BUDA — Valentina’s TexMex BBQ in Buda will soon open its doors in May. The 6,500-square-foot restaurant will provide seating for 235 customers, serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and include a full-service bar, according to a press release.
As Valentina’s TexMex BBQ, owned by Modesty and Miguel Vidal, opened its food truck 10 years ago, it has received national acclaim for its smoked barbecue with a Tex-Mex twist. This will be Valentina’s first brick and mortar location.
Valentina’s resides in a converted historic steel-framed equipment barn. The restaurant is situated at Buda Mill and Grain Co., an 1890 cotton gin that is now mixed-use development, which includes an art gallery, salon, yoga studio, restaurants and retail stores. Recently, Valentina’s stationed its BBQ pits in their two historic silos.
“Bringing our BBQ to Buda just felt right,” said owner and pitmaster Miguel Vidal. “With the city’s support, our family can’t wait to open our doors this summer.”
“The city and its partners have been committed to working with this family business form the start, because we know it is an investment in Buda’s future,” said Buda City Manager Micah Grau. “We are excited that is all about to come to fruition.”
The restaurant, according to the release, will create approximately 75 jobs. The city and Buda and the Buda Economic Development Corporation (EDC) invested in Valentia’s for a number of reasons.
“The Vidals are Buda residents and their kids go to our schools. With every business that comes to Buda, we look at the value it will add to our community,” said Jennifer Storm, executive director of the Buda EDC. “Valentina’s is more than award-winning [barbecue]; it’s a destination. We invested in Valentina’s because of their name recognition, their international draw and their sales tax generation. Thousands from around the world are projected to visit Valentina’s and, in turn, visit all that Buda has to offer.”