Prospect Heights

King David Tacos: From Texas with Love

December 30, 2022 Andrew Cotto
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PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Apparently, breakfast tacos are everywhere in Texas. The pockets of tortilla-wrapped protein are as ubiquitous in the Lone Star state as pizza and bagels, hot dogs and Halal are in the Big Apple. This was why food enthusiast and Austin native, “King David” Solomon, upon his first visit to New York City, encouraged his daughter, Liz Solomon Dwyer, to open a breakfast taco stand in Times Square. He even offered her the capital to get started.

“I didn’t even know what ‘capital’ meant,” Solomon Dwyer laughs when recalling this story. “I told my father that I was going to be famous in advertising, and that I didn’t move to New York City to be a hot dog man.”

Photo: King David Tacos

Not long after the taco stand idea was broached, the larger than life “King David” was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia and soon succumbed. The early death of her beloved father coincided with a dissatisfaction with Solomon Dwyer’s ascendant career in advertising. “My skill set in the first ten years allowed me to succeed,” she says, “but at some point what I needed to do going forward in advertising wasn’t what I wanted to do anymore.”

Photo: Andrew Cotto.

OK: What to do?

Of course: Start at breakfast taco company as homage to your father!

The idea, of sorts, had been percolating in “King David’s” daughter for many years, and she considered ways to have a breakfast taco business as a side hustle. When the opportunity for a full-on hustle presented itself, she went for it. “It’s kind of if you say it enough times out loud, you have to do it,” Solomon Dwyer explains. “So I said I’m going to do it, and I did.”

What began as a catering company out of shared kitchen space in Prospect Heights and a kiosk at Berg’n beer hall in 2016 grew over the subsequent years to include food carts in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and eventually a retail partner program that today involves over 80 locations, mostly cafes, throughout the city. So, King David Tacos (KDT) are almost as ubiquitous in NYC as breakfast tacos are in Texas, but the brick and mortar storefront and production facility at 611 Bergen St. in Prospect Heights is where the spirit of “King David” lives.

Photo: King David Tacos

King David Tacos opened its storefront doors in May 2021, the week the CDC removed mask mandates, and, according to Solomon Dwyer, “It’s been madness ever since.”

The charming retail space, with large outdoor seating capacity, is open seven days a week for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or an afternoon snack. There are nine varieties of tacos, including many vegan options, with plenty of meat, as well, representing Texas. The most popular menu items are the Queen Bean (refried beans, potato, egg and cheese) and the BPEC (bacon, potato, egg and cheese). There’s a gooey queso for dipping nacho chips (or sippin’ straight up!) and two kinds of salsas. Everything that stays or goes is made in-house by a team of 40 employees in the spacious production facility beyond the retail space.

Liz Solomon Dwyer. Photo: King David Tacos

The vibe all around King David Tacos is one of joy and inclusiveness that honors not just the vision of its namesake but his ethos as well.

“I’m not going to lie, I was a bit snooty at first: What could a breakfast taco hold to a hand-rolled bagel or an artisan croissant? A lot, it turns out,” admits Prospect Heights resident Dominic McMullan. “When KDT opened their space on Bergen, it was a revelation. Their food, their vibe, the whole set up made perfect sense. It’s ideal for a quick snack, a low-key brunch with the family or a cheeky sundowner with some nachos. The humble breakfast taco has become so much more than just the perfect breakfast food item. I can’t think of a weekend in the last year when I haven’t visited the cart or the space on Bergen Street. Long live the King!!”

Agreed: Long live the “King.” Thanks, sir, for the Texas-sized idea that inspired your daughter!

Note: King David Tacos’ retail partners include Hungry Ghost, Stumptown, Joe Coffee, Blank Street Coffee. KDT food carts are in Grand Army Plaza and Madison Square Park.

 

Andrew Cotto has been eating his way through Brooklyn for 25 years. As an author, the food of our borough has been featured extensively in his novels and journalism. In his new column for the Daily Eagle, Andrew will tell the tales of Brooklyn eateries, from the people behind the food to the communities which they nourish.





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