LA’s Breakfast Taco Specialist HomeState Is Expanding Further East

Breakfast taco dominator HomeState is adding another notch to its belt, growing to a new location at the border of Pasadena and Altadena in the San Gabriel Valley. Ownership has confirmed to Eater that HomeState will take over the former Lincoln this spring, with plans to offer takeout and delivery only at the start, before expanding into sit-down service and alcohol.

Reached by phone, owner Briana Valdez and triplet sister/marketing director Andy Valdez confirmed the opening news — which is apparent today to anyone passing by the building, as a bright blue billboard has just gone up in front. There’s no firm timetable for Altadena residents to be able to get Austin-style breakfast tacos, shredded brisket sandwiches, and queso, but the plan is to set the place up rather quickly, with an eye to opening in just a few months.

The previous tenant, Christine Moore’s Lincoln, certainly left things in pretty picture-perfect shape. The light, airy cafe and bakery had been a staple for the neighborhood since first opening six years ago as a sister location to Moore’s Little Flower in Pasadena, but Lincoln formally closed this summer as a result of the ongoing pandemic.

The upcoming opening of HomeState in the Pasadena/Altadena area is welcome news for many in the sleepy foothill community, and comes on the heels of HomeState’s other openings in Highland Park and Playa Vista. The restaurant’s original location, at the edge of East Hollywood and Los Feliz, has been open since 2013. A planned Orange County outlet ultimately fell through as a result of the pandemic as well, though Valdez says she would like to make something happen there still, if the future allows.

• There’s No Place Like HomeState [ELA]