Early Bird Tacos exclusive sit down w/Founder Alex Melzer
All for one, and one for the taco! Early Bird Tacos is a family affair. Founded by a family and feeding families in the Bay Area. This legendary breakfast spot is located in Tam Junction inside the Junction Beer Garden.
Finding our way in this world seems to be built on a continuum of experiences as if they were always linked but you never knew it. Alex Melzer, Founder of Early Bird Tacos has run this path. His early career and geographic location really became the inspiration for what would be a precursor into an unlikely venture - the ultra competitive world of tacos. Think MMA meets food. The taco juggernauts are out there and have been for quite some time. From San Diego and L.A. to Miami and New York. But not to be overlooked is another hotspot location in the middle getting a ton of press recently for its Silicon Valley like tech scene, BBQ, music, and most importantly - the breakfast taco!
To quote a recent Bon Appetit article, “Austin is the land of the breakfast taco!”. Ok, so now you might know where i’m going with this. Alex while living in Austin and attending business school couldn’t help but notice the exportability of a simple pleasure. It’s when he arrived in Mill Valley that the feeling started to magnify. I’m imagining the hairs on his arm standing up as the lack of breakfast tacos represented in the Bay Area begged for someone to create and cultivate this TAM delicious and proven idea. In a strange connection, this reminded me of the time I interviewed the founder of UGG (that popular sheepskin boot company we all know), who described the time he visited California and realized that UGG’s did not exist in the U.S., yet was a prized possession of his beloved country of Australia. He too saw the opportunity. But I digress.
The story of Early Bird Tacos was a family affair from the start with a broken jaw, baby on the way, and the smell of TAM delicious breakfast tacos. Alex, who had recently suffered a broken jaw, had been taking a hiatus from that thing we all love, talking. You see Alex at this time was in transition, looking to replace his grueling finance career, but at the time, hard charging conversations just weren’t in the cards. So he buckled down, thought deeply about the things he loved (in addition to his lovely family of course), and started making tacos. The rest as they say, is history. My favorite part of the story involves Alex and Jamie describing the beginning when they both were running taco deliveries just after the birth of their first child. Laughing about it now is easy, but I can just imagine the feeling of an expanding family and the demand for taco deliveries. I can barely get tacos on the table for my family at dinner. For Alex and Jamie, bonded forever in matrimony and tacos, their story extends through the thousands of smiling faces who bite into their hearty and heartfelt tacos served daily.
Unfortunately during the time of COVID they were forced to close the business. But, in the face of adversity, Alex quickly jumped at the opportunity to open a pop-up at The Junction Beer Garden and serve breakfast tacos right in the local neighborhood.
Nowadays you’ll find Alex working the counter at Early Bird Tacos in Tam Junction several days a week. Their menu is simple and the breakfast tacos they serve are the hits. These crowd pleasers pair perfectly with a cup of coffee (while the kids hang on the Pirate Ship) before the continuation of your day beyond Tam Junction. Spend any time at their location and you’ll see a growing crowd of local and adventurous visitors. From Alex’s family to yours, every adult and child will leave full and happy. It’s simple. Stop on by, fill your belly, and I promise you’ll be TAM GLAD you did.
Early Bird Tacos
226 Shoreline Hwy, Mill Valley, CA 94941
Hours: Weekdays 7:30am - 11:00am | Weekends 7:30am - 11:30am