Fantasy Tacos, a popular Westbank food truck, has opened its brick-and-mortar at 505 Gretna Blvd.
FANTASY'S FOOTFALL
Review by Marielle Songy
Chef Cornisha Williams, a New Orleans native, was the youngest of ten kids. Raised in the restaurant business by a mother who was also a chef, she first ventured into the food business in 2018 with her company, NolaNish Catering. After graduating from Southern University, she began focusing on her soul food catering company full-time.
“The catering company was successful,” she said. “My husband loves tacos; he could eat them every day. Although the catering company focused on soul food, we would have Taco Tuesdays. To my surprise, the tacos were popular.”
Noting the enthusiasm over her tacos, Williams bought a food truck. Rather than continue with the soul food concept, she decided to switch her business model and focus solely on tacos. Fantasy Tacos took to the streets in June 2022.
The transition from food truck to restaurant was an easy decision to make. Fantasy Tacos gained popularity quickly, with crowds of people scoping out where the truck would be parked and customer lines swelling to eighty people deep hours before the truck started serving. Williams' food was in high demand, and she struggled to keep up, much to the dismay of the hungry crowd.
“I tried to keep so much food on the truck, but there’s only so much you can do,” she explained. “On the truck I had a full refrigerator and a full sandwich cooler. We would sell out in two and a half hours and people would be upset; I had an inbox full of people mad at me. But there was only so much food I could fit on the truck and I can’t control the crowd.”
In addition, the truck was a lot of work—from finding a place to park to loading and unloading it daily. At first, Williams feared that she was in over her head and that her business had grown too quickly. However, she knew that she had enough clientele to open a restaurant. She got the spot for Fantasy Tacos in Gretna in November and got to work on renovations. The restaurant opened in May.
Williams said, “I’ve always wanted a restaurant and the truck was a good way for me to get my feet wet. I love my truck, but I wanted more than just a truck for Fantasy Tacos. There are things that I have in mind that I haven’t done yet and the restaurant is going to allow me to expand my options. I have so many ideas but I didn’t have space on the truck to make them happen.”
Now Williams runs the restaurant with the help of her husband, who quit his job to focus on the family business full-time.
Fantasy Tacos boasts a menu packed with various tacos, nachos, quesadillas, Birria ramen, and cocktails.
For first-time visitors, Williams recommends the Jerk Chicken Tacos, smoked jerk chicken, cilantro, mozzarella, pineapple mango habanero sauce, and pico de gallo; Cajun Quesadilla with smoked hot sausage and grilled shrimp; and Surf and Turf served with Louisiana shrimp and steak.
Other menu specialties include Dream Nachos with seasoned ground beef, jalapeños, pico de gallo, guacamole, cilantro, onion, mozzarella, and cheese sauce; Birria Tacos made with tender stewed beef; Baja Fish Tacos made with beer battered cod; and the Pizzadilla, three-layer, a ten-inch combination pizza and quesadilla made with birria meat, smoked hot sausage, mozzarella, onion, cilantro, pico de gallo, and dipping broth, and made to share.
All of Fantasy Tacos’ meats are smoked in-house. As Williams explained, the only meat on the menu that isn’t smoked is the birria meat, which is stewed. The restaurant's sauces, such as the pineapple habanero sauce, are also made in-house. In addition to the food, Fantasy Tacos' unique cocktails include $3 Long Island Iced Tea all day, Spicy Cucumber Margarita, and a house cocktail called Jolly Rancher, invented by Williams' husband, that tastes like the candy favorite.
Fantasy Tacos is open Tuesday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Saturday 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The restaurant features Happy Hour on Tuesday through Friday, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and daily specials. Website: Fantasy Tacos
Review by Marielle Songy
Chef Cornisha Williams, a New Orleans native, was the youngest of ten kids. Raised in the restaurant business by a mother who was also a chef, she first ventured into the food business in 2018 with her company, NolaNish Catering. After graduating from Southern University, she began focusing on her soul food catering company full-time.
“The catering company was successful,” she said. “My husband loves tacos; he could eat them every day. Although the catering company focused on soul food, we would have Taco Tuesdays. To my surprise, the tacos were popular.”
Noting the enthusiasm over her tacos, Williams bought a food truck. Rather than continue with the soul food concept, she decided to switch her business model and focus solely on tacos. Fantasy Tacos took to the streets in June 2022.
The transition from food truck to restaurant was an easy decision to make. Fantasy Tacos gained popularity quickly, with crowds of people scoping out where the truck would be parked and customer lines swelling to eighty people deep hours before the truck started serving. Williams' food was in high demand, and she struggled to keep up, much to the dismay of the hungry crowd.
“I tried to keep so much food on the truck, but there’s only so much you can do,” she explained. “On the truck I had a full refrigerator and a full sandwich cooler. We would sell out in two and a half hours and people would be upset; I had an inbox full of people mad at me. But there was only so much food I could fit on the truck and I can’t control the crowd.”
In addition, the truck was a lot of work—from finding a place to park to loading and unloading it daily. At first, Williams feared that she was in over her head and that her business had grown too quickly. However, she knew that she had enough clientele to open a restaurant. She got the spot for Fantasy Tacos in Gretna in November and got to work on renovations. The restaurant opened in May.
Williams said, “I’ve always wanted a restaurant and the truck was a good way for me to get my feet wet. I love my truck, but I wanted more than just a truck for Fantasy Tacos. There are things that I have in mind that I haven’t done yet and the restaurant is going to allow me to expand my options. I have so many ideas but I didn’t have space on the truck to make them happen.”
Now Williams runs the restaurant with the help of her husband, who quit his job to focus on the family business full-time.
Fantasy Tacos boasts a menu packed with various tacos, nachos, quesadillas, Birria ramen, and cocktails.
For first-time visitors, Williams recommends the Jerk Chicken Tacos, smoked jerk chicken, cilantro, mozzarella, pineapple mango habanero sauce, and pico de gallo; Cajun Quesadilla with smoked hot sausage and grilled shrimp; and Surf and Turf served with Louisiana shrimp and steak.
Other menu specialties include Dream Nachos with seasoned ground beef, jalapeños, pico de gallo, guacamole, cilantro, onion, mozzarella, and cheese sauce; Birria Tacos made with tender stewed beef; Baja Fish Tacos made with beer battered cod; and the Pizzadilla, three-layer, a ten-inch combination pizza and quesadilla made with birria meat, smoked hot sausage, mozzarella, onion, cilantro, pico de gallo, and dipping broth, and made to share.
All of Fantasy Tacos’ meats are smoked in-house. As Williams explained, the only meat on the menu that isn’t smoked is the birria meat, which is stewed. The restaurant's sauces, such as the pineapple habanero sauce, are also made in-house. In addition to the food, Fantasy Tacos' unique cocktails include $3 Long Island Iced Tea all day, Spicy Cucumber Margarita, and a house cocktail called Jolly Rancher, invented by Williams' husband, that tastes like the candy favorite.
Fantasy Tacos is open Tuesday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Saturday 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The restaurant features Happy Hour on Tuesday through Friday, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and daily specials. Website: Fantasy Tacos