BUFFALO, N.Y. — Azrael Essex will never take four walls, tables, and chairs in her new restaurant space for granted.
"After three locations of great success and learning curves, we finally have 60 seats and we're at 864 Seneca Street with our first dine-in," she said proudly while sitting at one of the tables.
"We have sixty seats indoors, we will have an outdoor patio that opens in the spring. We have two six foot flattops, we have a 17-foot hood. and a full staff," she continued, unable to hold in her applause at the end.
Azrael is the the "A" in D.A. Taste. Dominic is her other half.
"Dominic is my significant other. He's my hubby," she said. "We are the 'D' and the 'A' that make up D.A. Taste, which fortunately it also stands for our children. Hopefully, they take it over."
They are known for their specialty tacos, overflowing with filling and toppings, which they sell for $6 to $8 a piece.
"Originally the birra, which is our absolute most sold," she said. "Then we came out with a chicken version, and then we started with the Philly, and then the stinger, and the Doms, and it just went on from there, because everything we make, we can produce and sell in taco form, and then you can have a taste of our meals. So that's kind of where the name came from."
Most recently, D.A. Taste was serving take out on Abbott Road in South Buffalo.
"We did all outdoor, you come up to the window, it might take you two hours because we have a three foot flat top and three coolers," Azrael said, "so thank you for standing there and waiting for our food."
The business actually started out of Azrael and Dominic's home during in the pandemic, when they were both laid off from other restaurant jobs.
Azrael says she didn't care for tacos before now, and didn't think she had ever even made one before.
"I liked the birra though," she said, which is slow cooked down beef with seasoning and served with a dipping broth.
"If we're selling 800 tacos a day, at least 350 are the beef birra," Azrael said.
D.A. Taste is open noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at their new location, and the line outside usually starts forming before noon.
"You just don't look the people in the eyes too much," Azrael said. "Then get their tacos out as fast as you absolutely can."
Azrael kids, but in reality, the people lining up every day? She sees them as family.
Our customers, without them, they are the D.A. Taste Mafia. They are the taco mafia. I swear on it," she said. "I walk out here and I see faces and I interact each person and I know them, and if I don't know them I make an opportunity to know them. If I do something wrong in that shift, I'll fix it right away because that's the people that we are. We're humble, and we're true to this."