El Tonga Tacos
I had hoped to bring you news about this extra special spot in the coming weeks, but alas, owner Teodoro Cruz called time on the business this weekend. At least for now. The business posted the following message on Instagram, indicating their final service this past Sunday, March 9th:
“It’s with a heavy heart that we are announcing the closure of our restaurant. While we had hoped to continue serving you, it’s just not possible for us to stay open at this time. One of the biggest pieces of feedback we received was the desire for a dine-in space, and we completely understand. We had hoped to find a new location that could offer that.
We do want to take this moment to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who supported our business — whether you placed an order, shared a post, or recommended us to friends and family. Your support kept us going. A special thank you to the influencers and creators who took the time to feature us and help bring in new customers. Your efforts made a real difference, and we appreciate every single one of you.
While this is goodbye for now, we hope to be back in the future, in a space that allows us to better serve you. Until then, thank you again for all the love and support.”
Here’s hoping those plans to return materialize. El Tonga’s cuisine was some of the best I’ve sampled in a very long time. Let me be clear: I taste *a lot* of food, a medically unwise amount some including my doctor might say. ETT provided that rare startling moment of sitting up straight and taking serious, studious notice. The business operated as a pickup/delivery spot, with a menu that differed from most. I’d made my way through their roster of tacos, and had hoped to delve further, but sadly that’s not to be.
On that front, the EL Tonga introduced me to two new protein preps, Cecina and Arabe. The former, air-dried beef with a tremendous depth of beefy and smoky flavor, the latter, a Pueblan-Middle Eastern fusion. Magical, sublime stuff. Also on offer, Cochinita Pibil (achiote enameled pork) and Birria with guajillo and consteno – both top drawer. Likewise, the accompanying salsas, each rich with complexity, and nuance. El Tonga was an absolute shining star, and as we say in the UK, I am gutted by that light going out.
Trolley Wing Co – Sugar House
The Sugar House location of this popular wing-focused eatery looks to have closed. Alongside both Google and Yelp reporting the business as closed, the website for TWC lists only Midvale and Taylorsville as locations. I cannot find an official announcement from the business on the closure though.
La Frontera – Brickyard
Also nearby, the venerable Millcreek location of this well-known Mexican eatery is no more. Google lists the business as permanently closed, with the website for the business also offline. A glance at the Google reviews suggests the new Smothered Burrito in West Valley City (and downtown SLC) might be a business by the same owners; I can’t find anything official to support that mind you, so take it with a pinch of tajin for now.
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Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you! I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC. I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have written in myopic detail about the Salt Lake City dining scene for the better part of seventeen years.
I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV. Pause those credits, yep, that’s me! I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune. I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand. What they’re saying about me: “Not inaccurate”, “I thought he was older”, “I don’t share his feelings”.
Want to know more? This is why I am the way I am.
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