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2 new taco options coming to Naperville

The restaurant industry must think Naperville has an unsatisfied taste for tacos.

Two new taco-centric restaurants are set to open in the city this fall, following other newer Mexican options such as Quiubo in the Water Street District and Uncle Julio's near the Embassy Suites hotel.

Here's a look at the latest options ...

Fat Rosie's

Already popular in Frankfort, Fat Rosie's Taco & Tequila Bar plans to open next month at 47 E. Chicago Ave.

The restaurant, part of Francesca's Restaurant Group, is named after an agave farmer's pet donkey that chef and owner Scott Harris encountered on a trip to Mexico.

Fat Rosie's will be the third of Francesca's restaurants in Naperville, after La Sorella di Francesca opened in 1994 and Francesca Passaggio in 2005. It will offer the same menu as the Fat Rosie's in Frankfort, including empanadas, enchiladas and the El Patron Gordo Burrito, sold as a challenge and free to anyone who can eat it in less than 12 minutes.

A 3,500-square-foot dining room will seat 108 with garage doors opening to a patio that can function as an indoor/outdoor space.

Hours are scheduled to be 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday, including a brunch menu from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Invicto

Mexican street foods such as Tijuana-style tacos, cemita sandwiches, Sonoran hot dogs (popular in Arizona and Mexico), and Mexican-inspired milkshakes and fries will be the staples on the menu at Invicto when it opens this month in Naperville.

A Sept. 28 opening is planned for the restaurant in Freedom Commons at I-88 and Freedom Drive, and the Naperville location is expected to be the first of a chain.

Two executives formerly involved with Naf Naf Grill, a Middle Eastern fast-casual restaurant that got its start in 2010 in Naperville, are leading the development of Invicto. David Sloan, a co-founder and former CEO of Naf Naf, which he launched with Chef Sahar Sander, and Franklin Weiner, who served as Naf Naf's CEO beginning in 2012, are the brains behind the new Invicto concept.

Mexico City native Jonathan Jimenez Alvarado has been named chef of Invicto after previously working at Pujol, a Mexico City restaurant ranked No. 13 on Restaurant Magazine's 2018 list of the world's 50 best restaurants.

Two more Invicto restaurants are expected to open in 2019 including one in downtown Chicago.

Fat Rosie's Taco & Tequila Bar is set to open its second location in October in Naperville, featuring modern Mexican food and an indoor/outdoor patio. Courtesy of Fat Rosie's
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