Excitement about Takeiros Mex-Food (5828 S. Lindbergh) has been building for three years, ever since co-owners José Mata and José Hernandez acquired a former Steak ‘n Shake building in Green Park.
The family has established a reputation for high-quality Tex-Mex through Tequila Mexican Restaurant. Takeiros builds on their established concept with additional menu items and an innovative service delivery model.
Here’s what to know before you go.
The Menu
Fajitas are the signature dish at Takeiros, says director Jaybe Mata, the son of José Mata and nephew of José Hernandez. The classic fajita with strip steak or grilled chicken plus onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes gets its unique flavor from a custom seasoning blend that the family has been using for more than 28 years. Jaybe Mata says his father started developing the recipe during his days as a cook in the Guadalajara region of Mexico, and once he perfected it, “we have not changed it whatsoever.”
The fajita options will be familiar to customers who have dined at Tequila Mexican Restaurant in Columbia, Red Bud, or Waterloo, Illinois—or the location at 5496 Baumgartner in South County, which is no longer owned by the family but still retains the same recipes. These include the Tequila Fajita with steak, chicken and shrimp; vegetable-only fajita; shrimp-only fajita; pork “carnitas” fajita; and the Cowboy Candy Fajita, made with beef tender tips. All come with the traditional Tex-Mex sides of lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, flour tortillas, refried beans, and Mexican rice.
Another customer favorite is the queso, a spicy cheese “fondue” available with chunks of jalapeño or chorizo sausage. It’s among the appetizers alongside chicken wings in buffalo sauce, street corn, cornbread, and guacamole.
Dinner entrées are at the heart of Takeiros’ menu. Taco dinners are available in either street-style corn tortillas or soft flour tortillas filled with chicken, steak, shrimp, pork al pastor, pork carnitas, birria, beef tender tips, chicken al pastor, and chorizo. In response to requests, Jaybe Mata says Takeiros has added lengua (beef tongue) as an option as well.
Many of the same fillings are available for chimichangas, quesadillas, tortas, and burritos. The menu’s adaptability continues with a Combo Loco section, in which customers can mix and match two or three items with sides of Mexican rice and refried beans, as well as an extensive a la carte section.
Like the fajita seasoning blend, many of the recipes have stayed the same for more than two decades, though Jaybe Mata says the family is always looking to innovate in response to demand. This includes recent trends such as quesabirria and fajita pizzas, as well as authentic Mexican meats such as pork al pastor, carnitas, and chorizo that American customers have grown to love. At Takeiros, he adds, they will also offer chicken al pastor for those who don’t eat pork.
This blend of classic and modern continues on the beverage menu, with American sodas, Mexican sodas, and aguas frescas in flavors such as horchata, jamaica, and tamarindo.
Takeiros also has a full bar, and the family’s traditional house margarita recipe promises to be a top seller. Although the generous pour of tequila is a bonus, as José Hernandez explains, “The key is the mix, not the tequila.” The made-from-scratch recipe is also the centerpiece of the Top Shelf Cadillac Margarita, which adds a splash of Gran Gala liqueur.
The margarita menu is just as expansive as the food menu, with a dozen flavor options, plus serving sizes that range from 20 ounces to a pitcher to a tower. Other options include daiquiris, micheladas, palomas, domestic and imported beers, and a handful of wines.
For dessert, there’s the Tex-Mex favorite deep-fried ice cream, as well as house-made Mexican flan, hand-rolled sopapillas, freshly made churros, molten lava cake, and Chimi Xango, a cheesecake wrapped in a sugary crust and deep-fried.
Jaybe Mata emphasizes that to-go orders are packed separately to ensure quality. “We package the hot items and the cold items and the sauces separately, so when you put it all together, it tastes just like it does here.” An example is an off-menu dish of grilled chicken, queso, and rice that has become popular at the family’s other restaurants. “If you put the cheese on top and take it to go, the rice soaks up all the cheese,” he explains.
This attention to detail is why Takeiros is waiting a couple of months to open its drive-thru window, so it can ensure a quality experience, he adds.
The Atmosphere
The 120-seat restaurant features two distinct dining experiences. To the right, customers order fast-casual style at the counter and have their food brought out by a cadre of servers who continue to wait on them for the duration of the meal.
To the left, the bar functions as a sit-down dining room where bartenders will bring menus, take orders, and deliver food to the tables. An array of TVs will show sporting events, and fans can order buckets of beer or a more extensive selection of alcohol options.
The wall murals in the bar are a visual tour of the tequila distilling process, from agave hearts to aging barrels. It honors the family’s roots in Guadalajara, Jalisco, the Mexican state where most tequila is produced. They invited a muralist from Guadalajara to showcase the region’s culture. The result is a welcoming mariachi band at the entrance, a street party along the wall where fast-casual customers wait to order, and signage throughout, including the bathrooms.
Jaybe Mata credits his mother, Blanca Mata, for handling the design and décor, down to the light fixtures and custom handcrafted wood tables. If you look closely, you’ll see what he describes as an “Easter egg,” a Tequila Mexican Restaurant logo emblazoned on the tables.
Less obvious but just as important to the overall experience is a state-of-the-art digital system for tracking orders throughout the restaurant, including the drive-thru. Jaybe Mata says it provides team members and leaders with a better visual picture of everything happening at once, an important factor in the comprehensive service model they’re instituting.
Jaybe Mata says this team setup evolved after the pandemic, when the need for more efficient service led the family to explore a new model at Tequila Mexican Restaurant. “Our employees are part of a team that includes the owners and our team leaders Marlen, Kayleigh, Teresa, Ulises, and Genesis, our team trainer, and my cousin Jaclyn Hernandez,” he says. He credits them with helping customers adapt to the hybrid model.
The Team
Jaybe Mata was just 3 months old when his father and uncle opened the flagship Tequila Mexican Restaurant in Columbia, Illinois, 25 years ago. He started as a dishwasher there when he was 12 years old and eventually worked in all of the locations.
He also worked at a fast-casual chain in 2021 and 2022, learning insights about customers’ devotion. “I wanted to know what was so great about their chicken sandwich,” he says. “But it wasn’t the chicken sandwich. It was how they operate. And that’s our vision here.”
His family’s culinary heritage runs deep. José Mata says he started in 1986 as a dishwasher and opened his first restaurant in 1995. In 2017, the family purchased its first building at the Waterloo location of Tequila Mexican Restaurant. The financial rewards prompted them to purchase additional brick-and-mortar assets. “The most satisfying thing to me about opening Takeiros is buying the building and not having to rent,” he says.
Another advantage of having multiple locations where team members are cross-trained is that they can better cover staffing shortages that arise unexpectedly, Jaybe Mata says—all the way up to the owners’ families. “We’re all partners. We pitch in with whatever is needed. We’ll work eight days a week, 25 hours a day.”
While they haven’t advertised Takeiros’ soft opening this week, he knows that word will spread quickly among customers who have been eagerly awaiting the new location.
“Even though there are more options now, people still follow us, because they like our food and our approach,” Jaybe Mata says. “We like talking to people and getting to know them. And we give you what you pay for.”
Takeiros Mex-Food
📍 5828 S. Lindbergh, South County
⏰ 11 a.m.–10 p.m. daily
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