Uptown 66 began as a pop-up restaurant in 2020, and like many other new eateries in Miami, Nuno Grullon, the owner and chef, wasn’t confident the restaurant could succeed in the face of COVID-19 and government shutdowns. Three years later, the small but well-liked outdoor Mexican cantina has a devoted following and was just named “Good Morning America’s” taco champion.
The “United States of Tacos” tournament, which lasted a full week and featured preliminary rounds in Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, and Miami, was held last week. A panel of judges, which included actor Alex Moffat, fitness expert and makeup artist Tunde Oyeneyin, actor and singer-songwriter Christian Chávez of RBD, and chef Chris Valdes, selected Uptown 66’s birria taco as the best of the bunch. Grullon defeated Mika Leon, chef and owner of Caja Caliente, who created her renowned Cuban-style lechon taco for the Miami round of the tournament, to win the ultimate prize of $20,000 provided by Taco Bell.
Nuno Grullon, the owner of the Mexican cantina didn’t expect to be so anxious about the contest but overall said that the experience was fun. Grullon relocated to Miami from the Bronx in the late 1990s and didn’t start out in Mexican food but was a dishwasher in New York. He eventually advanced to line cook, and then steadily moved up to more upscale eateries serving Mediterranean, French, and Italian cuisine.
When he founded Uptown 66, he discovered the greatest ingredients for Mexican food, the chiles that went well with specific dishes, and the tastes that should be the star. He explains, “I need to comprehend the culture behind the food.” “Where does it come from? How were those things made? Even the initial menu for Uptown 66 didn’t include Grullon’s renowned birria taco, which is constructed with three distinct cuts of braised beef, mixto cheese, and consommé. When Grullon originally established his business, he only offered four types of tacos: barbacoa, carnitas, chicken, and wild mushroom.
People kept approaching and requesting birria tacos, says Grullon today. They appeared everywhere on social media. I remarked, “I’ll have to create one of those.” According to Grullon, birria tacos are typically cooked with goat meat. However, he claimed that his job in Miami’s restaurant industry led him to choose the less unusual beef which cooking birria, for instance, requires 20 hours, with the meat smoldering at a low temperature.
The cuisine is highly sophisticated, he claims. “Building a burger is simpler than this. No offense intended; I enjoy a good burger! But it’s simple. Get top-notch meat, grill it, add lettuce, onion, and cheese, and presto! You need to make a marinade for birria. Two hours are required. Make sure to remove the seeds from the chilies. It takes a lot of work. What I adore about it is that. In that manner, it reminds me of French cuisine. Grullon is thinking about the future of Uptown 66 and potential openings or franchises in additional locations.
Near 79th Street and Biscayne Boulevard, he intends to establish a full-service American concept restaurant. He is, however, taking some time right now to reflect on the “Good Morning America” accolade. We had a significant victory, he claims. “The brand is very important to our devoted customers. They are devoted to us and want us to succeed.”
Uptown 66 is located at 6600 Biscayne Boulevard in Miami and is open 7 days a week with varying hours.
