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Briant Gutierrez has ordered the same burrito since he was 5 years old from a hole-in-the-wall taqueria in Redwood City.
The Redwood City resident would stop by Bravo Taqueria at least three times a week on his way home from Woodside High School, getting his fill of the Bravito burrito on a green tortilla. Even when Gutierrez didn’t have the money for it, owner Carlos Rios would insist he eat, giving it to him free of charge.
But in 2023, ADA compliance issues forced Bravo Taqueria to close. After a three-year renovation, the beloved taqueria finally reopened Feb. 13 to a long line of regulars, including the now 21-year-old Gutierrez. What brought Gutierrez and a slew of regulars back?
In one word: Carlos.
“That’s what people love. That’s why they keep coming back, to chit-chat with Carlos,” said Manuel Porras, a Redwood City resident and Bravo Taqueria regular.
Like Gutierrez, Porras frequented the eatery often in high school, and Rios had his order memorized: six carne asada tacos. After graduating and while waiting for deployment, Porras took a job as a cashier at Bravo, recently returning to help Rios reopen his taqueria.
“Half of the job is just interacting with people who’ve been coming here for years, who love this place,” Porras said. “Fun fact: I’ve never brought a girlfriend here. I cannot risk losing this place in a (breakup).”
Rios characterizes himself as shy, yet he knows nearly everyone that steps into his restaurant as well as what they’re ordering and even their birthdays – and he hasn’t forgotten after three years away.
Husband and wife Javier and Guadalupe Mendez opened Bravo Taqueria April 1, 1991, serving family recipes in a fast-casual setting. After 14 years, the couple wanted to retire and were looking for a buyer.
Rios, who grew up in Michoacán, Mexico, was just 27 years old with no previous restaurant experience when he became owner – a decision mostly influenced by the fact that his brother, a picky eater, would come to Bravo four times a week. Still, he felt confident he could take on the job, with prior experience as a manager at Lucky’s in San Mateo for four years.
But as a young and inexperienced owner, staff and regulars didn’t trust him at first, Rios recalled.
“The cooks used to call me El Niño (little boy),” he said. “They couldn’t believe that I was the owner and neither could the customers.”
Realizing regulars may stop coming if they sensed a change in ownership, he pretended to be part of the Mendez family, initially denying that he was the owner. As time went on and regulars realized the food was staying exactly the same, they warmed up to Rios.
While Rios is now the face of Bravo, Rosie Alvarado is the reason the food hasn’t changed in decades. Alvarado has been cooking in Bravo’s kitchen since 1992, ensuring quality and consistency. The meticulous way that she cuts cilantro prevents it from becoming mushy or changing color, and she takes great care to remove every single seed from the poblano peppers, Rios said.
“(Alvarado) is the greatest cook of all time,” Porras said. “She does the cooking. Carlos is the personality. We got the head and the heart.”
Alvarado is so important to Bravo Taqueria that Rios continued to pay her rent during the three-year closure.
Bravo Taqueria offers a variety of fast-casual Mexican fare, including tacos, burritos, plates, quesadillas, nachos and more. Rios noted that 40% of sales are vegetarian, with plant-based options such as the garden veggie burrito with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, corn, rice, black beans, lettuce and salsa ($11.50).
Top sellers are the enchilada plate, burritos and chile relleno plate ($6.50-$15.25). The chile rellano is so popular that it typically sells out, and there’s a limit to how many that customers can buy, according to Rios.
In 2019, Bravo Taqueria and next-door 5th Quarter Pizza received a notice of eviction for Jan. 31, 2020. But after reading the taqueria’s online reviews, Rios’ landlord asked if he’d consider staying, even offering him another location in downtown Redwood City.
“I said, ‘No, I can’t go (to downtown) because the people that come here are very, very personal. Sometimes, if they don’t see me, they ask about me,” Rios said.
The Bravo Taqueria building was significantly renovated to become ADA compliant, fixing problems with the bathroom, hallway, entrance, elevation and parking. Other major changes include the addition of air conditioning, heating and 800 square feet of extra space (effectively doubling its size). Roof leaks and problems with the plumbing were also fixed.
While Rios kept the reopening of Bravo quiet, it was anything but. Thirty minutes after the doors opened, there was a line out the door the rest of the day.
Rios said that when he first took over Bravo 20 years ago, his dream was simply “to make money.” But now, he wants Bravo to be a community gathering place known for its homemade Mexican food.
Bravo Taqueria, 980 Woodside Road, Redwood City; 650-364-3511, Instagram: @bravotaqueria. Open Monday to Saturday from noon to 8 p.m.
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