By Hairuo Yi |Staff Writer|

Juanito’s Tacos, located in Highland, is a family owned restaurant which has been attracting people’s attention with its special flavors of their homemade sauces.

Kimberlyn Cruz, restaurant server, talks about her family-owned restaurant, where all the food is cooked by her mother with a homemade style.

“First it started with my family and I, then we later grew causing us  to get a little bit more help with family members outside the inner group,” said Kimberlyn.

The restaurant had been open for seven years, but before that they used to sell street tacos from their home.

“A year before we opened, we used to sell tacos from our house, street tacos. We used to do that, and that was nine years ago,” said Kimberlyn.

Now there are many customers that come everyday, but son, Juan Cruz said it was really hard in the beginning.

“First it was a rough start. Even though we only had two or three customers in the beginning, my parents never gave up,” said Juan.

The restaurant’s menu has changed over time. Now they try to have a larger assortment of  flavors on their food and also with their homemade sauce.

Kimberlyn said some special sauces are brought from Mexico by her parents.

“Our hot sauce is different. A lot of our customers say our hot sauce is different while also having loads of flavor,” continues Juan.

Some customers think the red sauce is too hot for them, but there are other options!

“For us, the green sauce is our hot sauce and our red sauce is the mild sauce. Other establishments have their sauces backwards, compared to us,” continued Juan.

For instance, an alternative choice is the avocado sauce which is very popular for customers, who don’t like spicy food.

“The hot sauce is too hot for me, but I like the avocado sauce here. The flavor is different and it tastes really fresh,” said customer, Leeann Tuan.

Juan emphasized customer service is a the main focus of this restaurant.

“We try our best to have great customer service, to make sure they feel welcome and make sure they feel comfortable,” said Juan.

Most of the food on the menu is under $10, so it’s fairly affordable for college students.

The tacos range from $1.75 to $3 and the burritos from $6.99 to $8.25.

“You get beans, rice and your choice of meat and cheese in the burrito and you can add more stuff if you want. We have the Macho Burrito, which has everything in it and it is double wrap,” said Kimberlyn.

Juanito’s Tacos staple is Mexican food, but they also serve  food for different types of customers.

“We also have American food, like hamburgers. For children, we have a cheeseburger and corn dog for them as well,” said Kimberly.

There are a lot of customers that come here time after time because they like the flavors this restaurant has to offer.

“This place I think is amazing. I love their sweet onion and avocado and their meat is perfect…some other places make food really salty but not here. Every bite is savoring ,” said Tuan.

Juanito’s Tacos is located at 7750 Palm Ave., Highland, California 92326 and they are open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Juanito’s is just the right spot for those individuals whom thrive for the taste of authentic Mexican food, while keeping affordable prices.