In Loving Memory of Celia and Moises Palomo

Behind Every Great Man…

The story of El Tarasco starts with an elopement back in the early 1960s in the Mexican state of Michoacan. Despite the wishes of her family, a young women named Celia saw something special in the poor but industrious Moises Palomo and married him. He worked hard picking strawberries, avocados, or whatever needed to be harvested until he was able to send for his wife. Celia arrived and began working in a factory while Moises worked several jobs.  

Moises and his wife had saved up enough money over time to buy a little house, but decided to buy a restaurant despite everyone telling them it would be a bad idea. They stayed in their one-bedroom apartment and invested their money in a small restaurant (nothing more than a grill and a counter.) This all happened in 1969, and the location of the first restaurant is the very same El Tarasco that is there today on Rosecrans Ave in the city of Manhattan Beach.

Little by little, Celia (who did the cooking) added dinners and other items to the menu. The success of the little restaurant was in large part due to location, location, location. El Tarasco provided a place where people could go and get filled up for a reasonable price. The second El Tarasco opened eight years later in El Segundo, and there are now multiple locations in Southern California and one far away in Michoacan.

The item which first distinguished El Tarasco from other restaurants and really made a name for them is the Jr. Super Deluxe Burrito. This burrito was created by Moises’ daughter around 1970. She walked into the kitchen one day with the intention of creating her own burrito. When she was her father asked her for a bite and said, “You know what, you got something there, lets put that on the menu.” It took off from there and is the most popular plate. Moises and Celia had five children. 

The idea behind the name “El Tarasco” was that the native Indian tribe of the Palomo homeland would associate the restaurant with serving food that featured an authentic Michoacan Flavor. Moises and Celia Palomo were two individuals to make an impossible dream a reality. In 1997 Celia passed away and less than a year later her husband, Moises, joined her continuing their love eternally. 

Since 1969