Coming home hungry is not an option at Pueblo’s newest Mexican restaurant, Los Girasoles, which offers an all-you-can-eat buffet and homemade dishes.
Launching a restaurant that serves authentic Mexican cuisine is an American dream come true for Heriberto Jaquez-Torres.
The native of San Marcos, Durango, Mexico, worked in construction in Pueblo for 18 years before opening Los Girasoles – Spanish for “sunflowers” – with his wife Manuela on January 21.
Manuela has worked in the kitchens of several Pueblo restaurants for over 15 years.
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“As long as I can remember, my dad wanted to own a restaurant,” said Bethzayda “Zayda” Torres, Jacquez-Torres’ daughter who is the restaurant’s manager. “My father has always loved to cook, but the one who has the talent is Manuela.
“Together they made their dreams come true,” she said.
Everything at Los Girasoles is homemade and, naturally, green Pueblo chiles are on the menu, she said.
The most popular dishes so far are caldo de res, a Mexican beef soup; mariscos, or seafood dishes; albondingas, or meatballs; and pollo or chicken.
The buffet includes corn and flour tortillas, rice and beans, fruit salad and a wide range of dishes, from enchiladas to menudo – Mexican tripe soup – and posole, made with hominy and meat.
When Zayda and her sister were young, their father took them to the same Pueblo restaurant every weekend. At the time, it was a Chinese restaurant known as “Ho Ho’s”.
“Now we’re here with Mexican food from Los Girasoles,” Jaquez-Torres said. “It’s crazy how the world works.”
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Los Girasoles is located at 2920 Hart Road, near the Pueblo Mall, where Mexican restaurant Fritangas used to be.
“A lot of people think we’re still Fritangas with just a name change,” Los Girasoles said on their Facebook page. “We wanted to let everyone know that we are new owners and new management.”
Los Girasoles is open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The buffet is offered every day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Take-out meals are available. Reservations are not required. The restaurant’s phone number is 719-546-6000.
Tracy Harmon, Chief Reporter, covers business news. She can be reached by email at [email protected] or via Twitter at twitter.com/tracywumps.
