The old Nuba space at 322 West Hastings has sat dormant ever since the restaurant moved across the street several months ago, but it will soon see life again, this time in the guise of an authentic Mexican taqueria called La Taqueria.

Behind the project are Victor Bouzide and Ernesto Gomez of Nuba (who have kept hold of the space since the move), Marcelo Ramirez (who just sold his shares in Le Faux Bourgeois), and Rafael Cuellar (a PICA grad). “It’ll be a market-style taqueria:” says Gomez, “very simple and very street but with the same quality, fresh ingredients philosophy that you find at Nuba.”

Plans for the space see it as very tight with just 18 seats (8 at a long bar). The decor and music sounds fun (“70’s Mexican kitsch”), but it’s the food that I’m looking forward to the most. The very talented Tina Fineza of The Flying Tiger is the consulting chef (she developed the menu at Le Faux Bourgeois too).

“They are making a real taqueria, something like you would see in Mexico”, Fineza says, stoked. With three of the principals having grown up in country (Gomez in Mexico City and Monterrey, Ramirez in Guadalajara, Cuellar in Chihuahua), I don’t doubt their aim.

If all goes according to plan, opening day will arrive at some point in July/August.