‘Made with lots of love’: This south side restaurant’s fried chicken stands the test of time
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Beef enchiladas, hard-shell tacos and burritos are staples at Jesús Family Restaurant, but it is the fried chicken that has customers craving more.
For over 50 years, the family-run restaurant has been serving Tex-Mex at 810 S. Main St. Hamburgers, fried pies, chicken-fried steak and fried chicken round out the menu that has rarely changed since Jesús Borja opened the restaurant all those years ago.
Now, thanks to its many fans, Jesús Family Restaurant was one of three finalists in the Star-Telegram’s Readers’ Choice poll for the best fried chicken.
Although locals can attest to the restaurant’s fried chicken deliciousness, it came as kind of a surprise to Borja’s daughter Maria Martinez, who helps run the business with her daughter Louisa.
“My daughter explained it to me, it was the people that come in and try it and they go and tell someone or she says from Facebook and I go, ‘OK, how did they know about us like that and how did they pick us?’” Maria Martinez said with a laugh.
A family business
Borja opened the restaurant in 1969 with help from his siblings.
Over the years, as business grew for the restaurant so did Borja’s family. Everyone from siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren have all worked at or had a part in the family restaurant, Maria Martinez said.
Currently, there’s four generations of the Borja/Martinez family working at the restaurant, including 92-year-old Borja, who has the important job of supervising the kitchen.
“[Borja] does come in in the morning and help me set up and then he gets a little tired and he goes and rests,” Maria Martinez said. “As long as he continues moving, he’s fine.”
Maria Martinez, 69, is the main cook who manages the kitchen and said she’s still learning new food tips every day.
She learned her way around the kitchen from Borja, taking over for him after he decided to take a break from his duties after having heart surgery. But its been a labor of love for Martinez, who enjoys working and serving the longstanding Tex-Mex.
Many customers have asked her about retirement, but Martinez isn’t quite ready to hang up the apron.
“As long as I continue to work, I’m going to continue it,” she said.
Enchiladas, barbecue and fried chicken, oh yes!
Most of the same menu items Borja opened the restaurant with are present today, minus a few minor changes.
When the restaurant opened, Borja served a whole catfish, steak ranchero and even oysters, Maria Martinez said. However, the menu has gotten smaller over the years, and up until the COVID-19 pandemic, barbecue was a big seller, but as of right now is off the menu.
There used to be brisket, barbecued chicken, ribs and bologna, but Maria Martinez said the small menu takes stress off the small kitchen crew.
“I’m happy with the things we have right now,” she said.
They’re known for being one of the best Tex-Mex restaurants in Fort Worth, but the fried chicken and chicken-fried steak are the locale’s secret weapon.
Most customers are surprised to find out that Jesús’ serves fried chicken, but it doesn’t take long for them to find out why, Louisa Martinez said. Some regulars will come in just for the fried chicken and post about it on social media, driving more foot traffic, she said.
“Customers will come in and pick up an order and they’ll see a plate of fried chicken and go, ‘Oh my god, I didn’t know y’all had fried chicken,’” Louisa Martinez said.
Everything made at the restaurant is the same exact way Borja made it and that’s how every cook has learned.
Maria Martinez said the fried chicken is special because its homemade and served with a chicken-flavored gravy.
She then begins to list off the recipe for their famous fried chicken.
“I mean it’s just milk and eggs and ...” Maria Martinez says before her daughter Louisa names off the only ingredient needed.
“It’s made out of lots of love,” Louisa Martinez says as she looks at her mother, who laughs and agrees with the sentiment.
If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it
Jesús Family Restaurant has been a force in south side Fort Worth.
The restaurant closed during the pandemic for a stretch, slowly opening for to-go orders at the tail end of 2020. The dining room opened to customers in mid-2021.
Maria Martinez said the restaurant’s success over the years and during the pandemic is attributed to the happy customers who always come hungry and leave full.
She can’t thank the restaurant’s supporters enough, saying that some customers will come in, and after finishing their meal give her a thumbs up, a gesture she loves to see. That small hand movement is enough to encourage her to keep getting plates out of the kitchen at the same quality Jesús’ is known for.
She doesn’t envision the restaurant changing much anytime soon and enjoys keeping the cozy family-run atmosphere for as long as she can. Customers will change over the years, but the family behind the Tex-Mex restaurant continues to run.
“I have my daughter to give me support and my son and my grandchildren,” she said. “That makes me happy because I see them interested in it and I’m glad.”
Jesús Family Restaurant is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 810 S. Main St.
This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 1:00 PM.
