La Torta Loca is a charming little Mexican eatery tucked in a Florence strip mall that packs in as much flavor as it does passion for its craft. Edgar de la Cruz and Karina Presti opened their business in September 2018 and folks are quickly catching on to one of Northern Kentucky's best-kept secrets.

"When we first opened, we had only three tables and a full convenience store, but literally the restaurant just took over and we had to get rid of the store and add more tables. We now just have Mexican candy, chips, tons of different drinks and spices," said Presti in an email interview.

La Torta Loca melds together the flavors from Cruz's and Presti's native countries, Mexico and Venezuela. The street-food-style menu ranges from tacos to empanadas and quesadillas to patacones, arepas and more. But the real star of the menu is their generous offering of tortas.

The tortas (a Mexican sandwich) range from La Del Chavo, with ham, mayo, cheese and egg, to the popular La Torta Loca, with chicken Milanese, steak, carnitas, bacon, melted cheese, grilled onions and jalapenos. They also offer a variety of vegetarian options.

"We are not chefs, we are just people that like to cook with love," said Presti. "And we hope that if you come to check us out, to come with an open mind to try new things and different flavors that are especially made to your order."

La Torta Loca is located at 7101 Dixie Highway in Florence.

| Photos by Kaitlyn Handel