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Oscar Diaz' new Durham restaurant is more than a taqueria

It feels unfair to call TaTaco, the new restaurant from James Beard Award-nominated chef Oscar Diaz, simply a taqueria. While the menu for the restaurant — located 620 Foster St. in downtown Durham — does include a wide variety of tacos using made-in-house tortillas, it goes far beyond that. Why it matters: Diaz has been on a hot streak since leaving the popular but now closed Mexican restaurant Cortez in Raleigh, partnering with the group behind the Mezcalito restaurants on a number of ventures. Since then, he has opened the Durham restaurant Little Bull, the all-day cafe Aaktun, which has locations in Durham and Clayton and now TaTaco. He also has plans to open a new, not-yet-named concept in downtown Durham later this year. Zoom in: TaTaco's menu includes the staples of Mexican cuisine, including tacos and quesadillas to enchiladas and flautas. But nestled next to those options include creative entrees like clams dunked in a complex birria broth, salmon made with poblano pasta and fresh seafood options, like a tuna and hamachi crudito and raw oysters featuring a passion fruit mignonette. The drink menu includes several takes on the margarita and lesser-known Mexican spirits like raicilla, bacanora and sotol. The brightly colored dining room offers a front-row view of the bustling kitchen, including a window directly peering into the tortilla-making process as well as seats perched in front of the raw bar. What they're saying: All of Diaz's restaurants are an attempt at what he calls remixing the Mexican food he grew up with, adding new takes or fusing it with cuisines from other cultures. "There's something truly special about being able to infuse a bit of yourself into the projects you create, and I've been lucky enough to do that at each of my restaurants," Diaz said in a statement. "With TaTaco, I really poured in my own story and roots, and it's an incredible honor to share that with the Durham community." What's next: TaTaco will evolve as it gets settled into the new space, but plans are already in place for events and pop-ups. Diaz said it hopes to launch a chilaquiles brunch, as well as occasional late-night "ghost kitchen" events in the coming weeks. Address: 620 Foster St., Durham Hours: Open daily from 11am-10pm.