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By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A food truck that has won multiple titles for the best tacos in the city is preparing to open its first sit-down space on South Alpine Road.
The owners of Sabores Mobile Kitchen plan to open their first brick-and-mortar taqueria at 3222 S. Alpine Road in about two weeks. It will be called Marrufo’s Tacos, carrying the name of the local family that has run the food truck for about four years.
“We’re grateful to every single customer who has purchased from us since 2020, and they have been requesting us to have a brick-and-mortar,” said Jesus Marrufo, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Emily. “Thanks to all of them this is becoming a reality. We hope to continue servicing delicious food so they can continue enjoying and following us.”
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For the past couple months Sabores has parked outside the future sit-down space in preparation for opening the new taqueria. Marrufo’s Tacos is in the business center with Koo’s Bento & Bowl near the Shell gas station.
“We live 10 minutes away, so we are part of the community. This is our neighborhood,” Marrufo said. “There’s no Mexican restaurant on this side of town. We looked at a map and said let’s see where tacos are needed.”
Marrufo’s will focus on quick-service authentic Mexican street food, initially with a menu identical to Sabores Mobile Kitchen. The couple will continue to operate the food truck as well as the new brick-and-mortar location.
“For the first couple of weeks we’re going to keep the same exact menu as the food truck, because thanks to that menu we are here now,” Marrufo said. “We are going to be expanding it in the near future.”
The food truck’s most popular item is its CaliBurrito, which comes with your choice of meat, seasoned fries, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream and two types of cheese wrapped in a burrito.
Sabores won the annual Tamale Fest title for Rockford’s best taco two times, first for its street tacos in 2021 and then for its QuesaRibeyes tacos in 2023. The later is a ribeye grilled with melted cheese and placed in a taco shell with your choice of toppings.
Maruffo said they plan to try to defend their crown at this year’s event, which is slated for Sept. 7.
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To follow Marrufo’s Tacos on social media, go HERE.
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This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas