El Roy’s Express Mex, popular for its bright orange fleet of taco trucks, will open a brick-and-mortar restaurant in south Santa Rosa in March, according to the owners.
The announcement comes on the heels of the closure of El Roy’s Petaluma restaurant in January after that lease expired.
El Roy’s Santa Rosa restaurant will open at 602 Elsa Drive, less than a half mile from its 2728 Santa Rosa Ave. food truck location. The space was previously occupied by La Plaza and Los Dos Gallos.
The new restaurant will include indoor and outdoor seating and a drive-through window, said Yvette Cabrera, a manager at El Roy’s corporate offices.
“We’re putting a lot of work into the building now, and the drive-through aspect is new to us,” she said.
One notable perk at the new location will be easy parking. The Petaluma brick-and-mortar on Edith Street was notorious for its lack of parking, with patrons often resorting to double parking, blocking driveways or using the spots of neighboring businesses while picking up takeout.
El Roy’s has been named the “Best Food Truck” by The Press Democrat readers for a decade. The Santa Rosa restaurant menu will mirror the food trucks’ streamlined lineup of tacos, burritos, tortas and quesadillas. Their al pastor, carnitas and asada tacos are perennial favorites. Daily specials will also be offered.
“A lot of our customers are people who work hard and want to enjoy very good food at a very good price,” said Cabrera.
El Roy’s Express Mex has five food trucks in Petaluma (401 E. Washington St. and 175 Fairgrounds Drive) and Santa Rosa (1569 Sebastopol Road, 2728 Santa Rosa Ave. and 505 Santa Rosa Ave.). Follow their Instagram (@elroysexpressmex) for more details about the construction progress of the new restaurant. elroys.com
You can reach Dining Editor Heather Irwin at heather.irwin@pressdemocrat.com. Follow Heather on Instagram @biteclubeats.