Taqueria El Cien Becomes Popular Area Destination

by Tony Vindell/LFN

The Rio Grande Valley is home to hundreds of taquerias, or eateries that offer the typical Mexican-styled tortilla filled with meat, eggs, beans and many other types of foods.

Some taquerias are named according to an owner’s imagination.

Among those include Tacorriendo, Tacochino, Tacos Mota, El Ultimo Taco, Tacos Campeon. El Rey del Taco and Tacopeton.

Another taqueria on U.S. Highway 281 west of Brownsville was named Taqueria El Cementerio, presumably named after a graveyard.

And here in Los Fresnos, there is Taqueria El Cien.

Jose Luis Torres, one of the owners, said he convinced his parents to start having what it’s now known as Taco Tuesday.

“We started doing this in 2014,” he said. “Business has been pretty good.”

Hundreds upon hundreds of tacos Matamoros-styled are served from 5-7 p.m. on that day to be consumed inside the restaurant.

What inspired the name Taqueria El Cien?

Cien is Spanish for 100 so since the popular eatery is along Texas Highway 100, they named it after the thoroughfare that starts on Expressway 77 and ends in Port Isabel.

A member of the local business community now for the last 20 years, the taqueria started selling its tacos from a food truck parked on the west side of town.

It has now become a popular food destination for hundreds of people from all over the area, particularly on Tuesday to gobble up as many tacos as they can possibly digest.

On a recent Tuesday, Alfredo Morales sat around a table with two others to enjoy a few taquitos.

“They are tasty,” he said, “and the price is right. In this day and age you have to stretch your dollars.”