San Antonio chef Alex Paredes made an impact on the local food scene with his work on defunct concepts such as Carnitas Lonja and Fish Lonja, so it was good news when he decided to open Tacopolis in 2025. One year and a fishy rebrand later, the business has permanently closed.
Tacopolis got off the ground last July, offering an assortment of tacos and quesadillas with rich meat options such as chorizo, carnitas, birria and barbacoa. Trouble first surfaced in January 2026, when the restaurant struggled to pay rent amid extreme weather and fears of ICE raids. A fundraising event helped Tacopolis remain in its home on Fredericksburg Road, but it wasn’t long before Paredes announced a major change.
In April, the James Beard Award-nominated chef took to Instagram to address limited Tacopolis service in prior weeks, citing health issues. He also said Tacopolis as a concept wasn’t working because of high meat prices, so the business rebranded as El Fish Demon. After a brief closure to paint and change signage, the restaurant reopened with a new mariscos menu, including ceviches, aguachiles and fish tacos.
However, more recently, El Fish Demon showed no signs of life, with limited service and little-to-no activity on social media throughout June and July. On Tuesday, July 7, the restaurant announced it had permanently closed…