Business Spotlight: Tex-Mex Tortilleria with co-owner Rosemary Quinones

“Broadway is a unique street in Toledo, and great food has always been a part of its rich history. Tex-Mex appeals to the customer who appreciates a fresh, artisanal product created with traditional methods and ingredients. Make a trip to the historic Old South End a delicious destination!” – Sandy Spang, Deputy Director Economic Development

If you are making your way down Broadway in the Old South End, you don’t want miss Tex-Mex Tortilleria. Owned by Alex and Rosemary Quinones, Tex-Mex is famous for their corn tortillas. Fans are known to drive all the way from MI, PA and ILL to taste one still warm from the oven.

Why did you and your husband open Tex-Mex Tortilleria?
Well, my family always had restaurants. My mother had a restaurant called Rositas and my grandma and grandpa owned a restaurant a few blocks away from here. They lived down where FLOC started back in the day. They would walk over to South and Broadway each morning to get the restaurant open and running. When I was a little girl, I would watch my grandpa make menudo.

My husband Alex and I opened Tex-Mex Tortilleria about four years ago. We always wanted to open a business so we thought we would give it a try here in the Old South End. My family works here with me- my sisters and my mom and I do have a few employees too.

What makes Tex-Mex special?

This place has been here since 1956 and everybody that is Hispanic knows it. It is an icon. There is a lot of history in this building. A lot of famous Hispanic singers stayed upstairs. The previous owner, back in the day, used to have Mexican dances in the exhibit hall.

I can’t think of everybody but my mom would know. I was told Selena’s dad stayed here with his band. They would have all of their instruments upstairs and the young girls would be screaming and yelling outside for them. I remember that. I was living around the corner when I was a little girl so I could hear them. That’s going way back!

What are your specialties?

Well, our main thing is tortillas that we make on the weekends and also our barbacoa. We sell our barbacoa by the pound- it has so much flavor. We have avocados, cilantro, and tomatoes. We have everything here that you can take home- like a carry out. We also make fresh salsa. Our salsa goes really fast. It is very, very tasty. We make tamales too.

We get a lot of young kids that come in and they stock up on everything and then they take it home to their grandma and grandpas because they know their grandparents remember Tex-Mex. That’s just the way it has always been. People will come here and they will want to buy all of my tortillas.

It’s kind of fun when they stop by and sigh and just go back in time.

What do you see for Tex-Mex’s Future?

We are blessed with our Mexican carryout and bakery. We want to stay here as long as we can. We’ve invested a lot of time and money. I’m hoping that we are able to stay for a long time.

There is a lot of heritage here and memories.

Tex-Mex Tortilleria
Call a week in advance for large orders
848 Broadway St.
Ph: (419) 241-3486
Hours: Thurs - Sat 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m