La Macro Brick-And-Mortar Has Closed, But Owner Has Plans For The Future

Last Sunday, Mother’s Day, was the final day of business for La Macro at 5111 Washington. That address will now belong to Coast Eatery + Bar. (We’ll cover details on that in a forthcoming article.)

However, owner Saul Obregon is still operating the La Macro taco truck at Raven Tower from 7 p.m. to midnight Wednesdays through Saturdays, and catering private events the rest of the time. Obregon also still has dreams for a brick-and-mortar, this time in either The Heights or east of downtown.

La Macro Washington
La Macro on Washington Avenue is now closed, but the food truck lives on at Raven Tower. Photo by Marco Torres

He says that while sales were good at the Washington location, ultimately the relationship with his business partner (who he declined to identify) didn’t work out. “Things didn’t go as planned,” Obregon explained. “We parted ways and he wanted to get bought out to get his money back. We had six or seven prospective buyers and only one came through.” Obregon says he could have tried to find another investor, but opted to leave instead, citing issues with the space that included no onsite parking. At this point, he prefers to open a storefront elsewhere.

This is unfortunately Obregon’s second attempt to make a go of it in a permanent location. A prior storefront at 1822 North Main shuttered in September 2014.

Obregon says he’s retained “100-percent” of the La Macro brand; a good thing, as it’s a well known one among taco lovers. La Macro was prominently featured in the Tacos of Texas book by Austin-based authors Mando Rayo and Jarod Neece of the “Taco Journalism” blog. Houston-based freelance photographer Marco Torres shot all the photos for the book.

The La Macro taco truck at Raven Tower. Photo by Saul Obregon

“I’ve been a huge supporter of Saul and La Macro from the very beginning,” said Torres. “I’m happy to see him making moves that will continue the delicious trompo taco tradition in Houston. La Macro is consistently one of the best taco experiences in the city, and I look forward to many more amazing taco hangs with Saul and his team.”

“It’s been the longest four or five months of my life,” said Obregon.“I had no life anymore. My heart wasn’t in it. The future is bright. I’m going to reopen. I don’t know when. This time, I’m going to take my time. It might be six months or a year. Right now, the food truck is going strong.”

Something to look forward to: Obregon teased that when he does open a new brick-and-mortar, he’s going to introduce a food item that will “blow people’s minds.”

In closing, Obregon said, “I’m excited for the future. I think 2017 is going to be good to us.”

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