Victoria's celebrates 15 years

In a time when restaurants come and go with alarming frequency, The Victoria Restaurant (Victoria’s) stands as a testament to resilience, authenticity and the power of family recipes. This month, the Mexican restaurant celebrates 15 years of serving the Farmers Branch community.

For owner and chef Francisca Alvarado, Victoria's represents the culmination of a dream that began 34 years ago when she immigrated to the United States from Jalisco, Mexico.

"Victoria was a dream one day," said Alvarado. "My first work was in a Mexican restaurant as a server. I served for many years, and my dream was to one day own my own restaurant."

That dream first materialized in 1997, with her first restaurant in Dallas. After several ventures, including two additional restaurants, all of which are no longer in business, Alvarado opened Victoria's 15 years ago.

The journey wasn't easy. "It's a lot of work," Alvarado recalled. "My first year at Victoria's was from 5 a.m. to midnight, every day."

The restaurant is named after Alvarado’s daughter, Victoria Guajardo, who now helps manage the establishment.

“I consider myself her executioner,” said Guajardo. "She gives me the ideas, and I make it happen."

What sets Victoria's apart is its commitment to authentic family recipes passed down through generations. Many dishes come directly from Alvarado’s mother, Maria, including the restaurant's signature mole.

"The mole is my mother's recipe, my grandma's recipe," said Alvarado with pride. "It takes a long time to cook because it's more than 20 ingredients. You have to cook with your heart, your memory and everything."

Other customer favorites include fajitas, chile rellenos and enchiladas. The restaurant recently renamed a dish "Lolis Enchiladas" to honor Alvarado’s sister who passed away last year.

"We wrote a dedication for her in the menu," explained Guajardo. "Her name was Dolores, but my mom called her Lolis. It feels like a part of her lives on in everything that my mom does."

Loyal customers Jake Shea and Paul Wright cite both the food and atmosphere as reasons for their continued patronage.

"I love the family atmosphere," said Shea. "When you come here, it feels like you're eating at home."

Wright agreed, adding, "It's quiet enough where you can come in here and have a conversation."

Both men praised the authenticity of the food. Wright, a fan of the crispy taco lunch, described them simply as "really good tacos," while Shea favors the street tacos, which he finds "well priced, very authentic, and they taste fantastic."

When asked why Victoria's has lasted so long in Farmers Branch, Shea credited the employees. "Everybody probably comes here because they have great employees, and the service is fantastic."

That service-oriented mindset comes directly from Alvarado, who instructs her staff to treat customers like family. "I say to my servers, you treat customers like your family, because you never know what's going on with people."

The restaurant faced significant challenges during the Covid-19 Pandemic, closing for two months before reopening. "After the pandemic, it was too hard to keep open," Alvarado said. "I let go of about 50 percent of my staff. But I'm happy because many restaurants went out of business, but we kept Victoria's open."

Victoria's success reflects Alvarado unwavering determination. According to Guajardo, her mother embodies Mexican cultural values of hard work and perseverance.

"A lot of the values that we hold really high in Mexican culture is hard work. You can't give up," said Guajardo. "You could hand her the biggest problem in the world, and she'd be like, 'We'll find a way.'"

That resilience has built not just a successful business but a community hub where customers have become extended family. Some patrons have been with Victoria's since its opening day, and others followed Alvarado from her previous restaurants.

"We have our Monday customers, our Tuesday customers, our Wednesday customers," Guajardo said. "They feel like family."

Looking ahead, Alvarado dreams of expansion though she emphasized that Farmers Branch will always be home. "This is my home. Victoria's, Farmers Branch, I love my customers."

For Guajardo, her mother's journey from immigrant to successful restaurateur is the most remarkable aspect of The Victoria Restaurant story.

"Coming to America, immigrating here, not knowing the language, and just to see what she's created is pretty incredible," she said. "She is loved by her customers."