To celebrate Los Vaqueros’ 30th year of serving Tex-Mex cuisine at its 2629 North Main Street location, the owners announced they are reopening their old location for a limited time.
The return to the previous location is due to Los Vaquero’s new location up the street at Rodeo Plaza not being quite finished, according to the restaurant’s Facebook page.
What fans of this iconic restaurant can expect when it reopens are the same dishes that Los Vaqueros originally had on its lunch and dinner menu.
The original Los Vaqueros restaurant, opened by Kiki and Johnny Cisneros, was located south of the soon-to-be-vacated D. Hart and Sons Livestock Co. building, built in 1915. Los Vaqueros moved into this space in the 1990s.
This Tex-Mex restaurant is already in the process of remodeling its new location in the 1911 Stockyards Exhibits building in Rodeo Plaza. Construction on this new location has been underway since May, when the Cisneros family announced the move.
“We’re staying here in the community we love,” Vicki Cisneros said in May. “We’re just moving down the street to another historic building, right across from Billy Bob’s.”
The Cisneros said they’ve had their eye on the new Stockyards location for some time. A smaller restaurant would give the kitchen staff the flexibility to add new dishes and fresh, seasonal specialties to the popular menu, said chef Johnny Cisneros.
The new Los Vaqueros will occupy an area of 740 square meters, compared to the 3,200 square meters of the previous building.
“While we have loved the challenge of a 3,000 square foot building, it is time for the building to have the opportunity to continue to grow, and our vision for the future of Los Vaqueros does not involve expansion,” said Vickie Cisneros. “Our vision is to continue to operate in a way that allows us to stay true to our core values of family, food, grace, community service and hospitality – which means a smaller footprint. It will also allow us to spend more time with our grandchildren, family and friends.”
The new location will also have an adjacent patio with 85 seats, she said.
“I’m one of the luckiest people in the world because I love my job,” said Johnny Cisneros. “Our guests are more than just guests, they’re our friends. Many of them have been dining with us since the ’80s. We have customers who came to us as babies and are now celebrating weddings, births and other special occasions.”
“We feel like we’ve come full circle. The message I want to convey to our loyal supporters and the schools, churches and nonprofits we’ve worked with for 40 years is that their support makes all the difference to us – and that we’re still here for them, just a few doors down.”
Los Vaqueros has already reopened this week with its original opening hours starting on August 22nd.
“We have a few nice surprises and OPEN TABLE is now taking reservations,” the Facebook post continued. “I know this is a little confusing, but as a restaurant team and family, we just couldn’t let this important weekend pass without celebrating you and 41 years at the Fort Worth Stockyards!”
