What happened to this popular Fresno taco spot? Tacos El Cabezon moving downtown

Tacos El Cabezon has left its much-hyped spot at Shaw and Maroa avenues, announcing on social media that it will be opening in downtown as soon as next week.

The Mexicali-style street food truck has been teasing its moves for a while.

In November, it announced intentions to expand and began work on a restaurant at McKinley and Fruit avenues in the Tower District. That restaurant has yet to open and is still making its way through the permitting process with the city.

But the truck has recently been missing from its original Shaw-and-Maroa location — while new branding and signage popped up in late February outside the former Chicken King restaurant on Fulton Street downtown.

The restaurant confirmed the move in an Instagram post Thursday.

“What started as a small taco stand with faith and a dream is now becoming a permanent home in Downtown Fresno ... We officially have our health inspection this Monday and if everything goes well we’ll be opening our doors very soon.”

In the meantime, the truck has been running daily pop-ups, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. along Fulton followed by evening hours at McKinley and Fruit.

Owner Aramando Arias hasn’t said whether Tacos El Cabezon is gone from Shaw and Maroa for good, but he said he had begun rethinking the location as the truck outgrew its capabilities there.

And it was always the plan to expand the business beyond that location, with food trucks and restaurants across Fresno. Within months of opening, Arias had purchased a second food truck for that purpose.

“This journey hasn’t been easy,” the post said. “There were nights of doubt, pressure, and obstacles… but God always made a way.”