Growing up in Puebla, Mexico, José Gonzalez enjoyed spending time with his mother, grandmother and the other women in his family, as they cooked everything from mole and tamales to elote and chicken fresh from their farm, among many other family favorites.
While the other boys played outside, Gonzalez preferred being in the kitchen — watching, learning and helping to prepare the food. It was here where he felt most at home.
“I was always in the kitchen with my mom. I loved seeing how she did it, how she cooked everything,” Gonzalez said.
Today, his newest Las Frida’s Mexican Kitchen location in Doylestown Borough, Gonzalez combines all he had learned back then with years of experimenting with flavors.
The restaurant offers both Mexican and American fare across its entire menu, including breakfast, his favorite meal.
“I started making breakfast for myself in Mexico when I was 10 or 11. I love to do it,” Gonzalez said.“If I’m going to make a French toast, I’m going to make it something different you don’t normally see around here, like my Nutella French toast, with whipped cream and chocolate and berry sauce.”
A favorite dish is the Heuvos Divorciados, two sunny side up eggs on top of crispy tortilla spread with beans and cheese, and topped with ranchero and verde sauces, lime sour cream and avocado.
He also recommends the Birria Tacos, made with three corn tortillas with melted Oaxaca cheese, braised barbacoa-style lamb, cilantro and onions, and served with a side of consommé for dipping.
The Doylestown restaurant, which he owns in partnership with Enoelio Ambrosio, is the newest of his five locations. Gonzalez started out in 2019 with his first restaurant in Limerick, after spending years working hard for others.
“My goal was to open a breakfast restaurant, but the chance came to open a Mexican restaurant and I took it,” he said.
As he found success, he said he wanted to help other Latinos like himself, who worked just as hard in the kitchen as he had all those years. It was a value instilled in him from a young age.
“My father was a farmer, growing vegetable and raising cows, and he notices somebody doesn’t have something, he helped them with something to eat. And same with my mom with cooking, she always shared. That’s how I grow up,” Gonzalez said, who wanted to do the same for his community.
“I see some Mexican restaurants, where the owner’s exploiting the guys in the kitchen, working too many hours, they don’t pay good and stuff like that. So, I had to do something different because when you help somebody, it’s always coming back in some way.”
In addition to Doylestown and Limerick, Las Frida’s Mexican Kitchen has locations in Norristown, Maple Glen and Lansdale. Each one Gonzalez owns with a different partner. His hope is he can continue to expand to help more people in his community go into business for themselves.
“I feel good because we added a fifth location, but at the same time I don’t feel like this is the end. We have to keep growing and keep helping more people,” he said.
“Everyone sees us Latinos as workers, but we are not just that. I want to show this country we can build a business, too.”
Go:Las Frida’s Mexican Kitchen is located at 274 S. Main St. in Doylestown; 267-247-5867;lasfridasmexicankitchen.com
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Check out these other recently opened spots in Bucks County:
Calm Waters Coffee Roasters, Newtown
Calm Waters, with its original location in Bristol Borough, opened a second location Sept. 1 in a cozy spot in Newtown Borough, taking the place of The Coffee Room which closed just last month.
Owners, Jeremy Keating and Andrew Dittman, have designed their Newtown shop with the same intentions as the Bristol location, to create a comfortable and welcoming space for people to disconnect from the outside world and reconnect with one another.
Keating said their coffees come in a variety of flavor profiles, so everyone “from the cream and sugar crowd to the coffee nerd” always have something to enjoy thanks to a rotating menu meant to “shine a spotlight on different parts of the world and how the coffee is grown.”
Favorite drinks include the Dark Chocolate Cold Brew and the Cortado, a 50/50 blend of espresso and steamed milk.
Go:Calm Waters Coffee Roasters is located at 15 S. State St. in Newtown, 215-550-6130; and 242 Mill St. in Bristol, 215-781-6286;calmwaterscoffee.com
Spad’s Scoops, Bristol
Opened earlier this summer, Spad’s Scoops is Bristol’s newest ice cream shop. Whatever way you like your ice cream, they’ve got you covered from build-your-own sundaes and flurries to milkshakes and root beer floats. The Peanut Butter Overload Sundae is a favorite, made with Reece’s peanut butter cup ice cream topped with peanut butter sauce, crushed Reece’s peanut butter cups, whipped cream and a cherry.
With a rotating menu of more than 40 ice cream flavors, there’s always something new to try, like Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough, Death by Chocolate, Banana Chip and Death by Mint. Water ice, cookie sandwiches and ice cream bars are also available.
Three extra cool things available Spad’s:
- Dole Soft Serve: You may already be a big fan of Dole Whip soft serve, so much that you’ve waited in long lines at Disney just to get your hands on it. But for those who don’t know, Dole soft serve is a gluten-free, dairy-free frozen treat that somehow captures the creaminess you’d expect from traditional soft serve. It comes in a variety of fruit flavors, including its original and most popular: pineapple whip.
- Pup Cups: If you want to be spared the guilt of puppy dog eyes peering up at you while you enjoy dessert, order your furry friend a Pup Cup filled with soft serve vanilla ice cream topped with dog biscuits.
- Milkshake Mondays: Every Monday, grab a milkshake made with soft serve for $5
Keep an eye out for their future menu offerings that will include items, like burgers, hot dogs, cheesesteaks, chili and homemade soups. Seating is available indoors year-round, and they also have limited seating outside for those warmer days.
Go:Spad’s Scoops is located 115 Mill St. in Bristol; 724-768-3119;spadsscoops.com
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Opening soon in Bucks County
The East End, Hatfield
Set to open Sept. 13, The East End comes to Hatfield, in Hilltown Township, from the owners of The West End, a popular restaurant and pub in Quakertown.
Not unlike The West End’s original menu, The East End has an extensive selection of pub food, including cheesesteak egg rolls, buffalo chicken mac & cheese, and their signature beef sandwich, topped with pepper jack and cooper sharp cheeses, creamy horseradish, an au jus sauce and served with parmesan sidewinder fries.
The East End offers live entertainment, including Trivia Nights on Wednesdays, country line dancing on Thursdays, and live music on Fridays and Saturdays.
Go:The East End is located at 1903 Bethlehem Pike in Hatfield, Hilltown Township; 267-733-4352;theeastendpa.com
The Forager, Bristol
Dana Pezza, owner of Itri, is bringing her newest concept to downtown Bristol Borough with the upcoming opening of The Forager, as early as mid- to late October.
As a local market and cheese shop, The Forager has partnered with farms from the surrounding area to sell seasonal produce, meats, dairy and artisan bread, with a particular emphasis on charcuterie trays and specialty cheeses.
The market will feature some of Itri’s best sellers, like its truffle aioli, beet salad and co*cktail mixtures. Using locally-sourced ingredients, The Forager will also offer convenient and healthy ready-to-heat meals, including pasta dishes and homemade soups.
Go:The Forager will be located at 300 Mill St. in Bristol
Coffee & Tacos, Quakertown
With a grand opening and ribbon cutting scheduled for Oct. 1, Coffee & Tacos comes to the Country Square shopping center, according to aposton its Facebook business page. The business goes on to comment the restaurant will be takeout only and catering will be available.
Menu details have yet to be shared, but it’s safe to say the name gives away some hints.
Go:Coffee & Tacos will be located in the Country Square shopping center at 240 S. West End Blvd in Quakertown; 866-OMG-TACO; tacoscoffee.com
Founding Fathers, Bensalem
Founding Fathers, which began on South Street in Philadelphia, is expanding into Bucks County with a second location opening in Bensalem, taking the place of Quaker Steak & Lube which closed in the Fall of 2021.
The sports bar serves up a host of appetizers, pizza, tacos and sandwiches, paired with a variety of traditional and craft beers, cider, wine and co*cktails. With its indoor and outdoor bar and dining, you can comfortably sit back, enjoy a drink and watch the game with your friends.
Go:Founding Fathers will be located at 2900 Street Rd. in Bensalem;ffbensalem.com
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Village at Newtown adds a couple “Guys” to their dining scene
Halal Guys
Halal Guys celebrated its grand opening recently in the Village of Newtown shopping center. The fast-casual restaurant specializes in authentic American Halal foods, like gyros, falafel and baba Ghanoush. Family meal deals and catering are also available.
Go:Halal Guys is located at in the Village at Newtown at 2820 S Eagle Rd. in Newtown; 718-718-7118;thehalalguys.com
Five Guys, Newtown
Five Guys is gearing up to bring their handcrafted burgers and fries to the Village at Newtown. It joins a growing list of restaurants who call the shopping center home, including Chopt, Bomba Taco + Bar, Iron Hill Brewery, Nina’s Waffles and Crumbl Cookie. An opening date is yet to be announced.
Go:Five Guys will be located at the Village at Newtown at 2804 South Eagle Road in Newtown;fiveguys.com
Popular southern fried chicken chain to open in Bucks County
Bojangles, Quakertown
Bojangles is coming to the Philadelphia region with the opening of its new Quakertown franchise location on West End Boulevard, across from John’s Plain and Fancy Diner. The fast-casual restaurant, which was first founded in North Carolina in 1977 and has expanded to 780 locations, is known for its fried chicken, biscuits and southern-style sides.
It is tentatively slated to open in mid- to late September, but this date could change due to construction and other factors, according to a Bojangles spokesperson.
Go:Bojangles will be located at 85 S. West End Blvd. in Quakertown;bojangles.com
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