Escuela Taqueria in Old Town Pasadena Goes Down Without a Fight

Really, really quietly, it seems that Pasadena’s Esquela Taqueria has ended its run, well under a year into landing their alley location in Old Town. According to a local tipster, the shutter happened no more than a day or so ago, with the phone going unanswered and the space itself buttoned up tight.

Steven Arroyo’s team seems to have actively scrubbed all mention of the place within their social media and website channels online, as the former site of the Pasadena outpost — remember, there’s still the original on Beverly Blvd. — is now a dead link. Even their Facebook page fails to mention the shutter, though they do still hint at the previous location in their info section.

After first coming to light back in 2013 and actually opening last fall at the corner of Miller and Hugus Alleys in the One Colorado complex, it seems that the upscale taco shop just couldn’t hold on. In recent months, Escuela Taqueria had been plagued by negative Yelp reviews and low foot traffic into the restaurant.

A phone call to the Beverly location confirms the closure, but adds in plans to "relocate" — with no timetable for when or where that might take place. For now, if you’d like a taste of chicken tinga burritos or poblano chile tacos, you’ll need to visit the existing location along Beverly Boulevard, adjacent to The Grove.