Not every restaurant requires you to overthink its menu, weighed down by fancy pictures, flashy gimmicks, or complicated ingredients. Some only need good customer service and great food.
That's what you’ll find at Taculichi, a cozy taquería in San Bernardino that specializes in one dish: cabeza de res—beef head—in the style of Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico.
Eduardo Negrete Lopez, the owner, is relatively new to the role of taquero. But you wouldn’t know that based on how he carries himself.
The 32-year-old is slowly getting a rep as the pioneer of cabeza de res in San Bernardino. And his success is only beginning.
It’s been less than a year since Lopez first sold his food out of a makeshift stand on a dirt road. Now, he owns two restaurants in the Inland Empire and plans to open more.
“From day one, I said I am going to make this into a franchise, con el favor de dios (God willing), and with the support of our customers, we will make it happen,” said Lopez in Spanish. “We’re going to have restaurants everywhere.”
This taquero with big dreams was first introduced to cabeza de res while working at a family restaurant back in Culiacán, where he learned that having a solid recipe with friendly service can take a business a long way.
In terms of running a business, Lopez tells us he learned a lot from his years working for Costco. As for the recipe he has perfected, that was passed down from a family friend with expertise in cabeza who required a promise to never share it publicly.
Lopez has stuck to it. He protects that recipe with his life. Only he and a select few employees know it by heart.
“I perfected it and eventually decided to do this and opened up as a street vendor to see if people would buy it,” he said, remembering how he D.I.Y.-ed his first stand out of scrap metal.
Facing the many obstacles street vendors endure, like getting his stand shut down and losing money as a result, along with the need to provide more for his growing family, is what pushed him to open and secure his brick-and-mortar restaurants.
“Ya estabamos cansados, we were tired already, we were working long hours with no days off and no breaks,” he said. “Getting the restaurant would allow me to bring on trusted people to help us, and it would allow us to serve customers more efficiently.”
As for the food, he knew he wanted to sell cabeza from the beginning, but not everyone saw the vision. People often told him to sell regular tacos instead, saying he would have more success, but he insisted on providing something that isn't frequently seen.
“No customer of mine leaves hungry,” said Lopez while sitting at one of his booths in the restaurant. “All my employees have the authority and approval to gift a free taco to new customers, even if they don’t buy anything. We want you to try it before you say no.”
“People were not open to it at first, when I would say we sold cabeza, some would say 'que asco, la cabeza es muy grasosa, gross, the head is too greasy, ’ he said. "And I would tell them, 'just take one bite, I promise you won’t regret it.'”
Lopez lets his food speak for itself. He prides himself on this, often offering a free taco to those who are skeptical to try it.
“No customer of mine leaves hungry,” said Lopez while sitting at one of his booths in the restaurant. “All my employees have the authority and approval to gift a free taco to new customers, even if they don’t buy anything. We want you to try it before you say no.”
Here at Taculichi, no part of the beef head is wasted; the eyes, tongue, and, yes, the brain are stewed for hours, allowing each piece of meat to tenderize.
Lengua is chopped into cubes and melts in the mouth, while the meat from the head shreds with ease, both still carrying the broth it gets bathed in.
The consomé allows the meat to stay juicy, while the salsa adds a perfect finishing touch for a great bite. His orders always come with complimentary tortillas and a tortilla topped with cheese and asiento.
And last comes what we consider the star of the show: the brain (sesos). This item on his menu is viewed as a delicacy, considering not many taquerías offer it these days.
And because there’s only one brain per head, Lopez said he sources extra brains from a local supplier. He would only buy eight extra brains when he first started, not anticipating too high of a demand for them. But it wasn't long before he was pleasantly surprised to find he had sold out of brains within 30 minutes of opening.
“We couldn’t believe it, we had just advertised it the day before, and people came to try the food,” he said. “But we sold out, and we had many messages online asking us when we were going to set up again.”
People from Las Vegas and other places would eventually drive more than four hours to get their hands on his platos preparados and tacos de sesos, creating a brain-craze in San Bernardino.
“I was so surprised because it's cabeza y sesos, I didn’t think people would be that interested because most people go for tacos de asada or al pastor,” he added. “But I realized, while there were cabeza spots in the area, sesos were not as common here.”
Most who dig into a bowl of his slow-cooked beef head and brains return for more. Although customers have asked him to add more items to the menu, he maintains that if you can perfect a simple menu, emphasizing flavor and service, the customer will never fail to come.
“We’re like In-N-Out, we know what we’re best at, and a straightforward menu guarantees faster service without the taste being impacted,” Lopez said in his thick Culiacán accent. "When you go to In-N-Out, you know exactly what they sell and what you’re getting. It’s the same here at Taculichi; one thing is served, cabeza de rez. You can get it in a stew in a bowl or tacos. It doesn't change.”
The details are also in the corn tortillas. They are handmade to order.; soft, not too thin or thick, and can hold their fillings without getting soggy or breaking.
“We work so hard to provide the best service. We don’t just give people a stack of tortillas; no, they get cold,” he said. “We take care of them, keep an eye on when they are running low, and bring fresh ones off the comal before they run out. We want them to feel at home.”
Between both of his locations, he cooks and sells a little over 100 pounds of cabeza and sesos pretty much each day.
“Customers tell me that they don’t mind making the drive out here, because for some of them it’s been years since they've had a taco de sesos, and many of them end up taking several back with them,” said Lopez.
At Taculichi, a great experience is offered from the moment you walk in the door.
A customer walked in, sat near a TV screen displaying Chalino Sanchez, and was offered a free taco within seconds while he decided what to order.
Like in Mexico, businesses often have close relationships with their customers and community, and at Taculichi, it’s no different; you are treated like family.
“It's important for me for people to leave with a unique, invaluable experience,” said Lopez before asking if we needed more tortillas.
Take one step into either of his restaurants, and it’s easy to see why people return. It's not just the great-tasting food or the fact that he specializes in a dish that few focus on, but the customer service.
“I credit the great service to my team, because they exude what I stand for, and I know that if I am not here, they will still treat my customers as if they were the owners,” he said. “My success is because of them, my strong team.”
You can often find Lopez either serving customers or cutting the shit with them, making them laugh with his jokes, telling them stories, or hitting them with motivational speeches. Ensuring his customers have a good time is as important to him as the food he serves.
Now, his second location is open in Colton, which includes what could be the first taquería in Southern California offering quality cabeza through a drive-thru. And while that’s thrilling, we highly recommend getting out of your car and enjoying the whole experience that is visiting Taculichi.
Enjoy the cotorreo between customers, Lopez and his staff, and enjoy the live music that they sometimes provide on the weekends. And of course, indulge in the food that Lopez says has the potential to bring you back to life after a bad hangover.
Sit at their booths and tables, which have individual salsas, cilantro, cebolla, and chiltepineros, also known as chili crushers or grinders, used specifically to grind their whole chile piquín.
His restaurant is a true family business. His right-hand woman is his wife, who has helped him navigate administrative work. And part of his staff includes family members whom he trusts.
Lopez runs a tight ship and says that he has worked hard to perfect his team's skills so that you will have the same experience and quality of food no matter what location you go to. "Here, la plebada puede comer agusto, here, people can eat comfortably."
One thing is sure: with his charisma, humor, welcoming personality, and secret recipe, he has won people over in and outside the Inland Empire. Now he is focused on building a cabeza empire to pass on to his son.
When asked if he had any advice for other people who are starting out selling in the streets with their make-shift puestos, he said:
“Fight for your dreams, it's going to be hard, but go for them, the sun comes out for all of us, and if you don’t put yourself or your product out there, you won't know what you are capable of achieving.”
Taculichi ~ 123 W. Highland Ave. San Bernardino, CA, 92405. Open every day from 7 A.M. to 3 P.M.
Taculichi ~ 1497 N Mt. Vernon Ave. Colton, CA, 92324. Open every day from 7 A.M. to 3 P.M.
