Kiké’s Red Tacos wasn’t Enrique “Kiké” Silva Figueroa’s first idea when he thought of his savings. In fact, buying a house was far brighter on his radar than the dull pulse of a birria truck. That is until his young son Cesar Silva González convinced him and his wife to go for the venture. They agreed despite some reluctance, and in 2020, Kiké’s Red Tacos was born.
A Jalisco native, Silva Figueroa’s red recipe for birria — a dish originated in Jalisco — is the antithesis of the recently-trending corner-cutting renditions of the stewed beef. Instead, his is a deep family recipe that his son recalls constantly requesting throughout his childhood.
For the past two years, Kiké’s has been posted at 3640 West 38th Avenue, immobile for the most part and winning accolades & awards left and right. Kiké’s recently won Denver Post’s March Taco Madness and made it to the Elite 8 in Stoned Appetit’s March Madness.
What Now Denver caught up with Co-Founder Cesar Silva González to get the dip on the family’s emerging journey:
WND: What does opening this brick-and-mortar mean to you and your family?
Silva González: Opening our very own restaurant means absolutely everything. I started working with my dad in the restaurant industry at the age of 12 getting paid $50 under the table after working a 10-hour day. At the time, the only thing I really enjoyed about it was finally spending time with my dad who would be leaving for work when I woke and getting home when I was getting ready to go to sleep.
My dad always loved cooking, dating back to his days managing kitchens in resorts in Mexico. Owning our own restaurant never crossed our mind because it really didn’t seem possible to a family of immigrants. No one we knew owned their own business and we just never had the means to risk starting something of our own.
When I was around 18, I remember working at an Italian restaurant with my dad and seeing him being yelled at, pushed, and called a number of racial slurs by the son-in-law of the owner who was also the GM. I vividly remember the sight of my dad just standing there without saying a word as the owner’s family pulled the GM out of the restaurant while he continued calling my dad a “beaner.”
Throughout all the years of working with my dad, he always drilled the message in my head to just keep my head down and work, and I saw him do just that. I feel like the desire to leave that environment pushed him to risk letting his then-20-year-old son start a food truck with all the money we had saved up for a home.
Three months after I started the food truck, he quit his job and we’ve very gratefully had a very successful run since.
WND: We recently read that you’re not yet ready to reveal the incoming restaurant’s location. Can you give us a fun, cryptic clue?
SG: We plan on revealing the location of the brick-and-mortar the same week we open. I can hint that it’ll be within a 5-minute driving radius of the food truck’s current location.
WND: Pending the restaurant’s probable success, do you see Kiké’s Red Tacos possibly becoming a chain?
SG: We’ve received a number of emails and social media messages asking if we’d consider franchising in Colorado Springs, Kansas, and Detroit to name a few locations. Right now, our only priority is serving the best food we can to our customers and perfecting the experience customers have at our new restaurant.
WND: Will you and your family still operate the truck in addition to the brick-and-mortar? If not, what will come of the beloved truck?
SG: The food truck will continue to operate at a new location preferably outside a 30-minute driving radius of the restaurant.
When we look at our social media insights, we notice a significant following from people living in Boulder, Aurora, and Colorado Springs, making these possible new homes for the food truck.
WND: Will the new restaurant serve alcohol?
SG: Alcohol will absolutely be served in our new location. Way too often we see clients showing up with their own beers or walking over to the gas station nearby for alcoholic drinks.
WND: What can customers expect in terms of vibe/energy/aesthetic in the new restaurant?
SG: Customers can expect a very bright and inviting vibe. As a family, we love nothing more than seeing other families enjoying our food while they converse and laugh. We’re hoping to build the most beautiful space we can with feature walls, neon signage, bright plants, and Mexican-inspired art everywhere to create a setting our clients want to invite their loved ones to and create new memories.
