“He came [here] looking for a better life and better opportunity,” his daughter, Gloria Segovia, said. “It was his university, if you will. It helped him open his own [place] over here.”
Gloria has been working at her father’s restaurant since she was 15 years old. Today, she is the general manager of Baja Cantina’s four locations, which include restaurants in Keller and Roanoke.
“My dad said, ‘You want those new shoes? You’re going to be hostess for the week you are on spring break,’” she said. “I can cook, wash dishes, whatever. As a GM you have a bunch of hats you wear constantly, and there is never a dull moment.”
The father-daughter duo followed up the Watauga restaurant with a location in Keller in 2011, in North Richland Hills in 2016 and most recently on Oak Street in Roanoke in 2020.
Gloria said her dad is a foodie, and he created the recipes on the menu that features tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, chile rellenos, vintage Tex-Mex and more.
“He’s the one with the sauces, [he knows] what fish to use, what cut of the fajita meat he wants,” she said. “He’s the mastermind of putting the food together.”
Baja Cantina is known throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area for its margaritas, Gloria said.
“If you’re not accustomed to a strong frozen margarita, one will do you,” she said.
Although many guests visit for the first time for the margaritas, Gloria said they are often impressed by the unique flavors of the food.
“We add Oaxaca and Monterey jack cheese to the top of the quesadilla and let that get crispy,” she said. “My dad is very honed in on presentation and how things taste above all.”
Gloria described the ambiance as casual.
“If you’ve been at the water park all day, and all you have is your swimsuit, flip flops, T-shirt and a backwards hat, I want this to be the place you feel comfortable to come to,” she said.
Baja Cantina, https://eatbajacantina.com
Roanoke location, 101 S. Oak St., Ste. 300, Roanoke. 817-984-3900. Hours: Sun.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Keller location, 721 Keller Parkway, Ste. 100, Keller. 817-745-1099. Hours: Mon.-Wed. 2-9 p.m., Thu.-Sun. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
