When tacos are a restaurant’s main draw, standing out in a city with taco joints seemingly on every corner can be tough, Papalote Taco House co-owner Sergio Varela said. However, he said he found success at Papalote by sticking to basics: be simple, traditional and authentic.

He and his brother, Erick—they also own Azul Tequila off RM 2222—opened the first Papalote in South Austin in 2009 and a second Papalote location in Northwest Austin in July 2015.

Now that Papalote’s second location in the Austinville 78750 shopping center has built a customer base, Sergio said business has grown and he and Erick are ready to expand again.

“Every month we’re doing better and better,” Sergio said. “I’m very happy about it and very grateful to the community in this area.”

Their plans include a third Papalote location, likely somewhere in North Central Austin, and an entirely new restaurant offering a Mexican twist on Texas barbecue with a location yet to be announced.

Sergio said he and Erick chose to expand to a second location after being approached by Amy and Steve Simmons, co-owners of Amy’s Ice Creams, who sought to bring South Austin businesses into Northwest Austin.

Sergio said he thought area residents would respond well to Papalote’s menu of affordable and authentic Mexican-style tacos available for $3.50 each. He said the most popular varieties include the Tinga De Res—pulled beef stewed in chipotle and topped with plantains, cabbage, cheese and avocado—and the Guajolote En Mole, which includes shredded turkey with sweet mole sauce and is dressed with poblano peppers, cabbage, pickled onions, cheese and avocado.

Papalote also serves other entrees, which Sergio said are more traditional to his south-central Mexican roots. The menu includes corn specialties, such as tlacoyos, or oval-shaped masa cakes stuffed with potato and topped with house-made green and red sauces, and huaraches, or bean-stuffed tortillas served with a choice of meat, lettuce, cheese, onions and tomatillo sauce. Both sell for $4.75.

Recipes are based on ones passed down from the brothers’ grandmother as well as their mother, Virginia Dominguez, who ran taco stands in Mexico before retiring and moving to Austin where she lives today. Sergio, who immigrated to the U.S. and settled in Austin in the 1980s, decided with his brother to continue the family business.

He honed his skill in the kitchen by watching his mother, who he said was naturally gifted at cooking.

“It was basically a carnival of flavor and color in the kitchen when she cooked,” Sergio said.

With business growing, Sergio said he does not spend much time in the Papalote kitchen these days. But he hires kitchen staff with knowledge and skill in traditional Mexican cooking techniques, he said.

Still, when he does enter a kitchen, he has learned he is never too old to get a few pointers from his mom.

“She’s my best critic when we cook at home,” he said.

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