GENESEE COUNTY/Batavia resident opens authentic Mexican taqueria on Oak street

Batavia’s first authentic Mexican taqueria, Los Compadres, will open today at 11:00a.m. at 40 Oak street.

“This business is more of a fast food Mexican restaurant,” says owner Jose Castaneda.

“We have very authentic tacos.”

The menu, though small, will offer a lot of different meats that other restaurants normally do not have.

Brisket, pork, sausage, dried salt steak, tongue, shrimp, tripe and fish tacos along with beef and chicken.

There is also a salsa bar with several homemade salsas.

“We will have a special sauce everyday in a molcajete which is made of volcanic rock that stays hot a long time.”

Los Compadres will also serve Mexican and domestic beer, flavored water, Mexican sodas and coke and Mexican candies.

Eventually they will also add an area where customers can view the making of homemade flour shells for tortillas.

(Left-Jose Castaneda, owner, and right-Ivan Goncalez, manager of Los Compadres/Batavia)

In July, Castaneda decided to rent the location and has spent the last four months upgrading the inside of the business to make it more appealing.

“We added new lighting, it was very dark inside, we also added new windows, painted, added a new menu system and changed the heating,” says Castaneda.

This is not Castaneda’s first go around with a restaurant. He owns 10 other restaurants though out New York State in cities like Buffalo, Lockport, Syracuse, Watertown and Evans Mills. He has opened 4 in the last two years. He previously worked for CY Farms, managing their Turf Farms.

“Two years ago I quit my job to pursue my own thing and try to be successful on my own. It was a big decision, being at a secure job with good health insurance and a very good retirement plan and making good money. When I was working at CY Farms I thought I worked a lot of hours, and now I work about 80 hours a week.”

Castaneda decided to add Batavia to his list of restaurants because he lives here and also because his 17 year old daughter, Jocylyn , a Senior at Batavia High School, would like to work in Batavia.

“She wanted to work here, so we thought we could give her a job here. She does not drive, so to work in Buffalo or Lockport was far. She will be working after school here running the cash register as well as other areas like cleaning tables and helping in the kitchen .”

In June, the owner of Bourbon and Burger, Derek Geib, purchased the location and thought that Castaneda might like it and could open up a restaurant there.

“We had been talking about me opening a restaurant in Batavia for a while.”

Castaneda says he really does not know the kitchen and will not be a day to day person at his restaurants.

He hires a manager for each of his locations.

In Batavia, Ivan Goncalez will be managing the day to day operations.

“Ivan is a very successful restaurant owner in Mexico and he has left Mexico to come to work in the United States.”

Currently, Los Compadres is looking to hire at least 5 more people. They will employ a total of 10 people.

“I am bringing in people from the southern states that know a lot about the recipes and who are very good cooks. We have  a very good reputation for the food and our management team is very good with customers.”

-Hours for Los Compadres-

(Monday -Saturday 11am-10p.m. and Sunday 11am -9p.m. also open most holidays)

“We would like to welcome everyone from Batavia to try it at least and will do our best to stay open and serve the community.”