For Pedro Marcial’s family, the opening of El Noa Noa Tex-Mex Restaurant came as the culmination of years spent saving money while working in the restaurant industry. “That was their dream, actually, [in]  the beginning,” Marcial said. “They worked on many different restaurants since we moved from Mexico. You know, when you come over here, you’re looking for a better life.” By July 2017, Marcial’s uncle, sister and brother-in-law had saved up enough and received the necessary city permits to finally open El Noa Noa. Marcial said the concept of the restaurant has been to provide quality Tex-Mex fare combined with a Latin-inspired music scene. But Marcial said he and his family made the conscious decision to ensure the atmosphere remained family friendly, as opposed to other local bars, or cantinas, as he calls them. “That’s how we want to keep it,” Marcial said. “We wanted to have families that could come here and enjoy good food, good drinks and good music.” On Saturdays, El Noa Noa hosts artists who play music such as Latin and tributes to Elvis songs, as well as a mariachi band every Friday. “They’re called Estrellas de Dallas,” Marcial said. “They moved from Tyler, Texas, and whenever they moved, they came over here to ask us if we needed a mariachi band, and we hired them.” The inspiration for the restaurant’s name goes back to one of the owner’s favorite candy-and-grocery shops in Mexico. “We were thinking of the name, and my brother-in-law says, ‘Oh you know, when I was a kid, my neighbor had a candy store grocery store called Noa Noa,’” Marcial said. “And he’s like, ‘I always [thought]  I’d have a restaurant called … that.” Marcial recommends for customers who have never been to El Noa Noa to first try one of their signature dishes. “We always recommend the steak asada, which is 8 ounces of the steak with one cheese and onion enchilada, rice and beans, avocado, and then it has grilled onions, grilled poblanos on top,” Marcial said. “The beef is really tender, and people really, really love it.”