While the story is actually over 100 years long, the short version begins with five sons of Adelaida “Mama” Cuellar who started out playing mariachi music to attract customers to their mother’s Mexican food booth at the Kaufman County Fair. Together, they opened the first El Chico Café in Dallas, grew it into a beloved Tex-Mex chain and later sold it. But the spirit of Mama Adelaida and her family lives on in her recipes, and the restaurant is thriving in the heart of Oak Cliff in one of the original El Chico Café buildings, owned by third generation Cuellar family members. Don’t skip the special chipotle chicken quesadillas or the seasonal house-made margaritas.