About Henrys Puffy Tacos
We take pride in our tradition of quality food and great service. Since opening our first location in 1978, we have always served homemade family recipes made every day with the freshest ingredients. From our original Puffy Taco recipe and technique to newer menu items being created, for generations, we have strived to be the best at what we do and are rewarded by satisfied, happy customers that become part of our Henrys family.
Henry Lopez started his restaurant career at the age of fourteen workings for his eldest brother Ray at his restaurant, Rays Drive Inn, in the the1950s. It was at a young age that Henry dreamed of opening his own restaurant. While working alongside his brother, they experimented with many deep-fried food items. One of those experiments was deep-frying corn masa dough finding that it puffed up. They then stuffed the fried dough with ingredients and called them crispy tacos. About 8 years later, Henry and his brother Louie opened their first restaurant called El Taco Food to Go. It was there that they sold the puffed fried corn masa dough, also calling them crispy tacos, along with other family dishes. El Taco Food to Go was one of the first pickup windows for fast, easy take-out in the inner city of San Antonio. After a few years in business, Henry bought out his brother but eventually closed his restaurant due to street closures for drainage on Zarzamora Street. Henry moved to California and it was there that he saved money, revamped his original El Taco Food to Go concept, and planned his future of returning to San Antonio to live out his dream. His dream was to open a restaurant and specialize in the puffed fried corn masa tacos he renamed Puffy Tacos.