A new Highland Falls business can feed you
Do you like tacos?
More specifically, do you like authentic Mexican street tacos?
If so, and you’re in Highland Falls at lunchtime, you’re going to want to make your way to the American Legion Hall on Old State Rd. Once you get there, you’ll know exactly what to do.
The first thing you will see is a food truck, surrounded by an awning, five or six tables, plenty of parking, and a very happy man serving up the tacos.
He’s Pepe Badajos, a familiar face at Hacienda Restaurant in Highland Falls for many years, and now a familiar face at Playa Cancun in Stony Point. Whether waiting tables, welcoming people to the restaurant or helping out in the kitchen, he’s always smiling.
Badajos has lived with his wife and two children in Highland Falls for nearly 20 years. He’s from Mexico, one of seven brothers, and, interestingly, the last to buy a food truck!
And while he has loved his restaurant work through the years, he really loves his food truck work.
“It has been great,” he said just before opening last Thursday. He first opened the truck in Newburgh last winter, and while that went well, he’s been back in Highland Falls with it for about two months, and “things are great”, he said again. He says he’s more busy than he was in Newburgh, but as a bonus, he’s seeing familiar faces.
Who does he enjoy seeing most? “The kids I used to serve Shirley Temples to at Hacienda,” he laughs. “A lot of them have stopped by!”
He spent most of our interview thanking people — those who patronize his business; the American Legion and John Flynn for letting him rent the spot in the parking lot; Frank Fey who let him use his Main St. parking lot for a few days; Mayor Joe D’Onofrio for helping him understand the process of getting a space in the village’s municipal lot; and, basically, anyone else who crosses his path. Again, he’s just a happy person lately.
So, what does he serve? A simple menu of made-to-order Birria, chicken, al pastor, sausage, pork, or steak ‘street’ tacos, California Burros and quesadillas. He’s got Mexican and traditional American sodas. This winter he may add in some new menu items, and drinks like Mexican hot chocolate.
Badajos takes cash or credit cards, and has a Facebook page – Pepe’s Street Tacos. He’s open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
Again, he says ‘thank you’ to all who have stopped by to enjoy a quick lunch or dinner. “I am very grateful to everyone. I love my town.”
