One Park launches Taco and Tequila Tuesdays

Restaurateurs have long added weekly specials to their menus. And who doesn’t love a good deal?

One Park is jumping on the Taco Tuesdays train, with plans to give this Mexican street-food favourite a distinctive twist using beloved local ingredients.

“We wanted to create something approachable without compromising the quality and attention to detail that our guests have come to expect from One Park. Ultimately, it’s about making elevated dining experiences more accessible while still giving people something exciting to talk about,” One Park’s Culinary Director, Chef Judah Ellis, told Food.

According to Ellis, great food doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, the aim is to create truly memorable moments, one satisfying bite at a time.

With this in mind, the introduction of tacos to the menu provides an opportunity to reinterpret a universally loved dish through One Park’s culinary identity.

The aim is always to create an experience rather than simply add another menu item or weekly special. Food, for Ellis, has always been rooted in flavour, creativity, and the desire to push boundaries while respecting the integrity of any dish.

“Tacos give us the perfect canvas to paint that philosophy for the palate,” he shared.

This savoury journey features an enticing selection of tacos, including char siu pork belly, jerk chicken, beer-battered snapper, coconut lobster, lamb gyro, signature oxtail birria, and wagyu carne asada.

The pork belly taco is accompanied by sesame cabbage slaw or pickled cucumber, with Sriracha lime crema. The jerk chicken taco gets an added boost from a pineapple and cucumber salsa, pickled red onions, and lime crema.

The Scotch bonnet tartare and shredded cabbage mix add enchanting flavour to the beer-battered snapper taco. And who can resist butter-poached lobster, coconut-lime crema, avocado, pickled jalapeño, and toasted coconut all wrapped in a tortilla?

Another culinary charmer is the lamb gyro, which includes naan, sorrel-glazed lamb, fresh cucumber salad, and tzatziki sauce.

The signature oxtail birria is an ideal composition of slow-braised oxtail, crispy cheese, birria consommé, pickled red onion, and cilantro. Meanwhile, the wagyu carne asada combines chargrilled wagyu, roasted poblano, avocado crema, chimichurri, and crispy shallots. Each dish comes with a serving of two tacos.

According to the chef, the protein selections were carefully considered from the outset, with attention paid to their flavours, textures, cooking techniques and interaction with the other taco components.

“We were able to incorporate some of the bold Caribbean flavours that are familiar to our guests. Ingredients like jerk-marinated chicken, beautifully braised beef, and fresh seafood provide tremendous opportunities for creativity. The most important thing is that every taco has its own personality. I want guests to experience different layers of flavour with each selection rather than feeling like they are eating the same taco with a different protein,” he added.

Noting that he isn’t trying to reinvent the taco wheel, Ellis said the mission is to apply the same culinary standards to the restaurant’s steaks, seafood, and other favourite dishes.

“A great dish should leave an impression long after the last bite. That’s what we’re aiming for. I don’t just want someone to say they had a good taco. I want them to remember the experience and come back for it.”

Chef Ellis highlighted that he was fortunate to work with talented, award-winning mixologists, brothers Warren and JDoggy, from Canada and realised quickly that the cocktail component is just as important as the culinary element. So for One Park, Taco and Tequila Tuesdays provide a complete dining experience.

The tequila-inspired mixes range from the Park house margarita, Kingston heat and sorrel sunset to the mango smoke, golden Paloma, and espresso Mexicano.

“Tequila is incredibly versatile. Depending on the expression, you can get beautiful notes of citrus, pepper, herbs, vanilla, oak, and caramel. That gives us a lot of room to be creative and explore tropical fruits, fresh citrus, subtle spice, and refreshing herbal notes, while keeping the cocktails balanced and approachable.”

As far as pairings go, Chef Ellis recommends a citrus-forward blanco tequila cocktail like the Park house margarita alongside a jerk chicken taco. That acidity helps to cut through the richness of the taco, while the freshness, he shares, complements the spices.

“For something like a slow-braised beef taco, I’d lean toward a reposado-based cocktail like Kingston heat and mango smoke with notes of pineapple, orange, or a subtle smokiness. The warmth and complexity work beautifully with the deeper flavours of the beef. For the seafood tacos, something bright and refreshing, like the Golden Paloma with grapefruit, lime, or passion fruit, would be my preference,” he advised.

His hope is to take Taco and Tequila Tuesdays to decadent heights.

“One Park is known for its premium dining experience, and we’re incredibly proud of that. However, I also want people to know that they can come here on a Tuesday, enjoy amazing tacos, have a beautifully crafted cocktail, listen to great music, and simply have a fantastic evening.”

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com