Restaurant Scene: Locally owned White Duck Taco coming in June to Chattanooga

White Duck Taco is set to open in June off McCallie Avenue near the Highland Park and Orchard Knob neighborhoods.

Choose from a bevy of taco options filled to the brim with jackfruit or Korean beef bulgogi and kimchi or crispy pork belly. You can also grab a beer, a glass of wine or a cocktail since White Duck will have a fully stocked bar. Take your food and drinks outside to sit in the sunshine, or let the kids roam in the designated kid zone.

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Co-owner and operator Nelson Taylor gave a tour of the expansive space earlier this week. The brick building with skylights and big glass doors used to be a restaurant supply store. Taylor and father-son co-owners Steve and Adam Lutz have worked diligently to repurpose the space while keeping many of its charms intact.

Adam Lutz mentioned that after one building on the property was condemned and had to be torn down, he kept the metal trusses and fashioned them into an architecturally beautiful fence – which also serves as a safe boundary between the busy traffic on McCallie and the property.

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Lutz is from Asheville, North Carolina, originally, and he and Taylor loved going to White Duck Taco, which is where the brand started. They have both lived in Chattanooga since college and established roots here, so the project will be locally owned. Taylor has helped open several spots in town, including Oddstory and Bitter Alibi. He missed working with breweries and said that White Duck will partner with local breweries before launching its own.

“The brewery will be a new local brewery here in Chattanooga, so the first of its kind,” Taylor said, adding that the official announcement around the name and the details will be shared later this year.

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Lutz pointed out changes that are still underway: where the parking lot is, where the privacy fence will go, as well as the sod that will be laid over close to 27,000 square feet of outdoor space. A stage set up outside will host live music and a movie screen for outdoor movie nights.

“I want people to come here and feel like it’s almost like a public park,” Lutz said. “I’ve got kids. I know a lot of other people have kids, and I’ll go to Coolidge Park and my kid will play in the fountain and I see all the other parents sitting around and everybody just looks like they could go for a beer and a taco.”

Contact Lyric Lewin at llewin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6215.