Laredo Taqueria on Washington deals with litigious neighbors and drunks from nearby clubs

Laredo Taqueria is no different. The first location opened on Washington Avenue in 1984, founded by brothers Roy and Guadalupe Soto and their mom, Ernestina Soto, who started doing the cooking. As the restaurant grew, Ernestina trained the staff to make her style of flour tortillas, carne guisada, nopalitos and other favorites that diners have recognized as good home cooking for 38 years. There are now three other outposts in Houston, all in historically Latino neighborhoods.

The family is rooted in Laredo, hence their restaurant's name and their type of flavors unique to the South Texas and Northeastern Mexico region. But on Washington, it's no longer the neighborhood taqueria of long ago, in a low-income neighborhood surrounded by the Heights, Montrose and River Oaks. Sure, the old building and everything inside remains the same, but everything outside has changed.

Guadalupe's son Mario Celestino manages the taqueria now, along with his brother, Freddy. The Washington Avenue nightclubs and upscale restaurants sprang up so fast, they hit Mario like an avalanche. "All these clubs, all these expensive houses coming out, it really blew my mind," he said. For the mom-and-pop operation, the Washington revelers are from a whole other world. Yet these newcomers love the tacos.
 
The taqueria used to stay open until 9 p.m., but with the nightlife scene, "it was a hassle," says Mario. "Loud, profanity, just being rude. We had to hire a police officer because you had drunks. That ended up costing us more, so we're like, you know what? Let's not do that." They now close at 4 p.m.

Adding to the mix, Mario gets awestruck when famous sports stars visit, as they do regularly, some with police escort. Tejano celebrities like Oscar De La Rosa from La Mafia, and visiting rappers, all come in for tacos. Porsches and Lamborghinis self-park—there's no valet here.
 
Over time, the drunks have settled down. "They're more calm and mature," says Mario, who plans to stay open until 9 p.m. again soon. Now, the real problems come from the townhomes that were recently built on the adjacent lot. The new residents have money, are legally savvy, and they don't like the fajita smoke.

They threatened to sue the restaurant, says Mario, whose family was unfamiliar with litigious neighbors. "They were going to take us to court," he said, an edge entering his voice. "The smoke was going into the windows and their furniture was smelling like fajitas."

The taqueria's attorney communicated with the residents, bluntly: They knew the business was there and saw the smoke, so buying that house is their poor judgment. Mario's family put it in a more pointed, familiar way: "We were here first." The townhouse residents did not take them to court after all, and the threats have stopped.

Follow the "Cambios" series by Adán Medrano for more dispatches from Houston taquerias.

Taqueria Laredo

Find it: 915 Snover St, Houston, TX 77007; (713) 861-7279
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 6 a.m.-4 p.m.