Funky iconic Austin taco spot not closing after all

Longtime Austinites and visitors to the state capital will be pleased to know that Maria’s Taco Xpress, a South Austin landmark, is not closing after all.

Austin360.com reports that a wave of support following Maria Corbalan’s announcement in February that she planned to sell her property, along with a failed deal and cold feet led her to reverse course.

“We had huge support from the community since we announced we were closing,” she told Austin360.com.

In February, she cited high property taxes in booming South Austin and declining business as reasons for pulling up stakes after 20 years. She said at the time she’d give her employees a chance to carry the torch in a new location using the same name.

She has since hired a company to protest an expected tax increase from $50,000 to $70,000 on the Lamar Boulevard property, she told Austin360. If she can’t keep the taxes from going up, she said she’ll look for an investor to keep the restaurant open there.

“It’s very, very sad that Austin is killing all small business. What is happening with Keep Austin Weird? That is something that has marked the history of this town,” she said. “This is a good reality check.”

This story was originally published June 7, 2017 at 3:26 PM with the headline "Funky iconic Austin taco spot not closing after all."