Fusion Tacos expanding to Cottonwood Mall in Albuquerque

Sep. 26—Santa Fe-based Fusion Tacos will open yet another location by Dec. 1 at Cottonwood Mall in Albuquerque.

"The people at the mall reached out to us," said Perla Ramon, who owns the Fusion Tacos mini-empire with her husband, Pedro Lopez.

Their daughter, Daniella Lozoya, who now operates the original Fusion Tacos food truck on Airport Road, will own the Cottonwood operation, Ramon said.

Ramon and Lopez also have eyes on Nuckolls Brewing, which is under construction in the Railyard.

"We will see if we can work something out at Nuckolls," Ramon said.

They are currently building out a commercial kitchen at St. Michael's Village West to prepare food for their food trucks.

"That one's taking a lot longer than expected," she said.

Fusion Tacos has been an express train success story since Ramon and Lopez launched the Airport Road food truck in November 2019. A second food truck followed at the Z Row food truck pod at Old Santa Fe Trail and Paseo de Peralta in January 2021, and then the Santa Fe Place mall food court in April 2021 and Santa Fe Brewing Co.'s Beer Hall Kitchen since June 2021.

Fusion Tacos first expanded to Albuquerque in April with a presence at Green Jeans Farmery food hall.