A popular Western New York taco joint is opening a new location in Cicero.

Mighty Taco, a Buffalo-area fast-food restaurant, announced last week that it plans to open a location in Syracuse on 911 N. Main St. in Cicero in January 2016, according to an Oct. 12 Buffalo News article. Previously, the restaurant had a location in Carousel Center before it was rebuilt into what is now the Destiny USA shopping mall in 2012.

The location in Cicero would replace a Tim Hortons. At the North Main Street location in Cicero, there is still a Tim Hortons sign on the main entrance that tells customers that the Tim Hortons at that location is no longer open. A Mighty Taco sign, featuring a half-bitten taco on the right-hand side of the logo, hangs on the left side of street-facing restaurant.

There is also a drive thru at the location, although it’s unclear if the drive thru will be used by Mighty Taco or if it’s simply leftover from Tim Hortons. The Mighty Taco location, which is about a 15-minute drive from the Syracuse University campus, is next to a CopperTop Tavern and a small strip mall. It’s located about two minutes from I-481.

The eatery, which is consistently rated between three and four stars on Yelp, currently has 23 locations in upstate New York. Most of those locations are in the Buffalo area, where the restaurant was founded in 1973. Additionally, there are two locations in the suburbs of Rochester.

The Cicero spot would be Mighty Taco’s 24th location, according to Syracuse.com.

Other than its Mexican food, Mighty Taco is known for serving a Buffalo staple — a Loganberry drink, according to the restaurant’s website. The drink is made from a fruit that is a hybrid between a blackberry and a raspberry, and is a “Buffalo-thing,” according to Buffalo’s “Mix 96” radio show.

The Syracuse community reacted strongly via social media to the news of the new location, with several people tweeting out their excitement.

Mighty Taco’s director of operations, Russell Jasulevich, said in an interview with The Buffalo News that the restaurant has no plans to expand past Syracuse.

“The crystal ball only goes so far as Syracuse right now,” Jasulevich said.

Published on October 20, 2015 at 8:05 pm

Contact Rachel: rsandler@syr.edu