Cartel Taqueria took Queanbeyan (and Canberra) by storm with their big, cheesy tacos when they opened last year.
Now they're back causing a buzz with the restaurant gearing up to open a second location in Belconnen. But there will be a little bit of a wait.
Owner Anna Petridis announced on her Instagram page she was in the fit-out process of the new location, but didn't expect it to open until October.
Good things come to those who wait, right? Fans of Cartel already know this. When it first opened last year, there were lines of people waiting to get in.
But the decision to open a second location came before this success. In fact it was always the plan to expand into Canberra and other states.
"Two locations in the Canberra region is enough - I still want to maintain that specialness," Petridis says.
"I think once you start having heaps of the same business in one area it loses that special touch.
"Then after this one, hopefully everything goes well then we'll look at expanding interstate. I have a good 10-year plan for the business."
So where exactly is this new location? Well that's still under wraps.
But Petridis did say she had been looking for the perfect location for a while and had already started the process of designing a complementary tile mural which will complement the one behind the bar in Queanbeyan.
While she admits it would be hard to match the ambience of the original location - which is right on Queanbeyan River - there were certain things she wanted the Belconnen location to have.
"First of all, it's the lease. In our industry, I feel like there is news every day about a new business closing down or whatever it might be," Petridis said.
"It really does boil down to how you manage your costs. I know operating costs are getting pricey and for me, a way of keeping control over those costs is being very careful about my location commitment.
"So the lease was 50 per cent of the decision and the rest was the overall vibe. Queanbeyan is quite unique in its location and it's hard to replicate that, but I think we've come pretty close."
Those who know Petridis, know Cartel Taqueria is not the only hospitality success she has had.
She and her family are the former long-time owners of the Cafe Patissez in Manuka where they invented the now-worldwide hit, the freak shake.
And then they caused a new phenomenon in 2021 when family matriarch Gina started selling her special-recipe apple pie through their Crack Bakery.
While the "underground" bakery had to put a pause to operations in 2022, after the kitchen they were using was no longer viable.
But, in recent days, Petridis says they may have found a new home. Like the original businesses set up, people will be able to order online for a weekend pick-up.
"That has always been the dream but we hadn't found the right space until now," she says.
"So I'll be pretty excited if we go ahead with that."
