The 123-year-old building has housed many clubs and restaurants over the years, from Rockitz to Asado. (Mike Platania photo)
After falling dormant nearly four years ago, a VCU-area restaurant space is getting new life.
El Taco Guapo is preparing to open at 727 W. Broad St. near North Laurel Street.
The new taqueria will be picking up where Asado, a taco and wings spot from the owners of The Flyin’ Pig and Wood & Iron Gameday, left off. Asado had operated there from 2015 until the early days of the pandemic in 2020.
The space has sat vacant and been boarded up since Asado’s closure, but local entrepreneur Jon Lillyman recently leased it for El Taco Guapo.
A Southern California native, Lillyman moved to Richmond in 1985, and for the past 20 years has owned and operated Fine Carpentry, a residential carpentry business that he’s now effectively shuttered.
Lillyman said that although he’s never owned his own restaurant, he’s worked in the industry before, and even worked in El Taco Guapo’s building back when it was Rockitz and Metro in the ’80s.
“I worked the door and did a bit of barback as well,” Lillyman said. “I knew the (building) owner, and we were chatting one day and he gave me the opportunity to (lease the space).”
Lillyman said he’s working with a local chef to develop the menu. While Asado’s offerings were more Tex-Mex style, Lillyman said El Taco Guapo’s food will be more California-style.
“I’m absolutely trying to create a really youthful vibe, something that appeals to the (VCU) students,” he said. “I’m thinking it’ll be open for lunch and dinner, and I hope eventually it will open for breakfast and we can have things like churros and breakfast burritos.”
El Taco Guapo is planned to operate with counter service, and Lillyman said he hopes to eventually get an ABC license for the restaurant.
Lillyman said the space was left in good condition and that renovations are wrapping up. He said the plan is to clean up the building’s façade soon and open within a month or so.
In addition to Asado, Rockitz and Metro, 727 W. Broad St. also has been home over the years to Sweetwater Restaurant and Empire Dining and Lounge. The building is next door to 309 N. Laurel St., where Got Dumplings began operating in 2021.
El Taco Guapo is the latest entrant in a busy year for taquerias in Richmond.
A few blocks south is the former Mojo’s Philadeli building, which a pair of local siblings are renovating into two restaurants, one of which is Tito’s Taqueria & Bar. Meanwhile in the Fan, Juan More Taco and Nuevo Mexico are preparing to open on the same block of Robinson Street, and established Fan taco spot TBT El Gallo recently expanded into Manchester with a stall at the Hatch Local food hall.
There’s been action in the West End and Chesterfield as well. D.C. chain Taco Bamba is lining up a Willow Lawn spot, while Texas chain Torchy’s Tacos opened locations in Short Pump and Midlothian in 2023.
The 123-year-old building has housed many clubs and restaurants over the years, from Rockitz to Asado. (Mike Platania photo)
After falling dormant nearly four years ago, a VCU-area restaurant space is getting new life.
El Taco Guapo is preparing to open at 727 W. Broad St. near North Laurel Street.
The new taqueria will be picking up where Asado, a taco and wings spot from the owners of The Flyin’ Pig and Wood & Iron Gameday, left off. Asado had operated there from 2015 until the early days of the pandemic in 2020.
The space has sat vacant and been boarded up since Asado’s closure, but local entrepreneur Jon Lillyman recently leased it for El Taco Guapo.
A Southern California native, Lillyman moved to Richmond in 1985, and for the past 20 years has owned and operated Fine Carpentry, a residential carpentry business that he’s now effectively shuttered.
Lillyman said that although he’s never owned his own restaurant, he’s worked in the industry before, and even worked in El Taco Guapo’s building back when it was Rockitz and Metro in the ’80s.
“I worked the door and did a bit of barback as well,” Lillyman said. “I knew the (building) owner, and we were chatting one day and he gave me the opportunity to (lease the space).”
Lillyman said he’s working with a local chef to develop the menu. While Asado’s offerings were more Tex-Mex style, Lillyman said El Taco Guapo’s food will be more California-style.
“I’m absolutely trying to create a really youthful vibe, something that appeals to the (VCU) students,” he said. “I’m thinking it’ll be open for lunch and dinner, and I hope eventually it will open for breakfast and we can have things like churros and breakfast burritos.”
El Taco Guapo is planned to operate with counter service, and Lillyman said he hopes to eventually get an ABC license for the restaurant.
Lillyman said the space was left in good condition and that renovations are wrapping up. He said the plan is to clean up the building’s façade soon and open within a month or so.
In addition to Asado, Rockitz and Metro, 727 W. Broad St. also has been home over the years to Sweetwater Restaurant and Empire Dining and Lounge. The building is next door to 309 N. Laurel St., where Got Dumplings began operating in 2021.
El Taco Guapo is the latest entrant in a busy year for taquerias in Richmond.
A few blocks south is the former Mojo’s Philadeli building, which a pair of local siblings are renovating into two restaurants, one of which is Tito’s Taqueria & Bar. Meanwhile in the Fan, Juan More Taco and Nuevo Mexico are preparing to open on the same block of Robinson Street, and established Fan taco spot TBT El Gallo recently expanded into Manchester with a stall at the Hatch Local food hall.
There’s been action in the West End and Chesterfield as well. D.C. chain Taco Bamba is lining up a Willow Lawn spot, while Texas chain Torchy’s Tacos opened locations in Short Pump and Midlothian in 2023.
Hopefully they will offer Baja California fish burritos and fish tacos. I’ve lived in Dallas, Texas and San Diego, California. I love both Tex-Mex and California Mexican, but Richmond already has lots of good Tex-Mex, so I hope they will lean into the California Mexican.
Back in 1970 or so, I saw Bruce Springsteen perform in that space, His band was then known as Steel Mill. I also saw Dr. John perform there.