Reviewed by: Pat Byington
NEW University Tacos location features mural by Dewon Moton
Local family-run restaurant University Tacos is opening a new location in Birmingham! Read on for all the details, plus the story behind the colorful mural on the exterior painted by local artist Dewon Moton.
University Tacos expanding in Birmingham 🌮
Founded in 2014, University Tacos is a popular Birmingham restaurant known for their authentic, made-from-scratch Mexican food and friendly service. Located along University Boulevard, University Tacos is a favorite of UAB students and employees in search of delicious street tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tostadas and much more.
In 2020, following the closure of neighboring Lucy’s Coffee & Tea, University Tacos expanded their University Boulevard location into the former Lucy’s space to add additional seating for their guests.
Now, University Tacos is expanding again—this time, they’re opening a brand new location in downtown Birmingham. The new restaurant will be located at 2015 5th Avenue North, which was previously home to Miami Fusion Café.
According to co-owner Karla Serrano, the new University Tacos will feature the same menu that patrons know and love—as well as a few exciting additions.
“People love our food because it’s authentic, made fresh every day and very flavorful. Since the new location has a much bigger kitchen area, we are planning to add more traditional dishes to the menu, such as street corn and desserts.”
Karla Serrano, Co-Owner, University Tacos
🖌️ Mural by Dewon Moton 🎨
The eye-catching mural on the storefront of University Tacos’ new space was painted by local muralist Dewon Moton. A lifelong painter, Moton began working as a tattoo artist after graduating high school. After a decade in that field, he decided to switch to primarily painting murals.
Since then, Moton has painted murals throughout the southeast, including a number of colorful murals throughout The Magic City, such as:
- A mural honoring Civil Rights hero John Lewis on 4th Avenue North.
- A mural honoring Alabama athletes and leaders at the Birmingham Crossplex.
- A Birmingham mural behind Craft’s on 7th.
- A mural on the side of Jazz on 55th, a new jazz club in Woodlawn.
- The Steel Magnolias mural celebrating influential Alabama women near Legacy Arena. Moton collaborated with Blank Space Bham on this mural.
Learn more about Dewon Moton and his art by following him on Instagram and Facebook.
Impressed by his work in Birmingham, the owners of University Tacos approached Dewon Moton to design a mural for their new location.
“[The owners] wanted the mural to pull from Spanish culture and colors that are important in Spanish culture. In my opinion, patterns are very universal—everybody can relate, but they don’t mean the exact same thing to anyone. I found a way to incorporate patterns and those colors into a design that draws you in to the space. The building’s design already leans inward, so I was able to play on the environment with a lot of color and imagery.
Dewon Moton, Artist, Dewon Moton Art
The vibrant mural depicts twin eagles, inspired by eagles from the Mayan calendar. Above the entrance, a depiction of Blaze—the iconic UAB mascot—will make longtime fans of the restaurant feel right at home.
“The dragon has a little bit of a twist! In Mexican culture and folk art, alebrijes are spirit animals and are usually very bright in color. We decided to mix some of those bright colors in with the UAB dragon as if he was an alebrijes.”
Dewon Moton, Artist, Dewon Moton Art
In addition to the mural outside of the restaurant, University Tacos commissioned Moton to paint a “taco map” inside.
“The mural is called a Tacografia and is a map of Mexico showing the unique taco of every single state. Tacos are our biggest menu item, so we wanted to show people the origins of the taco they’re eating.”
Karla Serrano, Co-Owner, University Tacos
That’s not all! University Tacos worked with Birmingham’s “Mr. Painterman” Java Lewis—who painted the Blaze inside the original University Tacos—to paint a depiction of The Magic City inside the restaurant.
University Tacos’ new location to open late 2023 🌮
According to Karla Serrano, the University Tacos team is working hard to get their new location ready to open. The team hopes to open the new University Tacos before the end of the year!
- University Tacos: 205.538.5568 | Website | Facebook | Instagram
- Original location: 2009 University Blvd, Birmingham, AL 35233
- New location: 2015 5th Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35203
Excited to see University Tacos open a new location in Birmingham? Tag us @bhamnow to let us know your thoughts!
