Margarita in one hand, a hefty taco in the other, you might forget that you're in Spokane at Uno Más Tacos & Tequila. The eatery's new flagship location opened Jan. 2 on North Monroe Street, nestled behind Indaba Coffee, under the sole ownership of Ramsey Pruchnic.
Some may be familiar with Uno Más Taco Shop's previous iterations, as it was founded in 2022 by Pruchnic, chef Chad White and local brewery owner Travis Thosath inside the Wonder Building, along with a now-closed location in the Spokane Valley.
If you've never had an Uno Más taco, you're in for a treat — and a handful.
"I think that's the big thing is people hear the word 'taco' and they assume it's typically like a street taco, and ours are a quarter-pound of meat," Pruchnic says.
Uno Mas has six taco varieties: carne asada, tinga de pollo, carnitas, camarón (shrimp), batata (sweet potato) and hongos (maitake and crimini mushrooms). They also serve a selection of sides like elote, chips and salsa or guacamole.
The slight name change isn't the only refresh to the local Mexican eatery. Pruchnic wants Uno Mas to offer a full experience, with an interior that riffs on a Mexican plaza and a full bar alongside a more speakeasy-style bar upstairs.
Though their hefty tacos are designed to satisfy, you still may catch yourself thinking, "Maybe just one more?"
MORE TO TRY
MADD CHICKEN TERIYAKI
1520 N. Government Way, Coeur d'Alene, Mon-Sat 11 am-8 pm
You're in for a fast-casual teriyaki menu that's not only delicious, but also relatively guilt free at Madd Chicken Teriyaki. The menu is free of seed oils and gluten, inspired by co-owner Tim Bastedo's own health issues and dietary restrictions.
The star of the menu is either the chicken teriyaki loaded fries, topped with house sauce, sliced teriyaki chicken thigh meat, spring onions, sesame seeds and cheese, or the teriyaki bowls and entrées.
Bastedo also added burgers to the menu that are reminiscent of the In-N-Out burgers he grew up eating in California. Options include beef or chicken, with a deluxe version topped with avocado, grilled pineapple and teriyaki sauce.
"Every morning we make our own teriyaki sauce, we make 5 gallons," Bastedo says. "When we first started, I thought I'd make 1 gallon every Monday, and now I have to make it every day."
Future Madd Chicken locations are slated for Post Falls and Liberty Lake.
TERIYAKI SPICE
1412 W. Second Ave., teriyakispice.com, Sun 10 am-8 pm; Mon-Sat 10 am-10 pm
What started in 2015 as a family-run teriyaki spot in Woodland, Washington, has since expanded to five locations across Washington and Oregon, including a spot in Airway Heights (11980 W Sunset Hwy.).
In February, Teriyaki Spice opened a downtown Spokane location in the former Uncle Rusty's Diner space, serving an Asian fusion menu with scratch-made sauces.
Teriyaki Spice's menu covers all the essentials, from the classic chicken teriyaki served over white rice with a side salad to more diverse offerings like potstickers, egg rolls, french fries and California rolls. In a nod to teriyaki's seafood origins, there's also salmon teriyaki, plus beef, shrimp, pork and tofu.
HOT POT RAMEN HOUSE
8052 Main St. Ste 101, Rathdrum, hotpotramenhouse.com, Tues-Thu 11 am-7 pm; Fri-Sat 11 am-8 pm
While instant ramen has become a U.S. staple, saving wallets across the nation since Top Ramen hit the market in the 1970s, nothing quite compares the the instant noodle empires of countries like South Korea and Japan.
Viral videos of people making deluxe instant ramen in Korean convenience stores, using instant ramen machines, have made their way across to American audiences. Such a video landed on Lisa Maxwell's screen and she became inspired to open up a similar concept in Rathdrum, Idaho, with her husband.
Customers heading to Hot Pot Ramen House can explore a wall of more than 65 instant ramen varieties to the left of the entrance. A helpful two-minute video about the cooking process plays on a large tablet.
After you select your ramen, you then choose from a plethora of toppings like egg, Spam, homemade kimchi and more.
You check out before cooking your meal, then take your tray to one of the five instant ramen cookers that were imported from South Korea.
The restaurant also has a boba bar alongside fridges stocked with Asian beverages and ice cream.
Next time you're hankering for some good ol' instant ramen, maybe ditch those Cup Noodles for a trip to Hot Pot Ramen House.
