“This year has brought unexpected challenges, but also incredible opportunities,” said Cisneros Restaurants Inc. President Vicki Cisneros. “We are grateful to be able to celebrate one last Christmas season with our friends here before starting a new chapter two blocks down the road at Rodeo Plaza.”

While the Cisneros family initially planned to open the new location over the summer, they extended the timeline to ensure the space reflects the authentic essence of Los Vaqueros. Collaborating closely with Bennett Partners Architecture and Design and IMGC, LLC, the family worked tirelessly to preserve the rich history of the Stockyards while incorporating modern restaurant amenities.

“We wanted to get it just right,” Cisneros explained. “This is likely the last restaurant my husband Johnny and I will personally oversee, so every detail mattered. From incorporating historic wood and barn doors from the original building to designing custom chairs, plates, and glassware, the space truly embodies the spirit of Los Vaqueros: it’s about cowboys, ranchers, and Tex-Mex cuisine.”

When the family realized that they wouldn’t be able to open the restaurant in the new location by Thanksgiving, they decided to remain open in the original location a little longer, celebrating one final holiday season in the building that has been home to Los Vaqueros for nearly 30 years.

“Moving before Christmas would have disrupted so many of our patrons’ family traditions,” said Cisneros. “We’re grateful to the building’s new owners for allowing us to stay through the season. This has been one of the most challenging times in my 40-plus years in the business, but it’s been worth it to share these moments with our friends.”

The new location — the 1910–12 Stockyards Exhibits Building — is also a historic site, drenched in history and Western atmosphere. Neighbors in the building will include the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame and the John Wayne: An American Experience Museum. Rodeo Plaza, where the building is located, also hosts the famous Billy Bob’s Texas honky-tonk, and was the site of the first indoor rodeo, an exciting piece of Stockyards history that Los Vaqueros will be honoring with a commemorative plaque.

Amenities in the new location include a banquet room that seats 100, with an adjacent patio that seats 20 and a Fiesta Room that seats 50. The restaurant is launching “Los Vaqueros After Dark” on the weekends, an extended service that features a menu of enchiladas, tacos, nachos, and specialty breakfast items until 12:30 a.m. and bar service until 1 a.m.

“This late-night menu for Stockyards’ nightlife patrons carries so much nostalgia for Johnny and me,” said Cisneros. “The first Los Vaqueros location was also across the street from Billy Bob’s. My husband and I were so young back then. We’d finish the dinner service, head to Billy Bob’s to dance all night, and then come back and serve a traditional Mexican breakfast to all our friends.”

Cisneros assures guests concerned about parking at the new location that Los Vaqueros is taking steps to make the transition as smooth and convenient as possible. The Stockyards has become a bustling entertainment district, offering plenty of attractions and activities — but also new challenges with parking.

According to Los Vaqueros:

• Parking at the nearby Billy Bob’s lot (131 Stockyards Boulevard) is free Sunday through Thursday, excluding special events. On weekends, parking fees apply, but patrons are free to explore the entire Stockyards area, and vehicles can remain until 2 a.m., with keys available at Billy Bob’s desk. For a map and more detailed information on parking, please visit the Billy Bob’s website FAQ page.

• Additional free parking options are available around the perimeter of the Stockyards, as well as separately managed parking lots that offer different rates and occasional coupons.

Cisneros encourages customers with mobility issues to park in the Billy Bob’s lot and call the restaurant front desk at 817-625-1511 to arrange for a golf cart pickup. She also mentioned that the family is working to get approval for their own valet parking location and for a drop-off location close to the restaurant’s entrance on Main Street.

“The Stockyards district is evolving into an even more vibrant destination,” said Cisneros. “We are committed to ensuring our guests feel welcome and cared for as we embark on this exciting new chapter.”

Dedicated to quality, family recipes, and the freshest ingredients, Los Vaqueros Restaurant has brought comforting and delicious Tex-Mex cuisine — including heart-healthy, vegan-friendly, and gluten-free options — to the historic Stockyards neighborhood since 1982 and to Willow Park since 2008. For the Cisneros family behind the restaurant, the preparation of Tex-Mex food is an art that has been passed down for three generations. It began many years ago when Kiki (Amelia Yvonne Cisneros) met a man named Johnny Valentine Cisneros Jr. as they worked together at the famous El Chico Restaurant. Many decades and wonderful meals later, the restaurant that Kiki and Johnny Jr. founded and named after their sons, Johnny and Michael, the two “vaqueros” — Los Vaqueros — continues to welcome guests for brunch, lunch, dinner, cocktails, and special events, and the two “vaqueros” continue to work to see their parents’ dream continue to evolve.

Visit losvaqueros.com for more information.

The post Los Vaqueros Has Moved to Rodeo Plaza first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

With rumors swirling about institutions and locations in the rapidly developing Stockyards district, Cisneros wanted fans of Los Vaqueros Restaurant to get the full story of the move directly from her — and to provide reassurance that the restaurant will remain an integral part of the Stockyards and greater Fort Worth communities well into the future.

Cisneros explained that a location change was inevitable, as the current Los Vaqueros building was no longer the right option for her family and devoted staff:

“While we’ve loved the challenge of a 34,000-square-foot building, it is time for the building to have an opportunity to grow further, and our vision for Los Vaqueros’ future does not coincide with expansion,” Cisneros said. “Our vision is to continue to operate in a way that allows us to adhere to our core values of family, food, grace, community service and hospitality — which means a smaller footprint. It will also allow us to spend more time enjoying our grandchildren, family and friends.”

Photo courtesy of Los Vaqueros

Johnny Cisneros, the Los Vaqueros chef, has reasons of his own to look forward to change. Under his guidance, Los Vaqueros has become a Blue Zone-approved restaurant, providing vegan-friendly and gluten-free options alongside traditional Tex-Mex favorites and family recipes. Johnny told his wife, Vicki, that a smaller restaurant footprint would allow his kitchen the flexibility to bring new dishes and fresh, seasonal specialties to their well-loved menu.

On April 22, through the negotiations of son-in-law Davidson Liland, an associate with Altera Development Company, Cisneros Restaurants Inc. signed a long-term lease on a new Los Vaqueros location in the 1911 Stockyards Exhibits building at 2501-2519 Rodeo Plaza. The Cisneros family is currently renovating the space and plans to close the original location on June 30 and open the new location after July 4, 2024. New neighbors in the building will include the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame and the John Wayne: An American Experience Museum, and restaurant patrons will find themselves steps from the Cowtown Coliseum and across the plaza from iconic Billy Bob’s Texas.

Photo courtesy of Los Vaqueros

For long-time Los Vaqueros fans worried about losing one of the few locations in Fort Worth that easily seats large parties on short notice, please be aware that “smaller” is a relative term in the Cisneros family. The new Los Vaqueros will occupy a massive 8,000 square feet, still twice the size of an average restaurant. The location will also feature an adjacent patio that seats an additional 85 guests.

“And not to worry if you have an event booked — the new location’s banquet rooms are very similar to the current banquet spaces,” she said reassuringly. “Not to mention, we’ll still have the Los Vaqueros West location in Willow Park, where we just added a banquet hall that seats 250 people.”

As for the long-occupied original Los Vaqueros location at 2629 North Main Street, Cisneros reveals that her family has sold the building, and looks forward to witnessing decades of careful stewardship from the new owners:

“It’s going to a unique, family-owned and -operated business, deeply rooted in America’s history and excited to be part of the Stockyards community. That building has been here for over 100 years and has had many different owners. We were the longest stewards of the space so far, but it’s time for the building to evolve as well. The Cisneros family has received many offers for the building over the years, but this is the only offer that seemed to represent the building’s integrity. I’m looking forward to witnessing its next chapter.”

Photo courtesy of Los Vaqueros

Cisneros concluded with a message to everyone who has visited the original location over the years, and who she hopes will join them at the new location:

“I’m one of the most fortunate people in the world because I love my work. Our guests are more than guests, they are our friends! Many have been dining with us since the 80s. We have customers that first came in as babies and are now celebrating marriages, births, and other special events; we feel as if we have come full circle. The message I want to get out to our faithful patrons, and to the schools, churches, and non-profit organizations we’ve worked with for 40 years is that their patronage makes all the difference to us — and we’re still here for them, just a few doors down the road.”

The post Big News (and Small Move) for Stockyards Stalwart first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.