Delicious, nutritious and affordable, tacos seem to be one of the few things Americans can agree about these days. After all, it’s not every food that gets designated its own day of the week. But can our gustatory obsession with the folded and stuffed tortilla be channeled into an actual lifestyle? Island entrepreneur Lee Milazzo thinks so, and after eight years of envisioning such a business, his dream of a uniquely Nantucket-style taqueria has finally come to fruition.

“NanTaco is a lifestyle brand,” he says. “It’s all about seriously crushable tacos.” Milazzo and his wife, Cindy, who together own the Samuel Owen Gallery of contemporary art on Centre Street, will now bring their considerable brand pizzazz to the restaurant business. Precipitated by a guerrilla marketing campaign featuring a hipster surf-style logo emblazoned on red-and-white ball caps, NanTaco was famous even before any plans for a brick-and-mortar business had materialized. “I actually had a guy contact me last summer and tell me that he needed my taco truck in his backyard in Palm Beach,” Milazzo says.

Along with the ultra-catchy name, NanTaco—located next door to Nantucket Surf Club in the heart of downtown at 21 South Water Street—boasts a breezy, hang ten vibe with hand-painted graphic murals and sunbaked driftwood décor that evoke simpler times. NanTaco’s all-star business cast includes creative designer Jonathan Nimerfroh, the surf and lifestyle photographer known for capturing the image of the “Slurpee Wave”; executive chef Chad Norman, formerly of Afterhouse; and general manager Biju Joshi. With six Nantucket restaurants closed this summer, including Lola Burger, Fifty-Six Union, The Boarding House and The Pearl, Milazzo’s timing is fortuitous. NanTaco promises speed and efficiency, with an almost fanatical emphasis on simplicity—a business model similar to a food truck. “Breakfast burritos will be one flavor and one size, and there will only be one size coffee—no lattes and no questions,” he notes. “It will be like, ‘How many breakfast burritos and how many coffees? Next, please.’ It’s set up so you can have fifteen to twenty people in line step up to the counter and then step out. It’s as streamlined as possible. Let’s get you to the beach!”

With an emphasis on fresh, locally sourced and organic ingredients, the cilantro-centric lunch and dinner menu will feature at least seven types of traditional tacos, including carne asada, shrimp, potato and tacos al pastor— shepherd’s style pork and pineapple shawarma tacos inspired by the nineteenth- century Lebanese migration to Mexico. “At Nantaco, the protein is the star. We are not really into naming tacos, per se, except for the El Chado,” says Milazzo, who promises that Nantaco will offer an especially plain ground beef taco with cheddar cheese and tomatoes (no cilantro) in a crispy corn shell. For Milazzo, part of being a lifestyle brand is about providing meaningful employment to his staff. He describes an open kitchen layout where the cooks are free to interact with the front of the house. Everyone will be provided with “cool uniforms” and upbeat music will be playing throughout.“

El Chados aside, NanTaco will not be a “party scene.” Primarily a grab-and-go style restaurant, NanTaco will feature high-top tables on the sidewalk and will be open year-round until 2 a.m., serving Mexican beers, wine and scratch-made sangria until 8 p.m. “Our neighbors do a fine job of providing drinks to people at night,” says Milazzo. “We don’t need to compete with them. I want NanTaco to be a place for people who work in town to go, for people who work in the restaurant industry to get food to go home with. And we will be affordable.”

For Milazzo, part of being a lifestyle brand is about providing meaningful employment to his staff. He describes an open kitchen layout where the cooks are free to interact with the front of the house. Everyone will be provided with “cool uniforms” and upbeat music will be playing throughout.

“We realize we are only as good as the people who are working at our restaurant,” he says. “At The Juice Bar and the Brewery everyone is working hard but still has a huge smile on their face. It seems to be a very Nantucket thing— it’s just really positive.”

NanTaco’s business plan also includes retro-style taco trailers drawn by vintage cars at Cisco Beach, and even a surf competition hosted by NanTaco and Nantucket Surf Club. “Nick Johnson and I are friends,” Milazzo says. “We are talking about doing something like a ‘Nantucket Nacho Classic’—a surf competition with categories like Best Costume and Worst Dismount. We are not taking ourselves too seriously about any of this. It’s all very light-hearted and fun.”

NanTaco is now open on South Water Street and also boasts a food truck parked at Cisco Beach and for private events.