By ARABELLA SERRATA
Staff Writer
After having to shut its doors in April 2021, Manuel’s Tacos is set to make its triumphant return to the hungry customers of Port Isabel. It has joined forces with the local eatery and sports bar Doubleday to offer its treasured tacos on the menu.
“Manuel’s was renowned in Port Isabel for serving the largest and most delicious breakfast tacos. Now, he’s back to do what he does best,” states the official Doubleday website.
Doubleday is a “family-friendly sports museum” that serves food. An appeal of Doubleday is its collage of sports history that lines the walls. As the official website states, “It’s not just a bar, it’s a museum!” The restaurant also features art by restaurant owner, Manuel Hinojosa.
The PRESS spoke with Mikael Hinojosa, son of Manuel Hinojosa. Mikael Hinojosa has recently stepped up to manage Doubleday in the wake of his father aging out of management. Jose “Manuel” Barroso, the owner of Manuel’s Tacos, has been a longtime friend of the Doubleday family. The partnership officially began when the bar started to build a taqueria as an extension to the restaurant, and Barroso approached Doubleday about holding his establishment in the taqueria. The pair decided it was a mutually beneficial idea.
“Port Isabel is not the same without the food he brought to the table,” said Mikael Hinojosa.
Hinojosa hopes to push Doubleday into a new era. He says he has seen Doubleday falling under the radar of most tourists traversing through Port Isabel. He voiced his frustrations with the perception that Doubleday wasn’t a family-friendly location simply because it is a bar and hopes that will change with these new additions.
The PRESS spoke with Jose “Manuel” Barroso on his return.
“It feels great,” said Barroso.
He recalls many people asking him when he planned on reopening and now, he finally has an answer. He says that the collaboration with Doubleday was formed over a long period of time. Barroso initially approached Doubleday shortly after his 2021 closure, but nothing came out of it until the taqueria was built.
Barroso still hopes to open a solo location, or at least a food truck.
“I took this opportunity with Manuel [Hinojosa] because I know him and I know the people want my tacos,” he said. “I really would like to see my old friends back.”
Barroso makes a point of referring to the public as friends, rather than customers. To his loyal fanbase, Barroso says “I’m back!” and hopes they come out to support the restaurant.
Doubleday is undergoing a long-term expansion plan to better their restaurant. The taqueria is the first step. The next step is a personalized pizza place called MiPizza, but the name is subject to change.
MiPizza is set to open for business in the fall. They specialize in personal-sized pizzas to service customers who “don’t want to compromise with the family.” The main idea behind the restaurant is to appease different taste pallets within a group.
Manuel’s will make a full return to the public on Saturday, Aug. 9. They will be serving breakfast tacos from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and street tacos from 3 p.m. until “late,” according to the website and socials.
News Source: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/
Full credits to the owner of this article and photo.
Leave a Reply