Be sure to check out this local family-owned small business restaurant and discover authentic Mexican street food that’s made from scratch daily.
Taqueria El DF is offering Village West resident a free medium agua fresca with every $10 purchase when you mention Village West on March 15th, March 22nd, and March 29th. Aguas frescas are light non-alcoholic beverages made from one or more fruits, cereals, flowers, or seeds blended with sugar and water, and they are delicious!
In Mexico, Mexico City is also known as “Distrito Federal” (Federal District) or DF for short because Mexico City is the capital of Mexico. The food at Taqueria El DF is not Tex-Mex type food. Owners, Adan and Holanda Trejo had dreamed of owning their own restaurant and committed themselves for over a year conceptualizing and designing a layout, looking for space, creating a menu and establishing relationships with quality vendors to ensure the that the food they would serve would be true authentic Mexico City street food.
Now, a little history on “street food”. Although each Mexican street antojito (craving or snack) has its own origin story; Mexico City is famously known for its “Street food”. From tortas (a tasty thick massive sandwich), to elote (corn) to tamales, gorditas and of course tacos. In 2010, Mexican food was named by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of mankind. Anyone who loves Mexican will attest that the honor is well deserved. According to historians the taco has its origins in the pre-Hispanic period, when other foods were eaten with tortillas, used as a scoop, so forget the cutlery. This terrific corn-based wrap has been around since the Aztec and Mayan civilizations. Historian and family stories handled down from generation to generation tell us that the modern taco was developed in Mexico’s rural areas when wives would bring their husband’s meals to the fields wrapped in tortillas. Street tacos are smaller in size, but fully loaded and delicious. Eventually, this portable, quick, and tasty wrap made its it easy for workers to hold them in one hand to eat on the go, thus the “street taco” was born. Mexico City’s best street food is often found in and around public transportation stops and street markets.
Mexican street food is so popular that even well know Houston chef, Hugo Ortega published a book on the subject. In 2012, Forbes Magazine included Mexico City on its list of “The World’s Top 10 Cities for Street Food”.
You don’t need to travel to Mexico City to sample Mexico’s culinary treasures, because we are fortunate to have Taqueria El DF located so close to Village West. Adan and Holanda Trejo have lived in Houston for over 14 years and they were able to finally make their dream come true when they opened their restaurant in October of 2019. Taqueria El DF is located north of Village West at 1100 Wilcrest, Suite 200. We all know that just a few months after their opening date we were faced with the issue of COVID pandemic, and that the restaurant industry has been hit particularly hard due to mandatory stay home orders. However, Adan’s 14 years of experience has paid off, along with his 13 to 14 hour workdays have helped their restaurant survive. They decided on west Houston because they felt that although there are a few Tex Mex restaurants nearby, Tex Mex is a very different kind of food than authentic Mexico City street food. Adan and Holanda envisioned serving something new, different, and delicious to Houstonians. They believe that Houston’s diversity combines with Houstonians’ willingness to try new foods would help them achieve success. Let’s not forget that Houston has held the title of as “the dining out capital of the US” for several years and is also deemed one of the “Best 25 US cities for Foodies”. Houston is also listed as one of the major cities with most restaurants per capita.
Obviously, Adan and Holanda did their research. These two are hands on owners who have work together, along with their staff and pride themselves on serving fresh, made from scratch authentic Mexican street food. Monthly each Saturday, the Taqueria will offer a different specialty dish, that is served only on Saturdays. In the month of February, it is Pollo Asado (chicken grilled over charcoal or mesquite) served with rice and homemade corn tortillas. Adan tells us he varies the “Saturday specials” each month and regularly asks customers what they like and what they don’t like. He feels this help him hone in on serving dishes that will be well received. If you dine in on the weekends, the Taqueria has an additional dine in weekend only specialty menu item and this specialty item also varies each weekend. Taqueria El DF serves a up tortas, tacos and other dishes daily from early morning until late in the evening.
Taqueria El DF serves a up tortas, tacos (including breakfast tacos) and other dishes, as well as a limited kid’s menu, desserts, nonalcoholic beverages, and beer. The Taqueria is opened daily from early morning (9 or 9:30 am depending on the day) until late in the evening (10 or 11pm depending on the day). The restaurant is available for dine in (Covid protocol measures are strictly followed), take out, and uber eats. You may also call in and place your order ahead of time. Please note that all tacos include cilantro and onion, but if you prefer them without, you simply let them know when you place your order. Follow them on Facebook at Taqueria El D.F – Home | Facebook to learn about weekend specials and special events.
Taqueria El DF
1100 Wilcrest Drive, Suite 200
Houston, Texas 77042
(281) 974-2908
Website: https://mexican-street-food-el-df.business.site
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