Margarita in one hand, a hefty taco in the other, you might forget that you're in Spokane at Uno Más Tacos & Tequila. The eatery's new flagship location opened Jan. 2 on North Monroe Street, nestled behind Indaba Coffee, under the sole ownership of Ramsey Pruchnic.
Some may be familiar with Uno Más Taco Shop's previous iterations, as it was founded in 2022 by Pruchnic, chef Chad White and local brewery owner Travis Thosath inside the Wonder Building, along with a now-closed location in the Spokane Valley.
The Wonder Building location, also now solely owned by Pruchnic, will remain open throughout this summer to feed those hankering for something to eat after Spokane Arena events with its fast-casual taco menu. However, that location will eventually close to consolidate operations at the new flagship site.
The slight name change isn't the only refresh to the local Mexican eatery. Uno Mas' executive chef Jesse Orchard is flexing his creative muscles with weekly specials and building upon the restaurant's tried-and-true offerings.
If you've never had an Uno Más taco, you're in for a treat — and a handful.
"I think that's the big thing is people hear the word 'taco' and they assume it's typically like a street taco, and ours are a quarter-pound of meat," Pruchnic says.
Uno Mas has six taco varieties: carne asada ($10), tinga de pollo ($7), carnitas ($8), camarón (shrimp; $10), batata (sweet potato; $5) and hongos (maitake and crimini mushrooms; $8).
"We do everything from scratch," Orchard says. "It's real steak that we put on the carne asada. Like we do all the marinade, the breaking down of the steak, we grill the steak to order and slice it to order for each taco."
The carne asada is a customer favorite, but Orchard's and Pruchnic's go-to picks are the tinga de pollo and a secret menu item called the surf and turf ($14). The latter taco has both carne asada and grilled shrimp, plus chili butter, avocado, salsa, pickles and onion.
If you're feeling extra hungry, or maybe you're sharing a meal, Uno Más has sides aplenty. The salsa ($4) and guacamole ($7) are house-made, and for some fusion fun try the masa-coated waffle fries ($4-$7) with poblano ranch or chipotle crema.
Cheese lovers will salivate over the queso fundido ($12) — creamy Chihuahua and Monterey Jack cheeses, chorizo, roasted poblano and tomatoes, onion, lime, and cilantro all spooned into a tortilla.
Uno Más' take on elote ($9), a classic Mexican street fare dish, is corn-on-the-cob smothered with chili butter and chipotle crema and dressed with Cotija cheese, lime and cilantro.
For something sweet, try the house-made chocolate tres leches ($10) topped with cocoa whipped cream and a sprinkle of orange salt.
Uno Más' beverage selection has also undergone some upgrades at the new location. For nonalcholic options, try the house-made tepache ($6) or agua frescas ($5) like horchata, mango and strawberry Jamaica.
If you need something to take the edge off, the new location has a full bar touting both specialty margaritas and cocktails.
"We've added the entire bar element, which I think was always the missing piece and the reason we started looking for a new location," Pruchnic says.
The house margarita ($12) has a handmade mix of Meyer lemon juice with tequila blanco and agave, rimmed with salt and a lemon wheel garnish. Order it spicy ($1) or get bougie with the Cadillac version, featuring top-shelf tequila ($2).
"The thing people tell me most often is like, 'I was never a tequila drinker before, and now I love tequila and love your margaritas.' So the house margarita, I mean, it's just phenomenal that the team developed," Pruchnic says.
Uno Más partners with its neighbor Indaba Coffee for the espresso margarita ($15), using Indaba's cold brew along with tequila blanco, Baileys Irish Cream and agave.
Take advantage of happy hour, offered all day Tuesday and from 3 to 5 pm daily. Get $2 off house margaritas, $3 off domestic beer and $1 off all tacos and chips and salsa.
Pruchnic has turned eating out at Uno Más into an experience. Once the site of a mechanic's garage, the restaurant now reassembles a place somewhere south of the border.
"[We asked], 'How do we create a kind of Uno Más experience?' And so we came up with this concept of like we want it to feel like an outdoor space, but inside," he says.
The building's large windows let in ample natural lighting, bright colors are blocked out on each wall, and papel picado banners zigzag across the space.
The building's high ceilings bring more depth to the space. One corner of the restaurant resembles a patio, demarcated by simple black railings and terra-cotta tiles. Overhead, a hanging ceiling layer is covered in foliage and hung with string lights.
False window shutters situated on various walls and faux metal roofing transport guests to the streets of a charming Mexican village. Desert landscape murals by AnnaMarie Forza adorn exterior and interior walls, featuring cacti that nod to a tattoo Pruchnic got six months ago.
"There's a lot of little Easter eggs in the space, like if you really start to look and walk around there's a lot of attention to detail," Pruchnic says, mentioning there's a hidden Sasquatch.
The bar space has overhead TVs tuned to any big sports games like Gonzaga basketball. White backsplash tiles beneath the counter spell out "You + Me + Tequila = _____."
Diners can opt for a cantina experience by sitting at the bar or can find a more elevated setting at Uno Más' mezzanine bar, upstairs and to the right of the main entrance. The speakeasy-like space has dim lighting, a cozy electric fireplace and more flatscreen TVs. It's currently available for private events and will be open to the public in March.
"We can continue to have a good time downstairs and serve guests and also create an experience that's completely unique and separate up here at the same time," Pruchnic says.
During summer, Uno Más' back patio will further bring the outside in.
Coming from a marketing background, Pruchnic knows that a great atmosphere and a tasty menu are essential to a restaurant's success. After checking both boxes at Uno Más, the only thing left to do is make your way on over and "get a little lost" in the space, as Pruchnic suggests.
Though their hefty tacos are designed to satisfy, you still may catch yourself thinking, "Maybe just one more?"
Uno Más Tacos & Tequila • 2020 N. Monroe St., Suite C • Open Tue-Thu noon-8 pm; Fri-Sat noon-9 pm • unomastacoshop.com • 509-960-7989
