In 1973, Sonia’s parents, Sam and Mayla Sanchez, opened a Mexican eatery in Chicago, and a decade later, they opened the original El Jalapeño Mexican Café in Houston. In 2004, Sonia’s brother, Carlos Sanchez, opened a second El Jalapeño location in Humble, which was later purchased by Sonia and Erasmo.
However, the family was forced to shut down the Houston restaurant in early 2020 after they said increased property rental rates became unaffordable. Instead of retiring, the couple decided to purchase the Humble eatery in February 2020, officially reopening the restaurant on March 5, 2020.
Now, Sonia and Erasmo own and operate El Jalapeño in Humble with their son, Erasmo “Sammy” Chapa.
“We wanted to keep the tradition going,” Sonia said. “The greatest reward to me would be carrying on the family tradition.”
El Jalapeño Mexican Café offers a number of authentic dishes inspired from northern Mexico, where Sonia’s parents grew up. According to Sonia, the restaurant uses the same recipes her parents used at their original venture in Chicago.
“Our recipes are from the northern region of Mexico,” Sonia said. “These are very, very typical. We have the shredded beef that we mix with eggs that only people from the north of Mexico know—machacado.”
Additionally, the restaurant serves other staples from northern Mexico, such as menudo, tripe and milanesa. Sonia noted the original restaurant did make changes when her parents first moved the business to the Texas Gulf Coast to include more Tex-Mex options, such as chips and salsa and seafood dishes.
For all three restaurateurs, family tradition has been an important factor in keeping the business alive.
“Now that I’m running it, I’m seeing the ones that were babies coming in here for their proms and quinceaneras,” Sammy said. “That’s a reward—to see that our family is providing a service for generations.”
El Jalapeño Mexican Café
5324 FM 1960, Humble
281-548-2230
www.eljalapenomexicancafe1.net
Hours: Mon.-Thu. 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri. 9 a.m.-10 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun. 8 a.m.-9 p.m.•
