Amigos, Meet at Paco's Tacos

There's a new Chihuahua in town, and his name is Paco! Paco is the inspiration behind Beach Boulevard's newest locally owned restaurant.

Four friends, also known as the "four chicas," are inviting everyone to stop by Paco's Tacos in Gulfport on Thursday, Feb. 7, for homemade authentic Mexican dishes.

Owners Barbara Banno, Jeanne Kunkle, Amy Hodges and Diane Bear — the "four chicas" — are holding a soft opening at 2930 Beach Blvd. starting at 11 a.m.

Many residents already stop by Banno and Kunkle's downtown restaurant, Stella's. The couple has been helping people get their day started with coffee and breakfast dishes for three years. Now, they're joining their friends in this new business partnership.

“We all have a love for Mexican food,” Banno said.

Banno says the four of them became friends about a year ago, meeting at a volunteer cleanup event in Gulfport. Since then, she says they always ended up together at a Mexican restaurant. Just a couple months ago, Banno said they started talking about the idea of a opening up a place where people could find authentic Mexican food.

"I believe everything fell into place and it was meant to be," Banno said.

Expect to find family recipes, homemade salsa, guacamole, tortillas and more on the menu.

Banno's favorite dish is the queso fundido, a dish with white creamy cheese sauce, roasted chili peppers and sautéed onions, served with homemade warm tortillas.

As we've mentioned, the restaurant is named after Paco, Banno's 13-year-old Chihuahua. The couple has shared the "Story of Paco" on the restaurant's Facebook page:

The Story of Paco:

Many years ago in a small town in Chihuahua, Mexico a young artist Julio fell in love with a beautiful senorita, Lupita. Julio and Lupita decided to migrate to the US to find a perfect place to raise a family. After a considerable search they discovered Gulfport, Florida, the perfect town. Wonderful art, lovely locals and a hometown feel second to none. Soon after their move they were blessed with a son they called PACO. Paco loved his father and his love for art, but was drawn to his mothers talent, cooking. We are proud to say that Paco shared some of his mother's secret recipes from old Mexico. That has allowed us the opportunity create Paco's Tacos (under his watchful eye of course). To this day you may see Paco wondering the streets, sharing memories of Old town Gulfport with his Amigo's. We hope you enjoy Paco's Tacos as much as we do.

Paco's Tacos is located at 2930 Beach Blvd. Hours are Monday and Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Thurusday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, call (727) 252-9366.

Stay tuned to Gulfport Patch for details about a formal grand opening complete with a ribbon cutting ceremony and appearance by Paco himself!

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