By Samuel Motley
samuel.motley@salisburypost.com 

SALISBURY —  Hoping to create a new, friendly atmosphere with authentic cuisine, Huber Galarza, Paulina Vega and Conchita Vega will be opening new Mexican restaurant in Fulton Heights.

“We decided a long time ago to be partners, to do something on our own,” Galarza said, “because we are good workers … from working in the kitchen for a long time. There’s a shared “spirit in the kitchen for cooking,” he added.

The trio’s new restaurant, Hoppy Taco, located at 1024 South Fulton St., will seek to provide a blended atmosphere that open to all and located in the Fulton Heights neighborhood, Galarza said. The name comes from the restaurant’s two dominant themes — “taco” for creations the restaurant will be offering, and “hoppy” for Galarza’s love for hoppy, craft beer, which the restaurant will be offering, he said.

Galarza said the trio looked elsewhere to open a restaurant and decided that the Fulton Heights location was best.

“As soon as we found this place, we said this is it,” he said.

The concept is to make something different, he said.

“To have a place where you can either get something to eat as a taco or have something to drink as a beer,” he said.

As an atmosphere, Galarza stressed that the restaurant will offer a family environment where anyone, singles, couples or families will feel right at home.

“It is for everyone,” Paulina Vega said.

The trio has years experience working in restaurants and kitchens. Paulina Vega said she worked at Ryan’s Restaurant and later started at Zaxby’s, where she still works. Galarza said he has been working at Palms Cafe since it opened about 11 years ago. Conchita Vega said she had more than 15 years in Italian restaurants.

They met one another after working in the restaurant industry. And, roughly a year ago, the trio teamed up to start looking for a new place. Three months ago, Galarza said, they found the location where Hoppy Taco will be and have been working on it, including remodeling, “little by little.”

After working for others in the restaurant industry, the trio asked why they couldn’t run a restaurant on their own, Galarza said.

“We always thought to do something different,” Galarza said, “different than everything else that is around… something more original, more authentic.”

The end goal is to offer more authentic Mexican creations than what is found elsewhere in Salisbury and the surrounding area, he said.

“Most of the food is not authentic,” Galarza said, “It is a Mexican restaurant, but it is not authentic.”

Conchita Vega, who will be the main cook, shared a few details about the menu, saying its staple will be tacos, and that other creations and specials will include steak with enchiladas, ribeyes, and tortillas de maiz. Specials will be on rotation, Galarza said.

“(The menu) will always be a little different,” she said.

The restaurant is set to open its door on Friday at 5 p.m. Conchita Vega said last week that she is working to prepare food so that everything is perfect for the opening day.

“I want people to feel happy,” Conchita Vega said, adding she wanted customers to feel as if the restaurant is their home.

The restaurant’s website is https://www.restaurantji.com/nc/salisbury/hoppy-taco-2/

Contact reporter Samuel Motley at 704-797-4264.