Tacos runin the family.
It started with a taco shop in California in 1983. Today there are 17 Oscar's Fresh Mex locations in four states, and the family is still in the kitchen.
Three generations
From El Cajon to Franklin, and beyond.
Oscar's Fresh Mex is a family story. It goes back three generations, to a man named Javier Ruiz and a taco shop in Southern California.
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Early 70s
A new start.
After coming to the United States in the early 70s, Javier Ruiz went to work with his brother in the restaurant industry. That is where the family trade began.
Pop Ruiz at the shop, 1974 -
1983
Cotijas Taco Shop.
With his brother's help, Javier opened Cotijas Taco Shop in El Cajon, California. A shop of his own, and the first chapter of everything that came after.
Cotijas Taco Shop, El Cajon. Our beginnings, 1983 -
Growing up
The kid in the kitchen.
Javier's son Oscar grew to love the family business. He spent his free time at the shop grating cheese, rolling taquitos and washing pots and pans, dreaming of a restaurant of his own.
Learning the family trade -
2007
Oscar's Fresh Mex.
Oscar and his wife Rosie moved to Franklin, Tennessee and opened Oscar's Fresh Mex, running it side by side.
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Today
17 locations in 4 states.
One location became several. Many of Oscar's siblings, nephews and nieces are part of Oscar's now. Javier has retired, but when a new Oscar's opens its doors, you can usually find him there.
More than just a restaurant, we are a family celebrating the art of cooking from the heart.
Oscar's Fresh Mex
Our vision
Feels likehome.
Our vision is to keep the true spirit of Mexican cuisine alive, and to give every guest an experience that feels like home.
That means food made fresh every morning, the way the family learned it at Cotijas. Whether it's your first visit or your hundredth, pull up a chair.
Rosie's + Oscar's. Rosie's Taco Shop and Oscar's Fresh Mex are sister brands. Rosie's locations are gradually becoming Oscar's Fresh Mex.
Come hungry.
The family recipes are waiting at 17 Oscar's across Arizona, Texas, Kentucky and Tennessee.