Ventura's Taqueria Tepatitlan celebrates 30 years: 'It’s a great family place'

Ventura’s Taqueria Tepatitlan, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, is known for its comforting food, family atmosphere and familiar customers.

The westside restaurant, located at 362 N. Ventura Ave., has been owned and operated by resident Juan Gonzalez since November 1993. Kendra Gonzalez, his daughter, has worked at the taqueria for 20 years.

Ventura officials will present an award at the April 9 council meeting to recognize the bar and restaurant’s three decades in the city.

Kendra Gonzalez described the eatery's atmosphere as similar to the old NBC television series “Cheers” that ran from 1982 to 1993.

“It’s a hub for people to hang and drink and eat and see their friends,” she said.

Juan Gonzalez said his mother Delia Gonzalez’s recipes are still on the menu.

“When I started in the restaurant business, I worked in many restaurants from a busboy to a cook to an assistant manager to a general manager, but never in a Mexican restaurant,” he said on a recent weekday sitting in a booth with his daughter. “So when I got this started, I brought in my mom and we worked on the recipes. … I just say her recipes stay with us.”

For 30 years, patron Jack Hart has frequented the business at least two days a week and has developed a longtime relationship with the Gonzalez family. A lot of the regulars know each other, he said.

“It’s a great family place,” said Hart, who lives in Ventura. He especially likes the mole sauce, made fresh on Thursdays, which he drizzles inside a burrito or enchilada.

Kendra Gonzalez said the mole poblano sauce is directly from her grandmother.

Meredith Hart, Ventura’s economic development manager, who is not related to Jack Hart, said the city wanted to do something to acknowledge the milestone anniversary. The restaurant is her family’s favorite place and they visit regularly, she added.

“The quality of their food is unmatched, with tons of options for both the meat eaters and vegetarians in our lives,” she wrote in an email. “That, coupled with the warmth of the Gonzalez family, keeps us coming back."

Kendra Gonzalez, who is now an executive director for the Westside Community Development Corp. and works at the restaurant part time, said the taqueria is poised to continue into the future.

The eatery has nearly 12,000 followers on Instagram, she said, where information on daily and weekly specials are posted.

Taqueria Tepatitlan is open from 11 a.m.- 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday. The business is closed Sunday through Tuesday.

For more information, visit taqueriatepatitlan.com or call 805-653-0508.

Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Taqueria Tepatitlan celebrates 30 years in Ventura, California