Lloyd Taco Factory Finally Finds a Home on Elmwood

Old school and new school favorites all under one roof with craft cocktails

In the fall of 2016, I moved from the city of Buffalo to the southern tier for a job opportunity. At the time, a “Coming Soon” sign promising a taco factory on Elmwood, hung in the window of a storefront less than .3 miles from my home. It has been a long time coming, but as of last week, Elmwood Avenue finally has its Llyod Taco Factory.

I first moved to the city in the fall of 2010, just months after Llyod Taco Truck started hitting the streets of Buffalo. It was an exciting time and the birth of what became a food truck era. Llyod successfully grew to a fleet of four trucks. Then, in December of 2015, the Llyod Taco Factory opened at 1503 Hertel Avenue in Buffalo. Two years later, a second location opened at 5933 Main Street in Williamsville.

The originally proposed location on Elmwood Avenue didn’t work out, but this past Friday, the doors opened at Llyod Taco Factory’s 492 Elmwood location in the space once housed by Thin Man Brewery.

I had the privilege of attending a preview night for this location just as I did the Hertel location back in 2015. At the 2015 event we received a tour, including a look at the back of the house and into the Lloyd Tortilla Factory. There we learned about the process by which corn is transformed into dough with only the additions of water, lime, and time.

At the Elmwood Avenue preview, I introduced Jeff to some of my Llyod favorites and we sampled some newer menu additions as well.

My must-order items are the El Camino Bowl with pork and the Crispy Fish Taco. The El Camino Bowl features your choice of protein served over rice and/or beans, topped with shredded jack cheese, green cabbage, house-made sauce, pickled red onions and cilantro. Protein choices include braised beef, grilled chicken, slow roasted pork, or stewed organic black beans. Note on the above pic: I ordered my sauce on the side because Jeff likes spicy hot sauce and I prefer milder toppings.

The El Camino Bowl was Jeff’s favorite of everything we sampled. Of note, I have Llyod to thank for introducing me to pickled red onions. Since first enjoying them on an El Camino Bowl, I have been making these at home too. But if a rice bowl isn’t your thing, you can of course, order any of the proteins in a taco, burrito, or as Tricked out Nachos.

While the El Camino Bowl was my regular go-to from the truck, I was always happy to find the Crispy Fish Taco featured as a special. At the Taco Factories, it is a regular menu item. These feature wild Alaskan pollack breaded with egg, flour, and panko, deep fried crisp and topped with green cabbage, chipotle mayo, chimichurri, radish, and cilantro, all nestled in Llyod’s own corn tortilla.

We also enjoyed a newer item, the Dirty South taco, buttermilk fried chicken served with baby kale, bacon aioli, waffle crisps, and a touch of maple syrup. From the sides, we sampled the Crack-ed Potatoes, roasted fingerling potatoes tossed in a garlic-chili oil, topped with mayo, Ssamjang [a Korean] sauce, cilantro, scallions, sesame seeds and fried garlic crunchies. For dessert, we each ordered a cinnamon-sugar dusted churro served with a side of chocolate sauce.

Although we did not imbibe, I’d be remiss to not mention that all Llyod Taco Factory locations include a full bar (or two) featuring craft cocktails.

Welcome to Elmwood, Llyod Taco Factory!