A new late-night food option, Taquería Los Amigos, opened last weekend inside Flavor Indian & Asian Fare in downtown Brookings to a “great turnout,” the owners said.
Justin Price, owner of Taco Express and Flavor Indian & Asian Fare, and Danny Vega, owner of Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant, opened the new restaurant to serve as another late-night option for the community.
The restaurant is open every Friday and Saturday from 10:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. in the Flavor Indian & Asian Fare building at 501 Main Ave.
The restaurant currently offers tacos, burritos and quesadillas, with optional sides of rice and beans. For drinks, they feature authentic Mexican Coke, Jarritos and bottled water.
The restaurant has in-house seating as well as to-go ordering. It was important to the owners that the ordering process was seamless for customers.
“The idea behind the restaurant was how can we make something that’s very seamless, easy, and quick for the customer,” said Price.
Price said the origin of the restaurant came from his love of Mexican cuisine and his time growing up around Mexican culture with friends and family.
“I’ve known them [Vega’s family] since I was three and I used to go there every day after school…,” Price said. “We’d get picked up and go to the restaurant to eat every day. I think I stopped doing that when I was in seventh grade.”
“The coolest thing for us is there were 100 names we could choose but we chose ‘Los Amigos’ [the friends],” Price said. “You know it’s more about our family being friends for 25-plus years, but then you see that the whole city of downtown Brookings is a friend.”
Price thinks it’s the perfect name for how the business is run, as well as the welcoming environment they promote in the restaurant.
Quinn Jordre, a senior at SDSU from Onida majoring in physical education, stopped by this past weekend and said the atmosphere was welcoming. Jorde said there was traditional Mexican music and decorations along the windows.
“I had a pork quesadilla and it was actually pretty good,” Jordre said. “I’ve never really been a fan of them, but I thought I’d try it out.”
“Seeing people from the various bars who stopped at Taquería Los Amigos last weekend was great to see,” Price said. “They connected with friends and people were standing around talking to each other at different tables.”
“Much of the customer demographic from the opening weekend was an even split of college students, older adults and members of the Hispanic community,” said Price.
“The restaurant had a great turnout during the opening weekend,” Price said. “Traffic came in different waves throughout the night. Early in the night began with people eating before going to the bars at 10:30 p.m. Then most of the rush came from people getting pushed out of the bars at about 1:15 a.m.”
Ethan Gilbert, a SDSU senior agricultural business major from Ipswich, said he and his friends had a great time there.
“We went there around 11:30 p.m. and it wasn’t very busy yet, but more people followed in after us,” Gilbert said. “The food was really good and I think the restaurant is a good idea.”
Price hopes to grow the restaurant by adding DoorDash. He also may bring in new menu items and alcohol to the restaurant. Having a DJ on certain nights is also a possibility.
Price and Vega said they are excited to see how the business grows, and they never expected to be doing what they are now.
“It’s humbling to be a part of the Brookings community for as many years as we have,” Price said. “We’re natives of Brookings… and the community backing small business has been a blessing not just for us, but the entire community. Hopefully more people get to experience what it’s like to be from Brookings, be downtown, and enjoy the scenery.”