Today we’d like to introduce you to Eloy Saenz.
Hi Eloy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
This story begins in a not so well known little town in Northern Mexico in the early 80’s. A daily walk to school, a taco cart on an indistinct corner, the visual distraction of a concave comal encircled by grilled onions and beef steak just awaiting their turn to be combined with the most miniature tortilla to be immediately and ceremoniously dressed in white (chopped onions) and green (fresh cilantro) only to be finally crowned with queso fresco and a slice of the freshest Mexican avocado and finally completing the process of the true and traditional “Taco Callejero” or “Street Taco” as it is known locally. “Many a times”, on the way school and back, were committed to stop to enjoy this traditional “Taco Parado” or “Standing to enjoy a taco” but soon after, the 17 year old student was juggling high school, a job, and the weekend ownership of a taco stand in Mexico.
A visit to Austin in ’86 sealed the map of my destiny making it my new home. While the books were preparing me for my professional calling in life, my heart was yearning for that simple life in my town, for my family, for my friends and those unforgettable “Tacos Callejeros” with all those life moments that accompanied them.
It was not long after, that this yearning extended that destiny map and “El Taquito” was born. It was 1995 and Riverside Drive was a true melting pot and, for the first time in Central Texas, the traditional “Taco Callejero” was being offered to the community at our taco stand in the corner of Riverside Dr./Parker Ln. In the beginning, our tacos were looked at as “foreign” and/or “strange” as people expected the “usual” but as time went by, the crowds gathered and our “Tacos Callejeros” became a sensation. The business grew exponentially as we “broke the mold” at being the first to introduce “queso fresco and a slice of avocado” in its tacos. With this tradition, El Taquito launched a series of innovations that were subsequently adopted by other local taquerias and restaurants and in this manner making a significant contribution to the gastronomy in Austin and surrounding areas. Along with the “queso fresco and avocado slice” there were other innovations introduced such as the “Bistec” tacos, the “mini taquitos”, the “al Pastor trompo style” with fresh pineapple, the salsa verde and roja taqueras in squeeze bottles, the molcajete salsa, the gringas, queso fundido, the chile relleno tacos, tacos Tikin Xic, the mango chamoy margarita, and many more. The years provided the community with an experience that allowed their palates to travel to my home town to that distant past, to indulge in the most basic street food inherited by our Mexican culture, the basic “taco callejero”. These same years provided us with unmeasurable satisfaction, just contemplating those generations come and go, baby customers becoming adult customers and later parent customers, their memories of the longed for “lollipop” that we offered to them as kids after finishing their taco and the family and community feeling that were transmitted and very heartfelt.
The Taco gods were not mistaken when they designed my path to Central Texas as they provided a journey of 25 years filled with many wonderful moments that started with a tradition born in that little Northern town in Mexico in the early 80’s, on that magical corner, with that simple but divine taco experience as a teenager.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road taken was filled with bumps and obstacles that came in different forms throughout the years, but none that would would put a stop to our momentum. The first, and most important, was to “educate”, in a sense, the palate of our customers that were used to the “usual’ tastes and presentations of the “known” taco at the time. Many people would not understand why the corn tortilla was so tiny for instance, or why we would not use lettuce and tomato, or why we used queso fresco instead of cheddar/american cheese to name a few things. In the beginning, we would refund a good percentage of the orders to customers who would think of our product as “unusual” or “not expected”. Then came the neighborhood, in those years they also looked at us as some type of nuisance as a taco stand on Riverside Drive. This became a battle of many years and on many fronts that halted the building of our first brick and mortar location on that same Riverside Drive/Old Riverside Dr. Corner. In the end, we persevered, and as resourceful as one can be when committed to something, we triumphed.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Founded in 1995 in Austin, we began with the introduction of the true and traditional “Street taco” served on a mini tortilla with queso fresco and avocado slice. We expanded into more traditional and unique dishes for a variety of palates. We made the ‘Gringa” Taco popular, as well as the mini taquitos, the chile relleno taco, and a few other innovations. What sets us apart is that we were the first in our “specialty” and because of our talented staff we are also the first to introduce new and authentic dishes and/or drinks such as the “Corazon Salvaje”, “Piñata Margarita” or the “Frida’s Taco”. We are very proud to have been the ones to share the tradition born in in the 80’s in that northern town of Mexico and that has been adopted by many local eateries.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
The love for the simple things in life. My story clearly illustrates that a simple walk, and while enjoying your surroundings, you can come across the most amazing things that life has to offer. Everything that surrounds us hold simple yet eye-opening experiences that offer us a glimpse into a world that, for the most part, we ignore but may offer the key to a more meaningful life.
Contact Info:
- Email: esaenz@eltaquito.com
- Website: www.eltaquito.com
- Instagram: eltaquitoatx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElTaquitoATX and https://www.facebook.com/ElTaquitoRiverside
