Hungry for Tex-Mex? Los Vaqueros Restaurant opens 1 new location, adding another soon
It takes a brave restaurateur to open a new location these days.
So what do we call somebody who opens two?
“I am scared,” wrote Vicki Cisneros, president of new Los Vaqueros Restaurant locations on South University Drive and Interstate 20 West along with the flagship Los Vaqueros in the largest remaining historic Stockyards packinghouse.
“But being scared has never stopped me in the past,” she wrote by email.
“Why should it now?”
Being scared never stopped founders “Kiki” and Johnny Cisneros 40 years ago, when they met working at an El Chico, married and decided to open their own little restaurant near Northwest 28th Street, where “Kiki” Cisneros’ father had worked long hours for low pay as a butcher at now-gone Armour & Co.
.Their two little boys were nicknamed “the vaqueros” — the cowboys.
Now, the family has its flagship Los Vaqueros across from Billy Bob’s Texas at 2629 N. Main St., a brand-new Los Vaqueros at 3201 S. University Drive and a giant location coming in a former seafood restaurant location at 4899 Interstate 20 East, Willow Park.
The new Los Vaqueros University opened last weekend. It replaced a nearby location that continues for now as a banquet and party rental hall.
Next comes Los Vaqueros West, the 14-year-old Willow Park location moving from a nearby golf club into a large landmark restaurant with a patio.
The coronavirus pandemic slowed business, “but we are holding our own and I never realized how much of a loyal customer base we have after 38 years,” Vicki Cisneros wrote.
Los Vaqueros’ business was off during the pandemic, but not as badly as other restaurants. In particular, the current Willow Park store stayed busy, she wrote.
The Cisneros family chose both new locations because the slowdown gave them time to think and plan, Vicki Cisneros wrote.
“I have to admit, there were days when I looked in the mirror and thought, ‘What am I doing?’ — purchasing a restaurant in the middle of COVID, signing a lease on another. But I have faith in what we do and what we are to the community.”
Los Vaqueros is a traditional Mexican restaurant with a menu rooted in old-fashioned Tex-Mex. But it also has healthier items, such as a rice-and-squash-stuffed chile relleno, spinach or avocado enchiladas, and weekend brunch dishes such as migas or spinach stacked enchiladas.
There’s also fajitas, steak dishes, brisket tacos and a few chicken and shrimp items.
When readers pick the best Tex-Mex restaurant in town, they lean toward La Playa Maya or El Paseo, or newer places such as Mesero or Mi Cocula.
But Los Vaqueros Stockyards might have the second nicest garden and patio in town (after Joe T. García’s, of course)
The University location is the only traditional Tex-Mex restaurant in the TCU area, although the updated Enchiladas Olé has taken a bite out of that market. Los Vaqueros is closer to the football stadium, though.
Both new Los Vaqueros locations have larger patios for safe outdoor dining.
For now, all Los Vaqueros restaurants are open for lunch and dinner Tuesdays through Saturdays and for brunch Sundays; losvaqueros.com.
This story was originally published October 6, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
