Here’s the new Atlanta-based taqueria opening in the former Sputnik Bar in Columbus
The Columbus-based real estate development firm The Cotton Companies has announced that the Atlanta-based taqueria Tuza Taco is coming to the former Sputnik Bar.
Tuza Taco owner Jason Sherman is excited by the market in Columbus and believes the taqueria would be a unique restaurant in the city.
The taqueria uses what Sherman describes as a “bulletin board menu,” which means that the items that come in fresh each day are what the taqueria will make.
“You have core items that will consist of tacos, a few quesadillas and burritos,” Sherman said. “But it’s all built around a core set of ingredients and homemade spices that have been inspired from family and friends’ Mexican recipes.”
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The firm confirmed that the historic building would be repurposed into a restaurant as part of an extension of the Midcity District outside of Midcity Yards. Sherman met Chris Woodruff, The Cotton Companies president, and his partner Martin Huff when they visited the Atlanta restaurant as customers before the start of the pandemic.
“The world kind of stopped for a while,” Sherman said. “And once COVID kind of passed, we got back to normal. We got back together again.”
Paying homage to Sputnik
The Cotton Companies plan to reuse much of Sputnik’s outer shell, according to the release. Some of the changes to the building will include adding a full bar, patio space and a visitor parking lot.
Opening the second Tuza Taco location in the historic building is a responsibility, Sherman said. When Woodruff and Huff showed him the space and explained its history in Columbus as a dive bar, he knew that it would be important to keep as many of the original elements as possible.
While the exterior may be “somewhat muted,” he said, there’s no plan to remove some of the original signage from the facade. Sherman has met with local artists who have shown him photographs and other pieces of art that he plans to feature in the taqueria.
“We’ll preserve that (history),” he said. “It’s not that we hope to make Sputnik that fast and new thing. We’ll pay homage to it and respect it. I think that’s important.”
‘Make some jokes, laugh and then go in separate ways’
Before wading into the restaurant business, Sherman worked in the telecommunications industry with most of his customers in Central and South America. As a result, he often traveled to these locations, along with Mexico, where he was able to discover and explore new experiences, Sherman said.
He believes his childhood that was spent in Miami also exposed him to many other cultures and foods. In his travels, Sherman enjoyed trying new foods and learning about their recipes — particularly the street food in Mexico City.
“People from all walks could meet somewhere on a corner and for a few minutes put away any differences that the world was throwing at (them),” he said. “They could grab a few tacos, maybe a cold beer or soda, make some jokes, laugh and then go in separate ways.”
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Sherman moved to Georgia eight years ago while he was still working in telecommunications. He built a network of friends and family in the state, he said, and after leaving his former company he decided to open Tuza Taco in 2018.
“When the time came, I said ‘Okay, we have a good little Rolodex of recipes,’” Sherman said. “It seems to have worked out.”
Tuza Taco is expected to open sometime this summer, Sherman said. More information about the taqueria will be released in the coming months, according to the release.
“I’m excited to get to know the town,” Sherman said. “I plan to live there, to get to know the people in the town and become a neighborhood restaurant.”
