Popular Whittier Restaurant Puts Melted Jack Cheese Into Every Taco | Eater LA

"In less than three years I watched Tacos y Que go from a backyard pop-up sensation to a sleek, orange-accented standalone restaurant in Uptown Whittier, opened in August 2022 by founders Bryant Siono and Omar Reyna after they overcame the theft of their entire mobile setup. Siono — a music producer who also works on The Masked Singer — and Reyna, who met him through the music industry, kept the business alive by serving regularly at Whittier Brewing Company while the Hadley Street location was finished. Their tacos are built around melted Monterey Jack cheese griddled until the edges are golden brown and include a TYQ Tour sampler (carne asada, beef bulgogi, and pollo asado) on Sonoran-style flour tortillas from La Princesa Tortilleria; the carne asada tacos come with griddled Monterey Jack, onions, cilantro, guacamole, and chopped red onions; the beef bulgogi — a twist on Korean barbecue that evolved from a dish Siono made for his children — uses marinated thin strips of sirloin topped with griddled cheese and a slaw of onion, purple cabbage, carrots, roasted corn, and other ingredients for a sweet-and-savory, textural contrast; the steak picado, which originated as an on-the-fly pop-up item, sautés the base carne asada in a spicy red sauce with caramelized onions and jack cheese (ask for guacamole to calm the burn); and the Keto burrito was invented when Siono spread cheese into a tortilla shape on the plancha, added chopped carne asada, and rolled it right on the griddle. With help from friends and family and lessons from the music industry, they hope to expand to Las Vegas and further intersect music and food. Tacos y Que is open Tuesday through Sunday, lunch through dinner, at 12824 Hadley Street in Whittier, CA 90601." - Erwin Recinos