Norteños Taqueria opened about two years ago, selling Mexican food, tacos, quesadillas, sandwiches, taquitos and tostadas. Jamie Baratta was living in Mexico and spent a lot of time there, he used to work in Mexico in the winter and stay in Thunder Bay in the summer.
Once the pandemic started Jamie came home and decided that he wanted to try opening a restaurant. He opened Norteños Taqueria with his brother Dillon and they’ve been tasting success ever since.
They are most known for making their own corn tortillas in-house. They have braised beef, spicy chicken, braised pork, shrimp and lentil tacos. Norteños recently started offering Birria tacos (beef tacos loaded with Monterey Jack cheese, dipped in beef broth and then fried until crispy golden brown) and those have proven to be very popular with the locals.
“I think our main thing, our flagship would one the street tacos,” Jamie says, “with the hand-made tortillas”
Norteños Taqueria has an enticing brunch menu offered from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring Huevos Rancheros, Huevos a la Mexicana Con Papas and Chilaquiles Verdes. Served with locally roasted Rose N Crantz Coffee. They’ve also recently added a hamburger to their menu, for Novemburger, that has been popular and a favourite of Jamie’s.
Their sides are truly a taste of Mexico with offerings of Esquite which is roasted corn, crema, parmesan cheese and roasted jalapeño seasoned with chili powder. Papas al Horno — spiced roasted potatoes topped with crema and pico de Gallo. Colourful Corn & Black Bean Salad served with cucumbers, red onion, carrots and chili lime vinaigrette is also on the menu.
Norteños Taqueria has some exciting future plans, they recently purchased the iconic building on Red River that once housed the Apollo and are currently prepping the space to reopen as a Cantina.
“There’s a stage, it’s a much bigger venue, we can do live shows, and be open later, have more of an atmosphere for drinks and dining in,” Jamie says.
The renovations and licensing will take several months but once it is complete they hope to operate as a venue where they can host parties, concerts and other larger events.
Norteños Taqueria also offers catering. Check out their website: www.nortenostaqueria.com for more information about their offerings and full menu.
Norteños Taqueria is open:
Tuesday - Thursday: 10:30am - 8:00pm
Friday + Saturday: 10:30am - 9:00pm
Sunday: 10:30am - 8:00pm
Closed on Mondays
