New owners bring beloved Taco Villa back to St. Cloud

ST. CLOUD — Before Taco Villa closed a decade ago, the Waite Park restaurant was known for its Americanized tacos and quirky favorites like the pizza burrito.

The restaurant, which is said to have introduced St. Cloud to the taco in the mid-1960s, was still popular when it shuttered in December 2011.

"They had lines five to six blocks [long]. People were waiting for hours," said St. Cloud developer Bob Abel of the taco joint's last day of business. "It left a big hole. It was almost like a cult."

That scene repeated when Abel and his daughter-in-law Sue Abel opened Taco Villa in downtown St. Cloud on March 1.

"We had to call the police. It was getting to the point where the line was down and around the block and blocking traffic," Bob Abel said. "They weren't happy. So we've tried to speed it up."

The restaurant, in the former Taco John's building near the Stearns County Courthouse, is open limited hours and is drive-thru only while the owners hire and train employees, although Abel said he hopes to open indoor dining in April.

While the descendants of original owner Lyle Kjesbo are not involved with the business, the Abels purchased the original recipes from a former partner of Kjesbo.

"Getting the original recipes was huge. They weren't cheap but it's a distinct flavor," Bob Abel said. "I have a hard time explaining it. It's totally different than what you get at Taco John's or Taco Bell. It's a niche deal. It's also nostalgic."

Kjesbo had worked in a Mexican restaurant in Fargo before opening Taco Villa in St. Cloud in 1966, according to a St. Cloud Times story from 1989. An ad for the restaurant's grand opening described the menu items as tacos and tostadas made from corn tortillas, submarine sandwiches, chili and "Mexi-burgers."

The business moved to Waite Park in 1969. The family closed the business after Kjesbo's health started to deteriorate; he died in 2017. The building has been torn down and the site is now a lot next to Waite Park Auto & Sport.

"It was our favorite place," Bob Abel said of the former restaurant. It was also Sue Abel's first job out of high school, which launched her food industry career that's included stints at a local Hardee's and the Fazoli's formerly by the Crossroads Center mall in St. Cloud.

Sue Abel said she is working with other former Taco Villa employees to perfect the recipes. So far, feedback from customers has been positive — and the pizza burrito is still the top seller.

"We've got the taste on point," she said.

Bob Abel said the meat sauce, beans and hot sauces are all made in-house. The owners are continuing to purchase the same taco shells out of Texas the former owners used, and are continuing to fold the burritos in squares instead of rolling them up like other fast casual restaurants.

"It had a cult following and I hope that stays and continues," he said.