Eric and Alex Adler have been immersed in authentic Mexican cooking since their childhood, growing up as first-generation Mexican Americans. The idea of local cuisine influencing the people, art, and culture turned into a fascination as they traveled between their home in Southern California and their roots in Mexico City.
The brothers didn’t grow up in the restaurant industry, but in 2011, they found themselves dissatisfied with Mexican food culture. As self-described “tacoteurs,” they began cooking up a concept from scratch. “We grew to crave great Mexican food, and we’d go out to restaurants often, but for some reason, they never seemed to last,” Eric says. “We wanted to represent real Mexican food in the way it should be, and that’s where it all started for us.”
They narrowed in on tacos, which they felt suffered the most from poor representation. Inspired by puestos, another term for a taco stand, they opened the first Puesto restaurant in La Jolla, California, in February 2012.
Puesto’s menu is built on unpretentious yet elevated meals, defining what the brand calls the luxe taco spirit. It is centered around a curated selection of 10-12 tacos made from handmade blue corn tortillas and seasonal ingredients including lobster, chicken al pastor, Mexican shrimp, and filet mignon, which has been a best seller for over 10 years.
Besides the staples, the menu changes often, incorporating seasonal flavors such as the swordfish taco, made from marinated local swordfish, sunflower salsa macha, avocado salsa, jicama slaw, and pickled onions.
The chef-driven menu doesn’t stop at the kitchen. Puesto recruited Michelin-level talent to spearhead its bar program, which features additive-free agave spirit cocktails, mezcal, and award-winning, house-brewed cervezas.
For Puesto, culinary innovation is treated like a science. Meals and beverages are made from scratch in every location, with the Adler brothers meticulously combining technology systems and cooking techniques to remain at the forefront of traditional Mexican cuisine. An example would be the Zumex professional juicer machines, which juice fresh limes daily and heighten their longevity.
“We have a menu to stand by in regards to what guests expect when they’re eating out. We’re proud of where our produce and meats come from. Everything is well thought out, and it makes a difference,” Alex says. “We count every ingredient in the process. One taco for us is 12 different components carefully assembled to make the perfect experience. We’re talking about more than just a tortilla with some sort of asada and salsa.”
Since 2012, Puesto has grown to eight units throughout Southern California, with a notable presence in San Diego. While the brand is continuously pushing for creativity in its dining programs, Eric adds that Puesto is also well-known for its commitment to engaging and captivating guests through service. He looks at everything through a holistic lens.
When Mexican cuisine hit the map and the brand started seeing more taco concepts enter the space, specifically restaurant conglomerates, the Adler brothers pointed toward the difficulty of providing a unique and high-quality experience.
“We always hear about brands worsening in quality as they grow. Our guests are telling us we keep getting better … if you look at Puesto 10 years ago versus today, you’d find a much better overall experience. We only strive to get better and more creative,” Eric explains. “The biggest piece is our team is excited about what they’re doing, and it trickles down to our guests. It’s incredible to see someone in Manhattan wearing a Puesto shirt because they felt a connection with us.”
While Puesto prides itself on being a luxurious taco mini-chain, it still leverages an aspect of approachability, leaning on affordable price tags and familiar menu items but with prime ingredients. The use of promotions has been especially helpful, with Taco Tuesday bringing in over 15,000 tacos to serve.
“It’s tacos and margaritas at its core,” Eric adds. “We aren’t giving you $80 filet mignon. We’re giving it to you in a taco, so this aspect makes it more approachable. You can’t go totally wrong with tacos, but we’ve seen how hard it is for people to get them right.”
Recently, Puesto has been branching into different spaces to increase accessibility and hit a new customer base. These new locations include the Petco Park stadium in San Diego, the Levi’s Stadium in the Bay Area, and the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The growth in non-traditional spaces is a testament to the brand’s desire to evolve in more ways than just the menu.
In a stadium setting, store footprints shrink and foot traffic typically surges, but Puesto is bringing a full-service flair to an atmosphere that traditionally serves food on the fly. Alex says operationally, everything functions the same as in a sit-down restaurant, just on a smaller scale. While process flows feel different, tortillas are still made by hand at the stands.
“We didn’t go into this thinking we’d adapt our food for stadiums. The tacos are so versatile and our food can be geared towards restaurants and event settings while still keeping the same quality,” Alex says. “Stadium operators were asking us if we’d be able to keep up the speed and deliver on the same notes as in the restaurants, and we’ve done it successfully. People love it.”
Future growth remains unhurried, with the Adler brothers looking forward to soaking up the opportunity to further integrate Puesto into the community with its traditional sit-down and stadium restaurants. They continue to invest internally, building a strong foundational team before capitalizing on the next phase of unit growth outside of California. As a family-owned concept, they say the key is making one right decision after another, building a legacy strategically yet unpressured by a rush to add more locations.
“We don’t see [Puesto] as a restaurant. It’s a piece of the community. When we open in a location, we want to give it our all to connect with local organizations, whether it’s public schools, hospitals, or sports teams,” Alex adds. “The recent pivot to stadiums means we’re involved in their foundations and charity events, and we look at it as just another avenue to connect and give back however we can.”
