Arlington Eats: Celebrating Mexican Food and Traditions at Taqueria Saltillo
By Office of Communication
Posted on January 07, 2022, January 07, 2022

In the latest episode of Arlington Eats, host Cynthia Lemus visits Taqueria Saltillo, located at 2300 S. Collins St., Arlington, TX 76014. This restaurant offers much more than just Mexican cuisine. Juan Carlos Flores, owner of Taqueria Saltillo, has menu items such as pupusas, tortas cubanas and they offer Rosca de Reyes, a sweet bread tradition baked during Three Kings Day.

“Día de Reyes” (Three Kings Day) is a tradition celebrated each year on Jan. 6 in Mexico, as well as many Latin American and Caribbean countries.

“It’s something that we as a family enjoy,” Flores said. “I started doing this seven years ago to teach tis tradition to the small kids so they will continue with the tradition as well.”

Taqueria Saltillo is a family business. Flores and his parents opened the first location back in 2011. They opened the second location seven years ago where they started celebrating “Día de Reyes” at the restaurant.

The symbolism of the “Rosca de Reyes” speaks of the biblical story of Mary and Joseph's flight to Egypt to protect the infant Jesus from the slaughter of the innocents. The shape of the bread symbolizes the infinite love of God. The dried fruit placed on top of the bread are jewels on the Three Kings’ crowns. The figure inside the Rosca represents baby Jesus when they were hiding him from King Herod.

“I’m trying to teach our children another tradition from our country,” Flores said. For Juan Carlos Flores and his family, celebrating Mexican traditions is part of their culture as an immigrant family.

“We immigrated to this country more than 20 years ago,” Flores said. “Living in The American Dream City, having our business in this city is already an American Dream for us.”

Taqueria Saltillo has another location 2020 E. Pioneer Pkwy, Arlington, TX 76010. You can check out operating hours and learn more about the menu on the restaurant’s Facebook page.

Three Kings Day

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