Statesman readers have responded resoundingly. They love retired city planner Jim Duncan’s Tex-Mex histories. We’ll wrap up his first 38 short profiles today, then return with special roundups during Hispanic Heritage Month. Who knows? More later? — Michael Barnes
1977: Tres Amigos
A specialty of the house: chicken enchiladas with sour cream sauce at Tres Amigos.
Austin American-Statesman
With the sale of two of its three Tex-Mex restaurants, Tres Amigos is now Uno Amigo.
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After several years of downsizing, the only location remaining is where it all started in 1977 at U.S. 183 and U.S. 290 in northeast Austin.
In 2015, the Tres Amigos on Loop 360 in West Lake Hills, which opened in 1978, was acquired by the owners of Steiner Steakhouse and renamed Vaqueros. In 2017, the Tres Amigos on Ben White Boulevard in the Southpark Center, which opened in 1985, became DK-Maria’s Legendary Tex-Mex. A fourth Tres Amigos in the 26 Doors shopping center on West 38th Street, which opened in 1989, closed earlier.
The first and only remaining Tres Amigos was founded by three veteran Austin restaurateurs: Kenneth Louis “Ken” Koock of Green Pastures, Lee Buslett of Green Pastures and Fay “Arkie” Sawyer of Arkie’s.
Some locals might remember the restaurant’s catchy 1999 TV advertising jingle in which three sombrero-adorned mariachi singers advised Austinites that “for delicious enchiladas, it’s Tres Amigos / for finest margaritas, it’s Tres Amigos / for prettiest señoritas / it’s Tres Amigos / so, let’s all go and meet, and get something to eat / at Tres Amigos.” (Or something like that).
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Koock died in 2022 and Sawyer in 1998.
1954: El Patio
El Patio Restaurant returned after a short closure.
American Statesman staff
In 1933, Harry Paul Joseph, whose family immigrated to Austin from Lebanon in the 1890s, opened the Schoonerville Drive-In at East 30th and Guadalupe streets just north of UT. Two decades later, his nephew, Paul Christopher Joseph, purchased the café and changed its name to El Patio.
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While hamburgers and fried chicken initially stayed on the menu, they eventually gave way to Tex-Mex selections. One of Paul’s popular menu items was the “puffed krunchy taco.”
Signed photos of celebrity regulars, including Darrell Royal, Lady Bird Johnson and Walter Cronkite, hang in spaces not occupied by murals of Pancho Villa. The stone building harkens back to a time when air conditioning was a novelty.
Students who came in and munched on free tortilla chips and salsa while not ordering led Paul to institute an El Patio trademark. He began putting saltines on the table to control costs. Saltines remained an El Patio tradition until the mid-1990s, when the vendor enacted a price increase.
Tortilla chips returned, but saltines are still available on request. After shuttering El Patio briefly in 2019, Joseph family members reopened it with manager Jesse Herman. Harry died in 1991 and Paul in 1995.
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1982: The Oasis / Cantina del Lago
The view of Lake Travis is a key draw for the Oasis and Cantina del Lago.
Jay Janner/American Statesman staff
If you and your friends like high places, then you need to slip on down to the Oasis. The largest restaurant in Texas and one of the largest in the world sits on a cliff in West Austin overlooking Lake Travis.
In 1979, Robert Harvey “Beau” Theriot bought a 500-acre ranch on the shores of Lake Travis. Within three years, he converted the ranch house into a Tex-Mex (Cantina del Lago) and American (Oasis on the Lake) café and bar. The property has a spectacular view of the setting sun, and with its terraced west-facing seating, the Oasis quickly became known as the “Sunset Capital of Texas.”
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Then on June 1. 2005, tragedy struck. Lightning ignited a fire that consumed most of the property. Parts of the facility that were not damaged were reopened within weeks, while other parts were rebuilt. During the two years of rebuilding, only the outdoor entertainment venue was used, and food was served from a trailer.
The Oasis is back, bigger than ever. It is now a mammoth multiuse venue that includes a 30,000-square-foot restaurant that seats 2,000 diners, an indoor entertainment facility, multiple banquet rooms and several retail shops. In 2013, Theriot sold the Shops at the Oasis to Comanche Acquisitions, a local investment group led by Bob Schultz.
1988: Texican Café
A native of France, Mourad “Mo” Belkacem opened the first Texican Café in 1988.
Courtesy of Texican Cafe
In a good example of how the food industry transcends international boundaries, a native of France founded one of Austin’s more popular Tex-Mex restaurant chains. Mourad “Mo” Belkacem honed his early culinary skills as a pizza maker and sous chef in the suburbs of Paris.
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After immigrating to Austin to study at the University of Texas and working for Mr. Gatti’s, Belkacem opened the Texican Café in 1988. Located in far South Austin at 11904 Menchaca Road, the Texican specializes in “El Paso-style Tex-Mex,” a cuisine blend featuring chili peppers and spices native to northern Mexico, West Texas and southern New Mexico.
Fifteen years later, in 2003, Belkacem opened his second café in far North Austin near Lakeline Mall at 11066 Pecan Park Blvd. For his third restaurant in 2008, he chose a closer-in South Austin location in Brodie Oaks shopping center at 4141 South Capital of Texas Highway. For his fourth café in 2019, he opened in Kyle at 856 Kohlers Crossing.
In addition to his Texican chain, Belkacem has opened and sold several other restaurants, including Sports Gastropub, Draft Pick and Café 1626.
Some more stories in this Tex-Mex series
Las Manitas, El Gallo and more: Austin Tex-Mex history
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Austin Tex-Mex history: Texas Chili Parlor, La Palapa, Fiesta Tortilla Factory
Austin Tex-Mex history: Taco Flats, Las Palomas and Tony’s Tortillas
Please send tips and questions to mbarnes@statesman.com
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