The Triangle

Issue date: 10/27/06 Section: News

Media Credit: Karl Kuchs Lou's Restaurante remains closed on North 33rd Street Oct. 26. While the reason for the closing remains unknown, Lou will begin cooking at another restaurant Oct. 31.

If someone were to stop by Lou's Restaurante, located on North 33rd Street, they would see a sign on the window saying the eatery accepts Dragon Cards. Another sign on the window advertises that the restaurant won the award for best Mexican food in Philadelphia for 2004 from AOL City Guide. A passerby could also peer through the window to see a cozy dining area. However, anyone interested in entering for a bite to eat would be stymied by a cage barricading the door, preventing entry into the restaurant's interior.

Why did a restaurant that seemed to be on the rise, expanding from a food cart located near the tennis courts to a full-fledged eatery appreciated by critics and costumers alike, close so unexpectedly? As can be expected, a situation this odd does not have an easy answer.

Casey Nave, a sophomore majoring in engineering, relayed some information to The Triangle that he received after encountering people who may have worked with "Taco Lou" Williams, the owner of the restaurant. A woman, who is identified as one of the eatery's waitresses, confirmed that the restaurant had closed indefinitely. Another individual, who is reportedly related to Taco Lou's financial partner, told Nave that he is still hoping to finding out what has become of the restaurant's owner and why exactly he shut its doors.

A call to the restaurant was answered by an operator's message indicating that the phone number had been disconnected. In addition, the DragonCard office had no information about the restaurant's mysterious closing.

Taco Lou seemed like "a regular guy," said Nave, who described him as being a "laid-back" fellow in his late thirties or early forties.

"I loved his tacos," he said.

Despite the mysterious circumstances surrounding the closing of the restaurant, Taco Lou himself has not completely vanished from the neighborhood. Mokas Mediterranean Restaurant, located at 3505 Lancaster Avenue, told The Triangle that it will be employing Williams as a cook on Tuesdays. The restaurant is open from 9 p.m. - 2 a.m. on Tuesdays and Oct. 31 will be Lou's first day at Mokas.

The only thing that seems certain is that Drexel students who love Mexican food, be it from a cart or a sit-down restaurant, will have to find a new place to eat.

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