Coyo Taco Opening in Coral Gables With Hidden Late-Night Speakeasy

Coyo Taco, the fast-casual spot that originated in Wynwood, is heading to Coral Gables with an added feature: a not-so-secret speakeasy with a hidden entrance.

Coyo's Sven Vogtland says the new location, slated to open in August, will offer the brand's tacos, along with a mezcal and tequila bar with entertainment. "There's a void in the Gables when it comes to fast-casual food and entertainment." The partner adds that people in the area want to go out and have a cocktail or two on a Friday or Saturday after work. Normally, they might take an Uber to Wynwood or downtown. "We're offering something close to home."

Coyo Taco will serve the restaurant's lineup of tacos, bowls, and guacamole. Taco offerings include grouper frito — Modelo beer-battered Florida grouper, roasted jalapeño aioli, and avocado — and a quinoa taco with a quinoa-and-queso falafel. The Coral Gables location will also house a trompo, a Mexican rotisserie that will make traditional al pastor pork tacos.

Seating will be available indoors and on a patio.

Votive candles and warm gray wood accents will decorate the lounge, accessed through a secret "employees' entrance." The lounge will offer more than 50 varieties of mezcal and tequila, along with an "impressive" sound system, Vogtland says.

Partner Alan Drummond lives just a few miles from the new Gables location and says the spot will have Coyo's DNA but will be allowed to grow organically into what the neighborhood wants. "The crowd isn't as boisterous as in Wynwood, but it's a very fun crowd. We want Coyo Taco to become what the area needs. We don't want to dictate what that's going to be."

This marks the eighth Coyo location. In addition to the flagship in Wynwood, there are outposts in Brickell, Palm Beach, South Beach (at the new Time Out Market), the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Portugal.

Coyo Taco. 126 Giralda Ave., Coral Gables; coyotaco.com. Opening August 2019. Daily 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.