Calgary Downtown Association: What is your title & how long have you worked with ConMi Taco?

Andrew Ocasion: Managing Partner/Jack of All Trades. I've been working here since we opened our pop-up location in Meat & Bread, which was six months ago.

CDA: What do you love about running a business in Downtown Calgary?

AO: I've managed many restaurants in Downtown Calgary and the best part about it is the people and the diversity of diners. The denser the area, the more diverse, so many types of diners come through our doors each day. From families, to foodies, to corporate oil & gas, or just a bunch of friends looking for something fresh and new, there are so many types of audiences and we are proud to say we do our best to reach them allaudiences and we are proud to say we do our best to reach them all.


CDA: Can you share a bit about some of the challenges you’ve faced through the pandemic and how your business pivoted?

AO: We are thankful for our loyal following, as even through the toughest times our followers have supported us. Our business really started by solely offering takeout/curbside pickup, so really we learned how to pivot in what may have been the opposite direction for most restaurants. Once phase two hit and we were able to open a dining space, we slowly went from 100% takeout to what now is about a 50-50 split, with favour moving to dining in.

CDA: Are there any special menu items you would recommend?

AO: Our classic Al Pastor or Beef Birria! These were the tacos that started it all. Whether you've been to Mexico and have a palette for tacos, or if you've never had a taco in your life, you should start with these. In the days before we started ConMi Taco, we tried making Al Pastor & Beef Birria for fun, and after actually sitting together as a team and trying it we knew we were onto something special.

CDA: Is there anything else you'd like folks to know about ConMi Taco?

AO: While we are a pop-up, don't expect us to go anywhere! Our business is based around our love for food, specifically tacos. We can genuinely say we absolutely love what we do, and we put that passion into every dish and into our service. We pride ourselves on quality and take the extra steps to ensure we have the best ingredients. For example, the amount of work that we put in just to make a tortilla shows the passion we have for our business: a 24-hour process which starts with us cooking raw, imported corn from Mexico, grinding the corn into "masa", and finally hand pressing each tortilla to order.


ConMi Taco
821 1st St SW
Tuesday, Friday & Saturday
5pm-9pm