Authentic Mexican Food Paying the Bills for Family-Run Burrito Vaquero Taqueria

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When Leslie Vazquez and her family opened Burrito Vaquero Taqueria on South Market Boulevard in Chehalis two years ago, they already had the experience needed to run a successful Mexican restaurant.

Vazquez, who owns Burrito Vaquero while her parents and sister work and manage it, spent her early childhood in and around her parents’ Mexican restaurant in Eugene, Oregon, so it made sense when they moved to Chehalis that she’d start her own and keep the tradition going.

“We’ve always been involved, so we decided to open one up here,” Vazquez said.

Vazquez and her family were born in Mexico, in the small state of Nayarit, located on the western coast between Guadalajara and Mazatlan. An agricultural and fishing region, Nayarit produces a bounty of includes shrimp, oysters, fish, avocados and mangoes, most of which end up on plates in Mexico City and other large South American cities..

“The part of Mexico where we’re from, we eat pretty much all seafood,” Vazquez said. “We try to incorporate as much of that into the restaurant as we can.”

Business at Burrito Vaquero Taqueria was just starting to take off in the few months before the novel coronavirus hit the U.S., which allowed it to start focusing more on their seafood specialties. Those include molcajete, a steaming bowl of shrimp, chicken, steak and Mexican sausage in a homemade sauce with onions, cilantro and tomatoes, as well as a la diabla, a spicy shrimp dish, and mojarra, which is deep-fried fish. All are served with fresh, handmade tortillas.

It’s top-selling items have been their burrito grandes, priced at $13.50, which customers can choose from three different meats. The wet burritos run for $12.50 and they have a new burrito en mole, which is smothered in brown mole sauce that also goes for $12.50. It is also one of the few Mexican restaurants in town that serves breakfast, opening at 9 a.m. and offering breakfast burritos for $8, including a dozen other breakfast dishes.



Located just down the road from W.F. West High School, where Vazquez and her sister graduated from, Burrito Vaquero had become a local favorite among Bearcat teachers and students when school was open. They’d get a ton of takeout orders every weekday afternoon.

But with statewide school shutdowns and restaurant restrictions for in-house dining, business has taken a dive at Burrito Vaquero Taqueria, Vazquez said. It also got its liquor license last summer to sell alcohol, and customers would come in to have beer and order food in the afternoon, but that’s been put on hold, as well. Customers can still order alcoholic drinks, Vazquez said, but not having the sit-in experience has dropped sales.

However, one saving grace has been that the family opened a drive-thru window just before the coronavirus outbreak hit.

“It has affected us, but we’ve been trying to find different ways to serve people,” Vazquez said. “We just opened a drive-thru window, so it’s more convenient for customers. They can call ahead, then the food is ready in 10-15 minutes and they can just go to the window. Sometimes it’s even faster.”

They also offer delivery through DoorDash, an online ordering food delivery service that Burrito Vaquero pays a fee for. Dozens of Lewis County restaurants are also utilizing that delivery service, as well. 

Burrito Vaquero Taqueria still maintains its same hours as before, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., daily and Vazquez welcomes new and frequent customers to come try out their regional Mexican meals.

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Reporter Eric Trent can be reached at etrent@chronline.com. Visit chronline.com/business for more coverage of local businesses.