but with a focus on birria tacos. They’re a popular food trend now in NJ.”

Another co-owner, Diane Fini, added, “We want it to have a fun feel, but it’s going to be a Mexican experience first. From the quality of the food to the chef’s background, the way we went through multiple venues to experience how they do it. We tried to find the best that was out there, then make it our own.”

fat taco artist mural hoboken

^ One of the two Dia de Muertos murals by Raisa Nosova

Behind The New Brunch

Over the past few weeks, Fat Taco has been slowly rolling out new items to its already existing brunch menu, which was pretty exquisite in its own right. The newcomers, though, take brunch to an entirely new level — we’re talking French toast skewers, loaded breakfast nachos, etc.  We’re not drooling, you are.

fat taco new brunch

Fat Taco will continue rolling out new items to curate the team’s “perfect menu.” The spot is looking to create an experiential brunch option in town — and that, it is. HG pro tip: go hungry. Like, really hungry.

This Hoboken spot also shared that it’ll be launching a Taco Tuesday all-you-can-eat special, which is set to kick off Tuesday, April 17th. There won’t be a special menu for Taco Tuesday, but let’s face it: it’s about the classics, anyway.

About the Standard Menu

Heading the kitchen is Chef Jason Herrera, who has been with Coco Havana/Coco Loco for seven years. He shares with Hoboken Girl how the menu, which focuses on birria tacos, came about.

“The idea was to have fun dishes out that are easy to make, very simple recipes, yet it’s very authentic. It’s what I’ve tasted in Mexican cuisine,” Herrera says.

If you dine in for dinner time, expect to find various birria offerings — birria tacos, birria quesadilla, birria torta, and birria nachos.

birria tacos fat taco hoboken coming soon

^ The birria tacos

Herrera explains what exactly birria is: “Birria is made with lamb or goat in Mexico. It changed up when it was brought to the United States. Here we use a special blend of brisket and short rib. We cook it for seven hours… after the seven hours is over, the meat falls off the bone.”

In addition, there are specialty tacos such as crispy rolled chicken tacos, chorizo tacos, jackfruit tinga tacos, and pollo asado. The tapas include charred jalapeno guacamole, three-cheese veggie quesadilla, hot honey Brussel sprouts, and chili garlic edamame among other things.

There are e various bowls to choose from like the chopped southwest salad, as well as large dishes (nacho mountain, giant birria quesadilla, street taco ring) to share with three to five people.

fat taco nachos

^ The shareable nacho mountain

To finish the meal with some sweets, the desserts offered are Churro Bites served with Nutella and vanilla ice cream, and the Fat Taco, which is strawberry ice cream topped with cheesecake bites, fresh strawberries, strawberry jam, whipped cream, and graham cracker crumbs. This is the big birthday dessert that’s going to become a favorite.

Herrera, who learned how to cook from his father who’s also a chef, says he created the menu with the drinks in mind since he wanted to make sure they were paired with the margaritas from the tequila bar.

fat taco cocktails margaritas

“We’re going to have a full tequila menu. We’re going to have tastings, we’re going to have flights of tequila, and we’re going to have frozen margaritas,” Yip said, back in 2021.

The cocktail menu consists of plenty IG-worthy bevs — La Fresa (made with Patron silver tequila, Grand Marnier, + strawberry purèe served with a mint garnish), La Bruja (made with 1800 coconut, simple syrup, and lime juice), and Que Caliente (made with Ghost tequila, pineapple Juice and freshly squeezed lime juice with jalapeno slices + a Tajin rim) are a few names of the delicious handcrafted drinks that can be enjoyed with friends.

fat taco margarita bar

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All the “Fun” Details of Fat Taco

The overall fun experience of Fat Taco is what the owners want customers to take away. We gathered some fun facts about the Mexican-inspired décor and features. See below:

  • The owners worked with designer Dianna Vecchio and artist Raisa Nosova to bring their vision to life. “We felt very strongly about having the Dia de Muertos faces [as part of the interior design] that represent the Mexican theme. We wanted to bring that rustic feel where it was hand-painted by the artist right onto the brick wall,” Mrs. Fini tells us.
  • There’s also a very large plant painting that takes up one entire rustic wall of the restaurant (photo below). Artist Raisa Nosova says it took four days to paint using acrylic. The plant’s root is on one side and then it branches out. Mrs. Fini, who worked in the restaurant with her husband Mario Fini, says, “Raisa put the pop of color to really make it fun and beautiful. We love it gives that authentic feel.”

plant wall fat taco hoboken

  • The chandeliers from Coco Havana are still at the bar but they were painted green to match the interior colors. “We repurposed what we could,” Fini says. However, there’s “all-new lighting, new bathrooms, and the floors are being redone.”
  • When it comes to placing an order, customers are able to fill out their cuisine selections on a sheet of paper, which are then be fulfilled by the waiters.

fat taco coming soon hoboken

  • There’s a huge neon sign (another Instagrammable moment) that is going to say, “When I Drink Tequila…” and also this saying is going to be on the waiters’ shirts.
  • Similar to the Wild Moose Saloon, there’s a “national anthem” played at midnight. Fat Taco’s “national anthem” is going to be very fitting… “Tequila (‘when I taste tequila’)”.
  • Yip says the restaurant is “very lively. We’re going to have sing-along songs playing at dinner time. We’re going to have the entertainment at night.”

fat taco ceiling hoboken

 

Stay in the know with Fat Taco via Instagram at @fattacohoboken.

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