One of the first things many customers notice when entering Mi
Casa Taqueria is the extensive menu.
One of the first things many customers notice when entering Mi Casa Taqueria is the extensive menu.
“We have a better menu than a lot of restaurants,” said owner Teresa Quezada. “The reason I made this a taqueria is if you have $5, you can afford to eat here. We’re a taqueria with a menu like a restaurant. I named it Mi Casa because nobody cooks like you do at your house. I cook at this restaurant like I cook at my house. Nobody cooks quite like I do.
“Everything we do here is fresh. We even make our own salsa and enchilada sauce fresh. People seem to really like our rice and beans. The beans and rice are cooked like they do in Mexico. We do our cooking day by day, like homemade cooking.”
A native of Mexico, Quezada knows what authentic Mexican cooking tastes like. She first came to Hollister, where her aunt lived, as a young teenager. Fourteen years ago, Quezada made Hollister her home. She and her husband Martin are the parents of three daughters.
“My husband helps me out a lot with the restaurant,” said Quezada. “We both work very hard. We do it so our children will have a better life. I always wanted a restaurant. That dream became a reality when I opened this place. When an opportunity comes around, you have to grab it. There’s always a price to pay. I tell our children that to get ahead in life you have to work hard.”
This is not the first business Quezada has built from scratch. She also owns Cinderella’s Cleaning Service’s.
According to Quezada, the initial plans were to open last December. But as often happens with the best laid plans, there were hurdles to overcome. Mi Casa Taqueria opened it’s doors for business April 29.
“We’ve already got regular customers,” Quezada said. “People are coming back. That tells me something good about our food. We’re starting to draw a morning crowd, too. People can come in and buy a breakfast burrito. It’s better for you than a doughnut. We’re starting to get office people coming in for lunch.
“When we first opened we didn’t have beer. Now we have our license and carry beer, including Mexican beer. Mexican flavored water (aguas fescas) is also very popular.”
When asked what her menu favorite is, Quezada doesn’t hesitate.
“Camarones al mojo de ajo (prawns sauteed with butter garlic sauce),” Quezada said. “Our menu has a good selection of seafood.
“A lot of our customers order our platters. When the platters are clean, I know that’s good. When they leave something on the platter, I want to know why. I’d prefer customers to tell me if something doesn’t taste good to them. They have to let us know so we can make it better.”
Keeping in mind that some people have large appetites while others tend to be small, Mi Casa Taqueria has a variety of choices for their customers. You can easily order a single taco or burrito, or a full size meal complete with rice, beans, chips and salsa. Mi Casa Taqueria also offers take-out, as well as indoor or outdoor dining.
Many fast food places only offer burritos or tacos done one way. That’s not true at Mi Casa Taqueria.
Their goal is to send their customers away happy with the meal they’ve chosen. Burritos will be fixed anyway the customer wants.
“When you own your own business, you learn to be detailed,” Quezada said. “When I cook, I put my heart in it, and that’s good.”
Mi Casa Taqueria is located at 512 San Benito St. It’s open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information or to place an order call 635-9266.
