When Tupinamba owner Eddie Dominguez decided to move his family-owned Tex-Mex restaurant east a few miles, his staff came with him.
"I didn't even have to hire anybody new," he says. His employees were out of work for four weeks between when the former restaurant closed Jan. 31 and the new one opened March 2. "It was kind of neat for them to wait for me," he says.
The new Tupinamba is now open near Walnut Hill Lane and Central Expressway and has the same menu (made by the same cooks) as before.
Tupinamba has been in Dallas for more than 60 years and was started by Dominguez's parents. The business has operated just one location since 1941, though it's moved six times.
While that may seem like a lot of shuffling, it operated on Inwood Road for the past 18 years, long enough for Dominguez and his staff to watch kids grow up and graduate.
"I've got customers that are just starting college that I used to put in high chairs," he says.
The restaurant's Tupi tacos have been a Tupinamba tradition. They are deep-fried tacos with a recipe that dates back to the '50s, before hard-shell tacos came about, Dominguez says. Other items on the menu include enchiladas, tamales and guac.
Dominguez and his staff decided to find a new location after he couldn't come to an agreement with his former landlords. The new space, which is near a
, is part of sprawling area that sees traffic from nearby neighborhoods and hospitals.
Dominguez believes his business might be the oldest family-owned Tex-Mex restaurant in Dallas now. ("El Fenix and El Chico had that title through the years," he says, "but they sold to corporations.")
9665 N. Central Expressway, Suite 142, Dallas. tupinambarestaurant.com.
