RALEIGH, N.C. — Quality cooking and culture are the staples of Raleigh’s mainstay Mexican restaurant as celebrations of Hispanic Heritage Month continue. 

What You Need To Know

  • Dos Taquitos is a locally owned Mexican restaurant that's been in Raleigh for more than 30 years

  • It’s known for its fresh food, model trains and flock of chickens

  • The restaurant is the family's way of sharing their love of their culture

Dos Taquitos, a well-known Mexican restaurant in Raleigh, has been sharing their passion for food and love of their culture for more than 30 years. The colorful atmosphere and unique touches are designed to make people feel like they took a trip to Mexico, the owner says.

A look at the inside of Dos Taquitos with its colorful array of decorations. (Spectrum News 1/Rachel Boyd)

“They come in and it's literally like deer in headlights,” Pamela Salamanca, the owner of Dos Taquitos said. “Every corner has something. Every inch of the restaurant has something you can look at.”

She’s not exaggerating: hammocks, miniature sombreros and twinkling lights hang from the ceiling. The tables are themed based on the family's travels around the United States and world. 

“This table is actually one of my favorite tables, it's supposed to be like you're under the sea, so it has everything holding back there with the bubbles and everything at the top and even the table, the light is a jellyfish moving,” Salamanca said. 

Some people come for the model train that delivers dips like queso and guacamole, others come for their flock of chickens known as “the girls.” But Salamanca said what really sets them apart are the flavors that come together in the kitchen. 

Pamela Salamanca holds one of the chickens in the flock at Dos Taquitos. (Spectrum News 1/Rachel Boyd)

“People love it,” Salamanca said. “I think they love the spice, the crunch that you get, the different flavors, all the different sauces and things that you can put on everything. And you just stuff everything in a taco and that bite is just, you know, a little bit of life.”

Her parents started the restaurant in 1991 when she was only three. As a little girl she never imagined all that it would become as Raleigh’s oldest Mexican restaurant. Dos Taquitos is woven into her family even as it’s grown and changed over the years. 

“We want to be a personalized situation, you know, we do know families that come by name, families that have had their first date or even when they were high school, they came with their parents and now they come with their own family and have their own kids,” Salamanca said.

Her parents officially retired in 2015, and she and her husband took over operations with the goal of continuing to serve only the freshest ingredients in the best of Latin America’s dishes. 

“It's always been loved from the first day we opened,” Salamanca said. “It's just gotten such a wonderful community following.”