It started from a bout of homesickness.
Now Chucho's is set to expand and open its very first full restaurant.
The new restaurant will be just a stone's throw away from the Shields Road unit where it amassed a reputation for arguably making the tastiest tacos on Tyneside.
But when the doors open on Thursday on the site of the Lord Clyde pub's old restaurant, it will not just mark the culmination of years of hard work.
It represents a firm which turned the negative of lockdown into a positive, and used it as a chance to grow.
"The new restaurant was our way of adapting to the situation," said Emma Wass, who runs it alongside her husband - and the man known as Chucho - Jesus Tavizon Sosa.
"Most place were having to find a way to adapt. We were just so lucky that we had found the opportunity to do this."
The last few weeks have, in her words, "been a bit mad", as they put the finishing touches on what has been a labour of love to Jesus's homeland.
In fact, the initial concept came from a trip back to Mexico. Missing his native cuisine, a taco maker was snapped up when they returned to the North East and, well, the rest is history.
And pictures from inside the new Chucho's show a homage to the land of Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and - of course - unreal grub.
Talented Mexican artist Erika Servin – who’s based at Newcastle University - is behind the vibrant artwork which adorns the Byker venue's walls.
The cocktail (and mocktail) menu is full of Mexican twists on the classics. Expect your glass to be awash with tequila.
But the expansion also means the a bigger menu, with more tasty treats up for grabs. That's if you are lucky enough to get a space, with bookings almost full for the first weekend.
Unfortunately, with the couple putting all of their efforts into the new venue, it has meant saying adios to their second site in Jesmond, which recently closed.
However the new space should mean bigger - and better - things ahead for the couple.
"Our first space was a brilliant place to start, but we were never really going to be able to grow there," added Emma.
"This is now our chance to do something different."
To book, please email chuchosbyker@gmail.com.
