Restaurant owner puts family first

Rio Bravo Mexican Caf owner Connie Canales wanted a career in which she could combine her love of cooking and people and still have time for her family.

"I always loved to cook," she said. "It was my dream to play in a kitchen."

Canales moved to Georgetown 25 years ago to raise her three daughters in a small town, and in 1997 she opened the restaurant, offering breakfast and lunch options.

"I wanted to raise my girls first," she said. "I still have one in school, and she plays sports, so I have to be there [first]."

Canales said she hopes to expand the restaurant's hours and possibly find a new location with more parking once her daughters are all out of school. In the meantime she said she focuses on providing customers with good food and service.

"There's not much parking space [here], but when people like our food, they find a way to get here," Canales said.

The restaurant's busiest time is during the breakfast rush, Canales said, adding that breakfast tacos are the most popular breakfast order.

"This place knows how to make breakfast tacos," said Georgetown resident Andy Welch, who has been a regular since 2000. "I come in at least once a week. You can't beat the food, the service or the price."

Canales said she likes to create dishes based on what seems to be popular and is not shy about changing the menu. She began including a variety of vegetarian options, including her lard-free beans, because of the number of requests from customers.

"My beans, they're just plain regular beans," she said. "I don't use lard, and I don't like to lie to the customer because they can taste [the lard] in their food."

Recently she added Pork Chops a la Mexicana, a stew-like dish with cubed pork cooked with onions, tomatoes and jalapeos. Other popular lunch items include Canales' enchiladas, she said.

Rio Bravo Mexican Caf, 107 W. 11th St., 512-930-1327, Hours: Mon.–Sat. 6 a.m.–2 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m.–1 p.m.