Street Queen Tacos, the popular Casa Grande taco spot, opened its second location yesterday in Maricopa.  

“It’s another step moving forward,” co-owner Diego Negrete told InMaricopa on opening day. “We’re just here to serve the community … more than anything, you know, serve quality food, great service, and the best salsa in town.” 

Negrete and Lupe Arroya, who run the business together, emphasized that what sets Street Queen apart is their salsa. “What I always like to say is that the soul of a taco is the salsa,” said Arroya.

When asked what makes their food special, Arroya didn’t hesitate.  

“It’s spicy. If the sauce is not spicy, the taco’s not gonna be good,” she said. “That’s what we think … the salsa has to be spicy so the taco can have flavor.” 

The new street taco spot opened in the former Tacos N’ More location in the Cobblestone Fiesta plaza. It’s a homecoming of sorts for these lifelong Maricopa residents.  

“We lived here for our whole lives, basically,” Arroya said. “We’re locals. We wanted to serve a local community. We started in Casa Grande, but we wanted to be here. It was always something we wanted to do.” 

According to Negrete, the opportunity “kind of just gave itself.” 

Just an hour into opening, the space was already busy. Booths and tables filled up. Several people waited for takeout orders. A family took photos at a stationed photo booth against a streamer backdrop to celebrate the grand opening. The horchata was already down to half its large container. An employee hurried fresh salsa to an open slot on the salsa bar.