This morning, owner Sean Godin told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that Mema’s Alaskan Tacos will reopen this fall.
The new location at 1903 N19th St. was last home to a vegan deli and is just a block away from Mema’s last location, which closed in 2011 after the recession.
“I never stopped eating them,” Godin told CL about the concept's famous tacos, which saw fillings like gator, shrimp and beef cooked in the shell, resulting in an crispy taco topped with shreds of cold iceberg lettuce and sharp cheddar cheese all served in a sorely-missed translucent wax paper wrapping.
The best news for old school Tampeños and a new generation of kids who’ll finally get a taste? All the recipes inspired by Godin’s grandma—or mema—will stay the same.
“We’ll have the gator, shrimp, beef, and chicken—and possibly three kinds of fish including salmon and grouper,” he added. “All wild caught, too, he said of the seafood options.”
As an added bonus, Godin—who still lives in Ybor City, where in 2004 he first-opened Mema’s in a N 17th St. shack that’s now home to Jimmy’s Tacos—said customers will still be able to get in and out of his restaurant with a good meal for under $20.
“Apparently, I think that people still want it,” he said. Want? More like need. Just look at the comments on the recently-updated Mema’s Alaskan Tacos Facebook page.
“GATOR TACORITO FOREVER,” said Erika Polo, an old school Tampa bartender.
“I'm crying!! Please be real! My parents took me here when i was younger and it was on my mind ever since. Heartbroken to see it was closed, THIS WILL COMPLETE MY LIFE IF THIS IS TRUE,” another user added.
More details as they become available, but as one Reddit user wrote, "Ybor is healing."
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