A local restaurateur says he hopes to open a “hole-in-the-wall taco shop” near Dickinson’s campus by the end of October.

Ross Morris who co-owns Café Bruges and several other local restaurants says he wants to open a taco shop because he “married a girl from Central and South America earlier this year and fell in love with the food and her family.” He says that the restaurant is really “a tribute to my wife’s family, I love the cuisine, its not something we have here, so lets bring it.”

Morris says that his main aim is to provide a “traditional, authentic experience.” All the recipes that will be used in the restaurant are from Mexico and would be dishes found in most places in Mexico. It will be located at 150 W. High Street in downtown Carlisle.

The shop will be called Taquería Laurita and the chefs will “make food” meaning they “take raw ingredients and transform them into something delectable, authentic, and traditional”. Morris reminisced on his visit to see his wife’s family who now live in Guatemala but are originally from Mexico. “One of the greatest moments of my culinary career was sitting at the dining room table with her mother who is in her 70s and she was teaching me how to cook… I just don’t know how to do better than that.” His theory is “eat real food” and sets this as the standard for his restaurants.

The restaurant plans to “support local farmers…whenever possible.” For example, Morris says that the “first tongues on the menu for the tacos are coming from the Dickinson Farm.” Morris also notes that there is “not one ounce of gluten in the whole restaurant” its “all corn” which will allow gluten-free members of the community to enjoy tacos too.

The menu will be featuring authentic items such as al pastor tacos, chorizo y papas, and carne asada con poblano in addition to authentic beverages such as Jarritos, Horchata, and Mexican hot chocolate. The restaurant will be BYOB and if one brings a beer they can make the traditional Mexican drink, Michelada. Morris says they want to be like “a food truck you don’t have to chase.”

The inside of the restaurant is painted turquoise, which Morris says “you see this just about everywhere in Mexico.” He wants the décor to be “third-world” or “hole in the wall.” He laughs, “I pictured a bad florescent light hanging off the ceiling by a wire with a real loud buzz to it.” He will also have “a…neon taco sign flashing – its going to light up High Street” he says.

Morris says that like any restaurant the “customer dictates what it becomes” but he wants to provide “late night drunk food”. It will seat about two dozen people and will be open 6 p.m.-1 a.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 6 p.m.-2:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday’s, and 11:45-2 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. They will offer take-out.