Everybody has a story…

The San loco Story

The original San Loco was founded in 1986 by two brothers who lived in the East Village. In the ‘80’s the East Village, although arguably the edgiest and coolest neighborhood in New York, was still a wasteland when it came to Mexican food. The streets were alive with artists, musicians and all kinds of fantastic off-beat characters - the ideal setting for serving crunchy tacos and cold beers late into the night. San Loco was an immediate hit and fit perfectly into the neighborhood. The early years were crazy times, and the brothers ended up dissolving their partnership in 1988. Darrell continued on with the business and Kimo joined the staff that same year. They became family in 1993 when Kimo married Darrell’s sister Jill, and eventually all three became partners. Together over the next 20+ years, they expanded into the Lower East Side and Williamsburg. Darrell eventually left New York, leaving Jill and Kimo as the two remaining San Loco partners. There have been many changes over the years but the down home vibe remains the same, as does the addictively delicious Gring-Mex style food. NYC has not always been the easiest landscape for a small family-owned business like us, but our roots are deep, we love New York, and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else —viva San Loco!

Gringo-Mex since ‘86