{"id":154404,"date":"2026-03-05T19:44:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T19:44:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/154404\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T19:44:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T19:44:20","slug":"how-a-bronx-dishwasher-built-one-of-miamis-buzziest-taco-spots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/154404\/","title":{"rendered":"How a Bronx Dishwasher Built One of Miami\u2019s Buzziest Taco Spots"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tChef Nuno Grullon went from Bronx dishwasher to national recognition with Uptown 66, the Miami taco spot behind the \u201cBest Taco in America.\u201d\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Chef Nuno Grullon photo<\/p>\n

Chef Nuno Grullon never set out to open restaurants, much less build a nationally recognized food brand in South Florida. <\/p>\n

At 16, working as a dishwasher in the Bronx after losing both of his parents, survival was the only plan. What kept him in the kitchen was something else entirely. The slow realization that food, in the right hands, could be more than sustenance. It could be art.<\/p>\n

Some of Grullon\u2019s earliest memories trace back to his Dominican mother\u2019s cooking, meals that stretched beyond the Caribbean and drew praise from anyone lucky enough to be at the table. That early instinct eventually carried him from prep stations in New York to national television, where he won a Good Morning America title for \u201cBest Taco in America.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Today, Grullon is the chef and owner of Uptown 66<\/a>, the Mexican street-food spot that first opened in Miami\u2019s MiMo District and later expanded to Hallandale Beach in 2025. Yet accolades and expansion have never been the point. With no investors, no shortcuts, and little patience for hype, Grullon has built his career the hard way, one plate at a time.<\/p>\n

\"\"Much like his mother, who cooked and baked recipes drawn from multiple cultures, Chef Grullon learned to treat cuisine as both craft and creativity.<\/p>\n

From Bronx Dishwasher to Real Confidence<\/p>\n

At 16 years old, Grullon had no clear picture of what his future would look like. He took a dishwasher job because he needed the money. That role quickly turned into prep work, then line cooking, and eventually a growing sense of purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle by little, as I started to receive compliments for my work, I started to gain confidence,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

It was during this period that Grullon began to understand food as both a form of expression and a means of survival. Much like his mother, who cooked and baked recipes drawn from multiple cultures, he learned to treat cuisine as both a craft and a form of creativity.<\/p>\n

Over time, technique met instinct, and confidence followed.<\/p>\n

\"\"The award-winning birria tacos from Uptown 66 in Miami and in Hallandale Beach<\/p>\n

No Hospitality Group, No Investors, Just a Passionate Chef<\/p>\n

Despite a professional background rooted in Mediterranean cuisines, including French, Italian, Moroccan, and Greek cooking, Grullon made the deliberate decision to focus on Mexican food. The move was not about chasing trends or abandoning his training. It was about recognizing a gap in the community and responding thoughtfully. \u201cI\u2019m an experienced professional chef. I\u2019m using someone else\u2019s culture and cuisine, so I\u2019m going to be respectful of what\u2019s important to that cuisine,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

While he allows himself room for creativity, the foundation remains intentional and informed. That philosophy defines Uptown 66\u2019s approach. Approachable street food made with premium ingredients and executed without unnecessary complexity.<\/p>\n

While Miami diners often chase the newest opening, Grullon\u2019s success story feels refreshingly scrappy. No investors. No hospitality group. Just a chef obsessed with getting the food right.<\/p>\n

Recognition Without a Safety Net<\/p>\n

When Good Morning America named Uptown 66\u2019s birria taco the \u201cBest Taco in America,\u201d the moment landed less like a victory lap and more like a weight.<\/p>\n

For Grullon, national recognition did not come with investors, corporate backing, or a financial cushion. It came with pressure. \u201cI\u2019m very grateful. I\u2019m blessed,\u201d he says. \u201cIt could\u2019ve been anybody\u2019s win. It just happened to be mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

The accolade helped the business, no question, but it did not change the day-to-day reality of running an independent restaurant. \u201cEverything here has been blood, sweat, and tears,\u201d Grullon says.<\/p>\n

\"\"The new Hallandale Beach location of Uptown 66 seats plenty of people, serves liquor, and has special programming<\/p>\n

Hallandale Gives Uptown 66 Room to Grow<\/p>\n

If the original Uptown 66 in Miami\u2019s MiMo District is about efficiency and precision, the Hallandale location is about space.<\/p>\n

The new restaurant seats 151 guests, a dramatic contrast to the original 900-square-foot outpost that Grullon has been told is \u201cthe busiest small restaurant in Miami.\u201d The new Hallandale location offers Grullon room to experiment and to grow.<\/p>\n

Plus, the full liquor license opens the door to a more ambitious bar program while the expanded kitchen allows Grullon to introduce a raw bar, crudos, and Mexican street seafood alongside the familiar Uptown 66 staples. \u201cYou can get everything you get in Miami and more,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

That \u201cmore\u201d includes oysters displayed behind glass, lobster, and a dinner menu that is already building a following. Dishes like branzino marinated in Mexican chiles, fall-off-the-bone short rib, and a house-made Uptown 66 burger reflect a chef stretching creatively without losing focus.<\/p>\n

Uptown 66 Hallandale also just introduced weekly programming, including Taco Tuesdays, Ladies Night on Fridays and Saturdays, half-off bottles of wine on Thursdays, and a daily happy hour designed to give the restaurant different rhythms throughout the week.<\/p>\n

\"\"Every day brings a tweak, a refinement, a new approach. It is discipline over ego and quality over everything else.<\/p>\n

Quality Over Everything<\/p>\n

Despite his culinary confidence, Grullon is candid about what he is still figuring out. One of the biggest surprises after opening Hallandale was not operational. It was visibility. Grullon did not grow up around restaurateurs or mentors who could walk him through the business side of expansion. Much of what he knows he has learned in real time, adapting, reassessing, and moving forward publicly.<\/p>\n

That transparency has become part of Uptown 66\u2019s identity. There is no manufactured polish here. Just a chef learning how to run a growing operation without losing himself in the process. \u201cYou\u2019re only as good as your last meal,\u201d he says, a philosophy that governs everything from recipe development to daily systems in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

He describes himself as never being fully content with his food. Every day brings a tweak, a refinement, a new approach. It is discipline over ego and quality over everything else.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a mindset literally tattooed on his arm: \u201cQuality over bullshit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grullon cites Gordon Ramsay as a touchstone, drawn to a style of cooking that prioritizes precision, intensity, and respect for ingredients. Whether it is sourcing heirloom corn from Oaxaca for handmade tortillas or obsessing over technique, shortcuts are not part of the equation.<\/p>\n

\"\"Uptown 66 has been popular among local food bloggers in South Florida<\/p>\n

Screenshot via Instagram\/@uptown66miami<\/p>\n

Looking Ahead to 2026<\/p>\n

Ask Grullon about the future, and you will not hear grand plans for domination or endless locations.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, he hopes to reopen Grand Central in the next few years and continue expanding strategically. At Hallandale, there is talk of programming in 2026, potential collaborations, and even the idea of working with an art gallery. \u201cIn the meantime, I just want to keep cooking and making sure I can wow my customers every day,\u201d Grullon says.<\/p>\n

Because what matters most to Grullon is longevity, his craft, and consistency in delivery. Plus, the ability to keep cooking at a level that excites him and respects the people who walk through the door.<\/p>\n

Chef Grullon isn\u2019t chasing the next award; he\u2019s making sure the next plate is better than the last.<\/p>\n

Uptown 66. Two area locations, including 6600 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-960-7117; uptown66.miami<\/a>, and 801 N. Federal Hwy., Ste. 109-110, Hallandale Beach, 754-888-9380; uptown66.miami\/hallandalemenu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chef Nuno Grullon went from Bronx dishwasher to national recognition with Uptown 66, the Miami taco spot behind…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":154405,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[128,4544,36028,2482,9,24,63,32518,129,131,130],"class_list":["post-154404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-the-bronx","tag-bronx","tag-chefs","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-interviews","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-openings-closings","tag-the-bronx","tag-the-bronx-headlines","tag-the-bronx-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}