Vakeroz Family Restaurant & Cantina opened as a way to provide authentic Mexican food in a family-friendly atmosphere in Frisco, General Manager Tiger Mendoza said. The family-owned and -operated restaurant opened in December 2017 after longtime friend Mendoza approached husband and wife Kelli and David Dickey about partnering together to open a restaurant. “My family and I go to Mexico every year, and we just love the culture and the food,” co-owner Kelli said. “We decided that maybe we could open our own restaurant, and when [Mendoza] came to us about partnering together and opening a Mexican restaurant with good food, good drinks and good family environment, we decided to go for it.” Mendoza has been in the restaurant industry for more than 20 years and brought on staff, such as the chef, he had worked with over the years. Vakeroz is the phonetic spelling of vaqueros in Spanish, which means cowboys in English. “Because of where we’re located [close to the Dallas Cowboys headquarters], we really wanted to have a western feel to the restaurant,” Mendoza said. Kelli said it was important for the restaurant to be unique and provide a menu and service unlike anywhere else. The restaurant is located on the northwest corner of Teel and Eldorado parkways, and it seats about 200 people with a patio. The menu features a variety of items, such as fajitas, flautas, carnitas, tortas and tamales. One of the most popular dishes is the molcajete bowl, which is the restaurant’s version of fajitas served in a hot stone bowl, Mendoza said. The bowls include a choice of meat—beef, chicken, shrimp or carnitas—cooked with onions, cactus, poblano peppers and jalapenos and served with rice and beans. The restaurant also serves breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays until 3 p.m.
Vakeroz Family Restaurant & Cantina 12255 Teel Parkway, Ste. 460, Frisco 469-980-7898 www.vakeroz.com Hours: Mon.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 pm., Sun. noon- 8 p.m.