Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ Finally Opens That Long-Awaited Barbecue Restaurant in Buda This June

Essential barbecue and taco truck Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ is finally opening its long-awaited and highly anticipated physical restaurant in Texas. The new Valentina’s is found in Buda at 306 South Main Street starting on Friday, June 16.

The Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ truck is now permanently closed. Originally, the 11500 Menchaca Road truck’s shutter was meant to be a temporary one ahead of the restaurant, but because it has been so busy at the Buda location, the team decided to focus on the physical restaurant instead — it has been selling out of food earlier than anticipated since opening.

The new restaurant is found within the mixed-use development Buda Mill & Grain, inside of an equipment barn renovated for the dining space. It’ll have indoor and outdoor dine-in services, a full bar, and food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Valentina’s smokers are currently located within the property’s silos.

Co-owners and couple pitmaster Miguel Vidal and Modesty Vidal have been working on opening a physical location for quite some time. In fact, its current food truck location in far south Austin was supposed to turn into a physical location, but that didn’t happen. For the Buda restaurant, the City of Buda and the Buda Economic Development Corporation actually invested in the business, according to a press release.

Valentina’s restaurant hours were initially limited for the first several days of service. Full opening hours are from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Monday with breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m.

The Vidals opened Valentina’s in 2013 which was then parked at West Sixth bar Star Bar. It moved to Brodie Lane in 2015, then far south Menchaca Road in 2017. The Buda location was announced in May 2021. There’s also a location with Austin soccer stadium Q2. There had been a taco truck, Violet Taco, from 2015 to 2017, as well as a burger truck, Cash Cows Burgers, from September 2021 to January 2023.

Other dining and drinking spots within Buda Mill include Nate’s Coffee & Cocktails, Mud Bugs, and Los Olivos Market. Bakery Sweet Cakes 4 U had a location within the development but closed in late March.

Buda Economic Development Corporation

Buda Economic Development Corporation

Update, June 20; This article, originally published on April 26, has been updated to reflect the opening date and hours of Valentina’s Buda restaurant and the permanent closing of its far south Austin truck.