For Sergio Pineda, owning his own restaurant has been a goal over the 30 years he spent working in the industry for other people. As the co-owner of Ta Bueno Mexican Kitchen, along with Salvador Reyes, Pineda said it is not uncommon for him to work 12- to 15-hour days, showing up before doors open to get started on homemade ingredients.
“We have passion for this kitchen,” Pineda said of his team. “When we see customers happy after our hard work, that’s adrenaline to us.”
Ta Bueno, which Pineda opened on Spring Cypress Road in August 2019, specializes in authentic Mexican cuisine. Pineda, a native of Mexico, differentiated what he cooks from Tex-Mex in that recipes are centered around key Mexican spices.
The freshness of the cuisine is what Pineda said keeps customers coming back. Homemade corn and flour tortillas are made fresh every day, as are menu staples such as the tomatillo sauce and chorizo. The recipe ideas come from one of two places, Pineda said: They were handed down from his mother, or they were recipes he devised over the course of his 30 years in the restaurant business.
