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May 18, 2021

West Hartford food truck adding permanent address

Zachary Vasile | Hartford Business Journal The coming Fuego Picante restaurant location at 280 Park Road in West Hartford.

The owner of a Mexican food truck with an enthusiastic local following in West Hartford is branching out into a brick-and-mortar location on Park Road.

Chef Omar Bello, who has operated the Fuego Picante food truck in town for four years, said it’s become increasingly difficult to serve all of the customers flocking to his mobile kitchen, which specializes in authentic Mexican cuisine.

“The truck has been very successful,” Bello said. “But it brings in too many people. We don’t have enough room to serve them all.”

To remedy that problem, Bello is setting up a sit-down eatery, also called Fuego Picante, at 280 Park Road, the former home of Pachanga Empanadas. The restaurant will have about 25 seats inside, he said, and in the warmer months, the patio outside will accommodate around 20 seats.

The restaurant will offer an expanded menu and be open every day of the week except for Mondays. The Fuego Picante food truck will remain in operation.

Bello said he is eying the first or second week of June for an official opening.

The launch, when it arrives, will mark a significant milestone for Bello, who has worked in the restaurant industry for around 20 years and initially started his food truck because he lacked the resources to open a brick-and-mortar location.

When he relocated with his wife from New York to Connecticut several years ago, the first job he took was in a restaurant at 280 Park Road, the same space his business will now occupy.

“I’d been watching this place for a while,” he said. “I always said, ‘That’s for us. This is the place for us.’”

Fuego Picante found quick acclaim in West Hartford with its traditional dishes, including tacos al pastor, birria and guacamole, which is made fresh daily. Bello said he made a conscious decision to avoid heavily Americanized Mexican dishes, or “Tex-Mex,” in favor of a back-to-basics approach with a strong emphasis on fresh ingredients.

“People can see the love that you put into your food,” he said. “We wanted our food to be traditional and we wanted our food to look good.”

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