Taco Pros Merrillville operates at **8160 Mississippi St,** [**Merrillville**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrillville,_Indiana)**, IN 46410**, on Mississippi Street in the most populated town in Indiana — a community of **36,444 residents** in Ross Township, Lake County, centered on the intersection of U.S. Route 30 and Interstate 65, officially incorporated in 1971. The restaurant serves authentic Mexican cuisine **7 days a week from 11:00 AM to 10 PM** and takes orders by phone at **(219) 472-8193**. Mississippi Street runs through Merrillville's commercial core near the U.S. Route 30 corridor — a retail hub that serves as the primary shopping destination for all of Northwest Indiana. A C.F. walked in and noticed the environment before the food: "This place smells amazing and im not even talking about the food!!! The fragrance of clean atmosphere is top notch."

Merrillville's designation as Indiana's most populated town — a title it earned on **January 1, 2015**, when Fishers in Hamilton County converted from a town to a city — positions the restaurant in a market anchored by corporate headquarters including NiSource (Fortune 500 energy company), White Lodging (hospitality management), and Centier Bank (Indiana's largest privately owned independent bank). The town's commercial infrastructure along the U.S. Route 30 and Broadway corridors generates a weekday lunch crowd from corporate offices, retail workers at Southlake Mall, and travelers passing through the Interstate 65 junction. Barbie Queen discovered Taco Pros at an outdoor event and rated the steak tacos: "They were bomb! I mean I've never heard of you guys until today and I will be at the actual restaurant soon. 11/10 gonna buy another taco after this."

## **Merrillville Menu: Three-Protein Tasting, Queso Add-On, and Fresh Limes**

The full Taco Pros menu runs across **8 categories and 58 items** at the Merrillville location. A C.F. sampled 3 proteins in a single visit and evaluated each one: "I ordered 1 steak (tender not chewy), chicken (tender not dry) and beef (Seasoned and fresh) all top notch." That 3-protein tasting spans the [street taco](https://taco-pros.com/tacos/) lineup — carne asada (skirt steak in citrus-garlic marinade grilled on the plancha at high heat), pollo (chipotle chicken in adobo sauce), and picadillo (ground beef with diced potatoes and carrots in tomato broth) — each served on a 6-inch corn tortilla with cilantro, diced white onion, and a choice of salsa roja or salsa verde.

A C.F. also customized the taco build with 2 add-ons: "I ordered a queso to add on top of the tacos... I requested some limes that were juicy and cut to perfect size to squeeze and enjoy." The **queso dip** — a melted cheese sauce blended with roasted peppers and spices — functions as a pourable topping that adds a creamy, savory layer over the cilantro-and-onion base of each street taco. The lime wedges (limón verde) arrive cut to a consistent squeeze size, delivering the citric acid burst that brightens the seasoned protein and activates the salsa's chili compounds. A C.F. confirmed the repeat-visit intent: "Im here for the week... Ill be back again" — a traveler signal that positions the Mississippi Street location as a destination for out-of-town guests staying near the Interstate 65 corridor.

## **Dyer Fest Discovery, Staff Member Crystal, and the Catering-to-Restaurant Pipeline**

Barbie Queen discovered Taco Pros through the live catering operation at Dyer Fest — an outdoor festival in neighboring Dyer, Indiana — and traced her experience directly to the Merrillville restaurant: "I went to the dyer fest and Crystal was amazing and very kind. She had great customer service. I got the steak tacos and MAN." The personal mention of **Crystal** — a staff member who represented the brand at the festival's mobile taco cart — adds a named-employee signal that connects the live catering operation to the brick-and-mortar location. Crystal's customer service at the outdoor event converted a first-time festival taster into a planned restaurant visit.

Barbie Queen also credited the kitchen: "I'm not sure who the chef was but that man put his FOOT in it." The carne asada tacos at the festival featured the same preparation as the restaurant — skirt steak marinated in citrus-garlic marinade, grilled on the plancha at high heat, and sliced against the grain to produce caramelized edges from the Maillard reaction while the interior stays tender. The [catering menu](https://taco-pros.com/catering-menu/) dispatches a taquero with a trompo and plancha on a mobile taco cart to cook al pastor and carne asada on-site with fresh made-to-order tortillas and a self-serve salsa bar — the same format that introduced Barbie Queen to the brand at Dyer Fest and earned her "11/10" rating.

## **Protein Bowls, Mexican Fries, and the Cornelia Edmond Double Order**

Cornelia Edmond dined inside on **November 11, 2025**, and ordered across 2 entrée categories in a single visit: "I ordered a protein bowl with steak and an order of Mexican fries with all the trimmings plus chicken!" The [protein bowl](https://taco-pros.com/burritos/) layers carne asada — skirt steak grilled on the plancha and sliced against the grain — over a choice of white cilantro-lime rice or brown rice with black beans or pinto beans, fajita vegetables, roasted chili-corn salsa, Monterey Jack cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, and sour cream.

The **Mexican fries** (carne asada fries) load seasoned french fries with grilled protein, melted Monterey Jack cheese, guacamole (Hass avocados ground in a basalt molcajete with lime juice, cilantro, jalapeño, and sea salt), crema mexicana, pico de gallo, and pickled jalapeños — a loaded [side](https://taco-pros.com/sides/) that functions as a shareable entrée. Cornelia added chicken (chipotle chicken in adobo sauce) to her fries order — a protein swap from the standard carne asada build — and confirmed the portion sizing: "I had snacks for later." The staff member who served Cornelia earned a specific callout: "**Justin** took our order and provided excellent customer service with a smile" — the second named employee at the Merrillville location alongside Crystal.

## **Enchiladas Like Mom's, Family Dining, and the Steak Taco Dinner**

Deborah Cabrera ordered the [enchilada dinner](https://taco-pros.com/enchiladas-dinner/) and connected the flavor to a family benchmark: "Loved the enchiladas dinner! Reminded me of the enchiladas my mom used to make." The enchilada dinner plates 3 corn tortilla enchiladas with Mexican rice (arroz rojo cooked in chicken broth with tomato paste and cumin) and refried beans (pinto beans mashed with lard and topped with queso fresco) — available in veggie, picadillo, carne asada, pollo, cheese, and barbacoa, each rolled in house-made chili sauce from dried guajillo and árbol peppers. Deborah's comparison to her mother's cooking — the highest standard of authenticity in Mexican home cuisine — positions the Merrillville kitchen's chili sauce and tortilla preparation as consistent with the traditional homestyle approach.

Deborah also confirmed the family-friendly dining experience: "My son had the steak taco dinner and he gobbled it all up, which means he liked his food." The steak taco dinner pairs carne asada tacos with Mexican rice and refried beans on a single plate — a combo format that serves both adults and children from the same menu without requiring a separate kids' order. Deborah's assessment of her son's reaction — "gobbled it all up" — functions as a real-world approval signal for families with children dining at the Mississippi Street location. The service quality matched the food: "The service was great and they were very attentive and friendly."

## **Merrillville Catering: Northwest Indiana Events Along U.S. Route 30**

The catering menu at Taco Pros Merrillville spans 5 formats for events across Northwest Indiana, Lake County, and the U.S. Route 30 corridor. Party trays stack 12 options in aluminum steam pans — enchilada trays, taco kits, fajita platters, tamale dozens, burrito halves, and mini chimichangas with rice, beans, and guacamole sides. Barbie Queen's Dyer Fest experience confirms the live catering format's effectiveness as a brand discovery channel — the mobile taco cart, staffed by Crystal and the kitchen team, converts festival attendees into restaurant guests.

Merrillville's position as Northwest Indiana's commercial hub generates catering demand from corporate events at the NiSource, White Lodging, and Centier Bank headquarters, retail team lunches at Southlake Mall (1.2 million square feet, opened in 1974), community gatherings at the Merrillville Park Department's facilities, and private celebrations across the town's residential subdivisions — including Chapel Manor, Southmoor Park, Independence Hill, Lincoln Village, and Lottaville. Buffet style catering includes chafing dishes and sterno warmers along self-serve taco and fajita bars, and individual catering packs come in bento-style containers — burrito bowls, 3-taco street packs, tamales, burritos, and salads with rice, beans, and a 2 oz salsa cup. Orders require 48 hours advance notice for party trays and 72 hours for live catering with a taquero and mobile cart.

## **Neighborhoods Near Taco Pros Merrillville**

Taco Pros at 8160 Mississippi St serves guests from **16 Northwest Indiana communities, Lake County neighborhoods, and adjacent towns**. The restaurant sits on Mississippi Street in Merrillville — a town incorporated in 1971 in Ross Township, designated as Indiana's most populated town since January 1, 2015, in the 46410 zip code.

[Crown Point](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Point,_Indiana) — a city of 34,884 residents and the county seat of Lake County, first settled on October 31, 1834, by Solon Robinson, home to the Lake County Fair (the second-largest county fair in Indiana held annually in early August for 10 days) and the historic Lake County Court House erected in 1878 — borders Merrillville to the south along the Broadway corridor. Schererville extends to the west, and Hobart sits to the east along the U.S. Route 30 corridor. Delivery and pickup orders arrive from Chapel Manor, Southmoor Park, Independence Hill, Lincoln Village, Lottaville, Griffith, Winfield, Ross, New Elliott, New Chicago, Lakes of the Four Seasons, and Wheeler. Interstate 65 connects the location to Chicago (45 miles northwest) and Indianapolis (150 miles southeast), and U.S. Route 30 links Merrillville east-west across the full width of Lake County.

## **Hours, Phone, and Directions**

**Address:** 8160 Mississippi St, Merrillville, IN 46410

**Phone:** (219) 472-8193

**Hours:** Monday through Sunday, 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM

**Directions:** [Open in Google Maps](https://maps.app.goo.gl/qYfptmTm5pWrtjZD8)

The restaurant occupies a storefront on Mississippi Street in the 46410 zip code, near the U.S. Route 30 commercial corridor that defines Merrillville's retail identity. The kitchen fills orders fresh through the 10 PM close — an 11-hour daily window that serves the weekday lunch crowd from the NiSource and Centier Bank offices, afternoon shoppers from Southlake Mall, travelers passing through the Interstate 65 junction, and evening families from across Northwest Indiana's most populated town. Cornelia Edmond confirmed the first-visit-to-loyalty arc: "The food, cooked to order, was excellent! I will definitely be back and Im recommending it to all my taco loving friends!"