Guillermo Lavin, along with his former partner, opened Charro Potato in July of 2014. Guillermo Lavin, along with his former partner, opened Charro Potato in July of 2014.[/caption]

Guillermo Lavin hesitates to call Charro Potato a restaurant.


“People think we are a restaurant, with the cover over the patio, but we are a food truck,” Lavin said.


With the colorful patio and unique name, Lavin said his restaurant—or food truck—is garnering a solid following among the taco-loving faithful in the area since it opened in July 2014 off Kuykendahl Road. Praise on social media and strong word-of-mouth has brought in a steady stream of customers, particularly since winter, he said.


“People have been accepting, and they understand it’s a taco stand,” Lavin said. “We just want people to come here and have a good time.”


Lavin moved to The Woodlands from northern Mexico and brought with him the flavors of the street tacos he knew well. Those tacos, like Charro Potato’s, are simply made, with top sirloin beef, and served in a homemade flour tortilla with Chihuahua cheese.


“We serve our tacos plain, and people prepare them on the side,” he said. “We don’t use any kind of cream or lettuce. We invest a lot in our beef, and our cheese is one of the best on the market.”


Although much of the menu leans heavily on tacos, including the breakfast variety Lavin said are among the most popular, the signature item is the business’s namesake—the charro potato.


Lavin said charro potatoes are a popular food item in northern Mexico and in Monterrey, Mexico, in particular. The dish includes a large baked potato served with cheese, charro beans, sour cream and the customer’s choice of beef, chicken or pork.


In addition to the distinctive menu items Charro Potato offers, the establishment offers one of the more unique dining environments in The Woodlands area. Although it is a food truck, Charro Potato is affixed to a permanent and colorful patio with large windows.


Adjacent to Charro Potato is Santa Barbara Market, also owned by Lavin and his wife, Barbara Salinas. Santa Barbara Market sells a variety of handmade pottery and outdoor art. The Kuykendahl Road location of Santa Barbara Market is actually its second location, the first at 31907 FM 2978 in Magnolia.


“We wanted to open a second Santa Barbara Market location, and we found this place was available,” Lavin said. “We thought we would just open the Santa Barbara Market here, but we decided to open this small place, and it’s been growing since. People started coming to see the pots, and then they got to the tacos. Now tacos have taken over the business.”


Lavin created Charro Potato to give local residents a taste of Mexico.


“The main thing we wanted to accomplish when we opened this place was to open something different in The Woodlands,” he said. “We wanted to have the landscaping, to give people the atmosphere of being out of The Woodlands. It’s Texas—it’s always warm. But people enjoy being in an open place.”


Charro Potato, 8423 Cinnamon Run, The Woodlands, 281-730-7373


Hours: Tue.-Thu. 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Fri.-Sun. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.