Romero's, Weston

November 2024
Romeros
In a town known for Irish heritage, Romero’s adds a new twist to Weston’s culinary scene. It all started when Ben and Lily Romero served their friend, Erik Olson, street tacos for dinner. He loved them. Erik owns the Historic Weston Orchard & Vineyard and asked the Romero’s to offer lunch during picking season. They started serving on Saturdays and Sundays and quickly morphed into five days a week.

“We were a bit overwhelmed by the response,” says Ben. “Everyone loved our food, and the townspeople were coming out to the orchard just to eat. That’s when Lily and I decided to open something more permanent in downtown.”

Last October, Romero’s opened on the corner of Main Street serving recipes inspired by Ben’s mother and grandmother and his early years in Tijuana and Chihuahua, Mexico. They revamped the 1800 brick building’s main floor for the dining area, added a professional kitchen upstairs and moved into the basement apartment.

Ben’s specialties include the street tacos and burritos. His secret lies with the meats he buys from Kansas City, Kansas grocery, Bonito Michoacán, plus his marinades. Shredded pork, carne asada from skirt steak and chicken are grilled on cast iron adding depth and flavor. Except for the flour tortillas, entrees are gluten free.

My husband and I decided on our choice of meat for the street tacos and burrito and ordered the quesabirria, which is a one-day-a-week special announced on Facebook that continually sells out. Traditionally, this dish incorporates shredded lamb, but Ben uses wagyu beef from Kansas City Cattle Company. A six-inch white corn tortilla, soaked in beef juice, is generously layered with shredded beef and cheese, folded in half and grilled. This crispy-melty delight reminds of authentic street food at its best and comes served with a dipping sauce of beef juice, cilantro, onion and lime.

Chips are thin white corn tortillas fried daily. Salsas, also made daily, include pico, green tomatillo, hot red with arbol chilis and popular creamy green salsa of roasted jalapenos in oil and salt. Margaritas lean to the sour side. Their newest addition is a mango-chili margarita infused with mango and red chili puree and rimmed with tajin—a blend of dried chile peppers, dehydrated lime and sea salt.

Lily bakes stellar desserts including traditional tres leches cake. Creamy and light, it’s Ben’s grandmother’s recipe. Topped with homemade whipped cream and strawberries, it makes a noteworthy finish.

“Whenever I bake tres leches cake, I let our Facebook followers know,” says Lily. “It’s usually sold out by 2 p.m.”

For more information, visit Facebook.com/p/Romeros-100095404157943.