53.2 F
Laguna Hills
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
-Advertisement-

Taqueria De Anda: Four Decades of Authentic Cuisine

“Family-owned and operated” is a common phrase in the restaurant industry, but what’s uncommon is for one family to be in business for 40 years and to have a dozen restaurants in and around Orange County, with more on the way, including one opening this month in Huntington Beach.

Taqueria De Anda had its humble beginnings in the small town of Arandas, Mexico, when Rafael “Don Rafa” De Anda used to work his taco cart around Mexico City in the 1950s.

In 1973, Don Rafa and his wife, Guadalupe De Anda, moved to Fullerton and began growing their family while searching for the kind of foods they enjoyed in Mexico—namely street tacos. The slim options resulted in the founding of Taqueria De Anda, which began culinary life as a taco truck parked at a gas station at the corner of Valencia and Highland in Fullerton. The taco truck was an instant success, and the couple extended their hours to seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Within four months, the De Andas took over the gas station building and leased their first brick-and-mortar shop.

Taqueria De Anda offers a traditional variety of tacos, burritos, rice, and beans created with fresh spices and ingredients. Meats include al pastor, carnitas, carne asada, buche, pollo, and lengua, and are prepared with three simple toppings—cilantro, onion, and salsa. No lettuce or cheese or other “Americanized” ingredients. These are true street tacos.

According to Taqueria De Anda, if it’s a “real” street taco, you should be able to eat it in three bites. Taqueria De Anda meets that standard.

Taqueria De Anda’s signature salsa is Guadalupe De Anda’s secret homemade recipe. Only immediate Taqueria De Anda family members are allowed to craft the salsa at the restaurant’s headquarters.

Taqueria De Anda remains a true family affair, with 5 out of the 6 children of Rafael and Guadalupe, along with several grandchildren, involved in the business.

Family Guides

Having enjoyed the Taqueria De Anda tacos and burritos, I sat down with siblings Marcella and Jaime De Anda to learn more about the restaurant’s success, which they owe in part to employees who have been with the company for more than 30 years.

“They are like family—there’s nothing to teach them, they know our system and they help us expand,” Jaime said.

Marcella explained that originally the restaurant only sold tacos, but expanded slowly as customers asked for specific items, such as rice and beans, then burritos, then quesadillas, then nachos.

“It’s the same with the wet burrito,” Jaime said. “Can you put it in a bowl with cheese, or can you make me a burrito with no tortilla. The customer has guided that, so now we have different options of what the customer needs.”

Jaime recalled the first Taqueria De Anda restaurant, which seated 12 people and had lines out the door.

“When our parents started, they never thought of this, their vision was never to be what it is now,” Marcella said. “It was work, to make ends meet for the family.”

As to the recipes, “our mom would cook and prep everything at home when the business first started, but we still use her salsa recipes,” Marcella said. “Only the siblings know her recipes. We have a secret room where we make it and stockpile it.”

Growing the restaurant from one to a dozen locations came by accident, Jaime said.

“We heard they were selling a restaurant in La Habra, so we bought that one, and as the siblings grew up and started working, we opened more,” Jaime explained. “We had requests from customers to open in different areas, so we opened where customers asked us to, which made it easier for them to visit our restaurant.”

Keeping Control

Jaime said the family often gets requests to franchise, but he prefers to retain control of the operation.

“We are not in it for the money,” stated Jaime, who said that during the pandemic meat prices almost doubled yet he knew they could not double the menu pricing.

Fortunately, pricing has stabilized, so he can continue to give his customers what they want.

“Customers are loyal to us, so we are loyal to our customers.”

Lunch with Jaime and Marcella followed our interview at the original Taqueria De Anda location in Fullerton. I asked for suggestions on what to order.

My answer: Beef head, or cabeza, which Jaime said was “very popular, very Hispanic. It’s the type of meat we use in Mexico. It’s the meat we started with. It’s lean and healthy and tastes good.”

The pork belly was another recommended option, and the al pastor. So, I had all three, and Jaime was right—the cabeza was good, but the pork belly was exceptional, perfectly cooked with appropriate spices, and the secret salsa was the perfect topping.

“You want Mexican food?” Jaime asked. “This is it. It’s simply the best.”

Taqueria De Anda: multiple locations in Orange County, taqueriadeanda.com  

Want more from the best local business newspaper in the country?

Sign-up for our FREE Daily eNews update to get the latest Orange County news delivered right to your inbox!

-Advertisement-

Featured Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-

Related Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-