IN GOOD TASTE: Elsa’s Restaurant not just any Tex-Mex cuisine

Dishes from Elsa’s Restaurant are seen here as well as the employees and family that make up the eatery’s staff. (Staff photos by Heather Cathleen Cox)

By HEATHER CATHLEEN COX
Staff Writer
reporter@sbnewspaper.com 

Now, there’s Mexican-American (Tex-Mex, if you will) cuisine, and then there’s Elsa’s.

Elsa’s Restaurant in San Benito might be a little dive off the side of the road that you might just miss if you’re not on the lookout for it, but they definitely offer a big Mexican flavor.

While you’ll notice that Elsa’s prepares hamburger baskets and chicken-fried items, you’ll also note that even the menu at Elsa’s is written in Spanish.

Elsa Flores, the restaurant’s owner, hails from Tampico, Mexico. She said, “My food is traditional Mexican food, like how it was when I grew up.” She mentions that she “Americanized” the menu somewhat by adding certain American items, but she likes – what she calls “authentic” – Mexican food.

Prior to becoming a restaurateur last year, Elsa owned a grocery store in San Benito for seven years. Because her customers so enjoyed tacos which she prepared fresh, they planted a seed in Elsa’s idea bank for her to open a full restaurant. She listened.

Elsa arrives at her restaurant at 6 a.m. each day where she prepares her dishes fresh each day. She explained, in Spanish, that the menudo, barbacoa and various caldos are some of her biggest sensations. The chile rellenos are also quite a popular seller at Elsa’s, and people really enjoy the chalupas and taco plates. With breakfast tacos that start at $1.25, you’re sure to find something to hit the spot.

The enchiladas Mexicanas are certainly not served Tex-Mex style, with the sweet tomato-tasting sauce. At Elsa’s, this plate is accompanied by a large serving of fajitas and three tortillas rolled and stuffed with crumbles of queso fresco, topped with a spicy red sauce. The enchiladas are also covered with a hearty helping of the same queso fresco. Delicious refried beans and freshly made Spanish rice, in addition to bed of lettuce and chopped tomato, complete the dish. I’d recommend ordering a flour tortilla to add to the experience.

Elsa recollected growing up in Tampico during a time when the area was a main port in Mexico. She remembers the food there and the Mexican flavors it entailed. She said, “I’m proud of my business because I and my family used to own taquerias in my hometown. Food and restaurants have always been in my life.”

Now that she has lived in Texas for 17 years, Elsa explained, “I wanted the restaurant tradition to be a part of my life here as well.” This restaurant is truly her dream come true, and she offers a piece of her history with every plate she serves.

From her sister, to her husband and her children, Elsa’s Restaurant is truly a family establishment. The owner feels blessed to be daily surrounded by those who mean the most to her. She says her motivation for working so diligently at her restaurant has everything to do with the fact she truly loves to cook, but she expanded on that sentiment. She said, “I love this business. I enjoy doing what I love, and doing it for my children. That’s why I wake up in the morning. I love it all.”

Stop by Elsa’s on West Robertson Street in San Benito or call ahead for your to go orders at (956) 399-0660. Elsa’s hours of operation are Monday through Thursday from 6 a.m.-3 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. and on Sunday from 7 a.m.-8 p.m.

Read this story in the Nov. 7 edition of the San Benito News, or subscribe to our E-Edition by clicking here.