Roy Olivarez is specific about the proper term for his new Grand Forks shop, Tio’s: It’s a taqueria.
In south Texas, where he is from, a taqueria is a no-frills food stand offering a variety of take-away tacos and other Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes, often homemade, he said. They are all over and a staple for on-the-go eating.
“Most of them are in gas stations,” he said.
Olivarez and his wife, Enedelia, opened their taqueria in the Grand Cities Mall about two weeks ago with a menu of tacos and enchiladas as well as Mexican dishes less often seen here, such as menudo, barbacoa and tamales.
The couple’s new shop is an offshoot of their Casa Del Taco restaurant in Grafton, N.D., where they live. They opened that business about two years ago in response to the popularity of their cooking among friends and neighbors. Olivarez said they chose the new place, in the location of the former Chacherz restaurant, as a way to move into Grand Forks and in response to seeing many of its residents visiting their Grafton store.
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The family enterprise also runs a popular side business serving breakfast tacos at area businesses, a service he would like to offer in Grand Forks.
Oliverez said he planned to bring the home-cooking feel of their Grafton Taqueria to the new location.
“We’re going to run it like they do Texas,” he said.
