Tacopocalypse coming to Coralville's Iowa River Landing

The Iowa River Landing soon will house a taco joint unlike any Coralville has seen: Tacopocalypse.

Tacopocalypse, an Asian-inspired taco restaurant that has become a hot spot in Des Moines' East Village, will open its doors sometime in late summer or fall, said Deanna Trumbull, food and other vendors co-chair for the City of Coralville.

"We're always looking for something unique and different to bring to our area," Trumbull said Wednesday morning. "We've had a few people ask about bringing Tacopocalypse to the area and we listened."

Chef and owner Sam Auen opened Tacopocalypse as a mobile food cart in locations throughout Des Moines and moved into a permanent home in Des Moines' East Village in August 2013 but quickly expanded and moved to a bigger storefront the following year. Auen also recently opened Krunkwich Ramen House in Des Moines.

Tacopocalypse's Des Moines menu features everything from tacos that feature Asian food flavorings, to sandwiches, burritos, nachos, quesadillas, soups and even house-made ice cream.

Auen, in a Wednesday morning news release, said that the menu for the Coralville restaurant would be very similar to the Des Moines' version, but feature some small changes.

"My vision goes beyond just executing a menu and coming up with a new special," Auen said in the news release. "I always need to be doing something new, creating new concepts, and expanding my business."

Tacopocalypse and Auen were featured in an episode of Guy Fieri's Food Network show "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," last January.

"Sam's a great character to bring to the area, and an entrepreneur that is very creative with food and flavors," Trumbull said.

Auen could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Trumbull said the restaurant will be near the corner of East Ninth Street and East Second Avenue, close to 30hop and west of Massage Heights Iowa River Landing.

Reach Zach Berg at 319-887-5412, zberg@press-citizen.com, or follow him on Twitter at @ZacharyBerg.