By Jim Roberts
Don’t come to Sanctuary Taco Bar expecting burritos or enchiladas—or even chips and salsa.
Just tacos.
Well … tacos and homemade fudge.
It sounds like an odd combination until you meet owner Trey Hannah.
For 27 years, Hannah ran his family’s Hallmark store in Virginia Beach. When the business closed, he wasn’t planning to open a restaurant. He was looking for a small storefront where he could expand on his side hustle making fudge.
Then a friend changed his mind.
“He said, ‘Forget the fudge thing. Do it like a little dive bar,'” Hannah recalled. “Then he said, ‘Tacos.'”
Nearly a decade later, Sanctuary Taco has grown from a hidden neighborhood spot in Norfolk’s NEON District to a second location on 25th Street in the Railroad District. The larger restaurant now serves as the brand’s flagship.
Along the way, Hannah has built a loyal following by doing one thing—and doing it well.
“We’re just a taco bar,” he said. “Period.”
Not a Mexican restaurant. Not a Tex-Mex restaurant.
Just tacos.
Well … tacos and fudge.
Hannah readily admits he isn’t a professionally trained chef. Instead, the inspiration for Sanctuary’s menu came from something far more familiar.
“We’re not authentic street tacos,” he said. “We are American taco night tacos.”
He remembered his mother setting out taco shells, seasoned meat, and bowls of toppings on the kitchen table: “Here’s your shell. There’s your protein. There’s the little bowls of fixings. Go for it.”
That simple concept became Sanctuary Taco’s signature. Customers choose their shell, protein, and toppings from a checklist while the kitchen assembles each order using ingredients prepared fresh in-house.
“We make everything from its raw form,” Hannah said. “It’s all fresh. We don’t buy anything packaged.”
Fresh ingredients matter, but Hannah believes hospitality matters just as much.
“Hallmark taught me the customer service side for 27 years,” he said.
Today, those lessons show up in the little things: greeting guests at the door, checking on tables, thanking customers when they leave, and reminding his team that every interaction matters.
“On every ad now I say, ‘Friendly staff,'” Hannah said. “That’s an indicator to everybody, including the staff. This is what we’re about.”
The culture he’s built is perhaps best reflected by the people who have stayed with him.Kitchen leader Ethan Repko joined Sanctuary as a teenager and has spent nearly the restaurant’s entire life working alongside Hannah.
“I always tell people it’s not so much that I enjoy working for Sanctuary,” Repko said. “It’s really just working for Trey.”
Hannah smiled when he heard that.
“I’ve got all these guys that look after me,” he said. “It makes it easier.”
That sense of teamwork helped carry the restaurant through one of its biggest challenges.
After opening a second location at the Railyard, Hannah learned his lease would not be renewed.
“My whole world,” he said. “I remember sitting down outside, and I think I cried.”
But friendships he had built with neighboring business owners led him to his current flagship location. Looking back, he saw that disappointment differently.
“I’m very happy he did me a favor by not renewing my lease,” Hannah said. “I didn’t see it that way in the beginning, but I definitely do now.”
The flagship has room to grow, with plans for live music, rotating local art, and a game room that reflects Hannah’s long-standing commitment to Norfolk’s creative community.
He hopes to open more Sanctuary Taco locations someday—but not bigger ones.
“This is as big as I ever want to be,” he said. “I want to open more of them … but small.”
As for the fudge?
Hannah still makes it himself every couple of weeks.
Today, it sits on the dessert menu instead of serving as the business plan.
Funny how things work out.
Without the fudge, there probably wouldn’t have been tacos.
Sanctuary Taco’s flagship location is at 218 W. 25th St., Norfolk. Follow the restaurant on Instagram @sanctuary_bartacosart.