After two years in the making, Pueblo’s Tex-Mex Kitchen, located at 906 Main St., Liberty, opened on Wednesday, May 17, and hungry residents soon filed into the restaurant to enjoy authentic Tex-Mex food and to experience the vibrant eatery.
Pueblo’s Tex-Mex Kitchen is owned and operated by the Lozano family of Cleveland. The Lozano family is led by father and mother, Florenzo and Alicia, their six sons – Alex, Fernando, Jorge, Carlos, Pepe and Ramiro, and daughter, Adriana. The Lozanos have a rich culinary heritage spanning generations. With the opening of Liberty restaurant, the Lozanos now have six family-owned and managed restaurants in Liberty County and surrounding counties.
The original restaurant is Pueblo Viejo in Cleveland. Two other locations in Porter and Livingston also go by the Pueblo Viejo name. In Splendora is a location called Puebloritavilla. Also in Cleveland is La Costa Seafood and Bar, which combines Tex-Mex flavors and seafood recipes.
One unique thing about the new location in Liberty is that the menu will feature a combination of Tex-Mex and seafood.
“We will have the best of both worlds. You can pick between seafood or Tex-Mex,” said Pepe Lozano.
The color scheme inside and outside the restaurant reflects the vibrant colors of Mexico and the ocean colors of the Gulf Coast. At the front of the restaurant, which faces Main Street in Liberty, is thatched roof design known as palapa. Pepe said these types of roofs are typically seen along the Mexican coast. The palapa roof covers a patio area where people can dine al fresco.
The restaurant location was previously Casa don Boni, owned by another local family who decided to retire. The 6,800-square foot building has been reconfigured to bump up seating from the previous 180 to 280; 60 of those seats are in the patio area.
There are two bars inside the restaurant – one in the patio dining area and the other in the main dining. People who have enjoyed one of the other Pueblo Viejo locations know that the restaurants are known for their potent and tasty margaritas, which can be purchased with carryout food orders or enjoyed inside the restaurants.
Some of the favorite menu items are the Dirty Donkey, Abuelo’s Chicken, birria tacos, mushroom chicken, beef, shrimp or chicken fajitas, pork carnitas, Adriana’s Special and Chicken Diablo. There are also healthy menu options like chicken tortilla soup.
“We have good prices. We are comparable to other restaurants in the area, but cheaper than most big name restaurants. The quality of our food is really good. We always use the freshest and best ingredients,” said Pepe. “Some of our chefs have worked with us for 30 years.”
Helping in the grand opening on Wednesday was Chef Jim Condra, who manages the kitchen at La Costa Seafood and Bar in Cleveland. Condra is renowned for his bread pudding concoctions and other great recipes.
“We are really happy to be here,” said Pepe. “We want to give a big thanks to the City of Liberty for helping us make this happen. We are looking forward to working with the people in the community. Come try us, you will like it and you won’t regret it.”
Reservations are accepted but parties must arrive within 15 minutes of their scheduled time or their table(s) will be given to someone else.
Pueblo’s Tex-Mex Kitchen also offers catering and party platters. For reservations and catering, or to place a to-go order, call 936-253-8974. Be sure to follow Pueblo’s Tex-Mex Kitchen on Facebook and Instagram.