A beloved Raleigh taco shop is expanding with a location in downtown Durham
Starting from a fiery orange truck, a Raleigh taco empire is expanding into Durham for the first time.
The wildly popular Gym Tacos is opening its newest location in downtown Durham, moving into the former Pompieri Pizza space on Mangum Street.
For years Gym Tacos built its beloved reputation from its taco truck parked in a gas station parking lot on Six Forks Road in Raleigh. It then expanded to include locations on Hillsborough Street, inside the Morgan Street Food Hall and a short-lived restaurant in North Raleigh. A Wake Forest location is also in the works.
Gym Tacos announced its Durham restaurant on Instagram, posting a video of the dining room in the midst of its transformation. The former Pompieri space now has bright orange walls and an open seating area. The building’s signature large colonial-style windows remain, as do the tomato-can light fixtures.
Pompieri, one of the Triangle’s first wood-burning Neapolitan-style pizzerias closed in 2023 after nearly a decade in business.
This is not only Gym Taco’s first expansion into Durham, it’s the brand’s first in a downtown location, opening in the middle of one of the Triangle’s most popular dining scenes.
Gym Tacos established itself as a go-to for deeply flavorful street tacos, burritos and tortas. Its brick and mortar locations expanded that menu and added giant towers of nachos.
New taco truck: G’s Tacos
Earlier this year, the founders of Gym Tacos split up. Three owners stayed with Gym Tacos: Uriel Romero, Jorge Perez and Roberto Bruno. The Gym Tacos truck moved to 1942 Wake Forest Rd., at the intersection of Whitaker Mill Rd., parking in a BP gas station.
Gamaliel Romero is now running his own pair of taco trucks under the name G’s Tacos and parking at the original Gym Taco truck location at 220 E Six Forks Rd. A second truck is now doing a residency at R&D Brewing off of Capital Boulevard in Raleigh.
G’s Tacos stands out for being one of the very few taquerias in the Triangle serving al pastor made with a spiraling trompo, where a column of marinated pork is roasted and sliced as it’s browned.
This story was originally published June 6, 2024 at 3:30 PM with the headline "A beloved Raleigh taco shop is expanding with a location in downtown Durham."
