A new taco joint is opening its doors on Perkins Road today, July 1. Vals has taken over the former Rock Paper Taco spot, washing the space in the brand’s signature blush pink.
But coming to a city that seems to be dominated by Tex-Mex options, partner Turk Dietrich promises that Vals is more than that.
“We are decidedly not Tex-Mex,” he says. “Throughout the South, Louisiana specifically, probably 8.59 out of 10 Mexican spots are really Tex-Mex. [Vals] has a lot more traditional Mexican dishes, be it from Tijuana or from Mexico City. Our chef, who created everything, spent about a year in Mexico learning the food, the culture, the whole thing.”
Both menu-wise and style-wise, Dietrich and his partner, Matthew Kohnke, feel that Vals will bring something fresh to Baton Rouge. The concept’s first location is in uptown New Orleans, housed in an old gas station with tons of outdoor seating. While this Baton Rouge spot doesn’t have a lot of outdoor space, Dietrich says there’s one thing that made this location a no-brainer: the parking lot…