The eponymous Jane is owner Mathew Boussina’s mother, the woman he describes as his hero and best friend, who helped make his restaurateur dreams come true. Over the past twenty-five years, Taco Jane’s has evolved from a little place with a lot of love in a private home, to its own two-story restaurant with even more love packed inside. At Taco Jane’s, you can expect fresh and locally sourced ingredients, authentic Mexican cuisine, and the best margarita you’ve ever tasted, all served up in a location that feels more like a friend’s living room in Mexico than a restaurant in Marin.
MM: Do you have any favorite customers? What makes a good regular and why?
MB: My favorite customers would have to be all the youth. They laugh at all my jokes and they always share new ones. They love Oreo cookies. And they are so genuine, sincere, and always filled with joy and imagination. I find it contagious and inspiring.
MM: What’s your go-to order? You’ve mentioned how important your mother has been in her support of you, does she have a go-to order?
MB: My mom Jane’s favorite go-to would have to be our Suizas enchiladas in a creamy tomatillo sauce and topped with Manchego cheese, or our Cochinita Pibil Tacos slow cooked in a sour orange achiote broth and topped with roasted pineapple on organic corn tortillas. For me, I enjoy our seared calamari tacos in a chipotle cream and queso fresco cheese on a crispy flour tortilla, or our molé enchiladas or molé burrito.
MM: Back when you first opened, what was your favorite thing about being a restaurateur?
MB: Having a purpose, answering to myself, realizing a dream, and loving what I do. Also making tons of mistakes and having the opportunity to learn and grow from them.
MM: If you’re outside Marin, where’s your favorite place to grab tacos?
MB: For al pastor, I go to Tacos El Trompo in Richmond, the closest al pastor that I have had since Mexico City. I also enjoy going to Casa Latina in Berkeley.
MM: Covid was a rough time for a lot of restaurants. How did you get through those challenges?
MB: Covid… in that decisive moment we made a conscious decision to stay open and not close our doors, which became the right thing for us to do, for our community, and our employees and their families. We stayed open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week and never closed one day. It meant everything to me to be open for our community and give them a place to have a good meal and some joy, which became a very big thing for them, even if it was only to-go.
I have always felt and seen that there are going to be moments when people are in need and they are looking for that pillar, that hand, that smile. Even if they can’t see it because you were wearing a mask, why not let that person be you?
The pandemic challenged us in those moments to rise into the 2.0 in new ways. We changed the way you order, we launched a new website and found creative ways to eat outside (to name a few), and all of these things have helped us to thrive in a very difficult time that is still ever present.
MM: Think fast! You’re about to be stranded on a desert island and have to make margaritas to quench your thirst. What ingredients are you bringing with you to make the perfect margarita?
MB: That’s a hard one…Tequila, limes, and something sweet.
MM: It’s your 25th anniversary! First of all, congratulations! Second of all, now with this big milestone completed, where do you see the business going in the next 25 years?
MB: Watching sunsets and drinking margaritas.