DALLAS — One of Dallas' staple Tex-Mex restaurants, Herrera's Cafe on Sylvan Avenue, will close its doors on Friday, April 22.
Herrera's confirmed its closing on Facebook Thursday, though it did not say why.
They thanked their customers and posted several photos of the restaurant through the years, along with the Herrera and Ontiveros families, who owned the cafe.
Herrera's Cafe was started in 1971 by Amelia Herrera on Maple Avenue in a tiny restaurant space with only nine tables. It became so popular that they would regularly have lines wrap around the outside of the building, and customers lined up with coolers of beer as they waited to get inside.
Over the years, Herrera's Cafe garnered national recognition with profiles from publications like the New York Times, Texas Monthly and more.
The original Maple Avenue location was also featured in a 1984 edition of National Geographic. A huge painting of that iconic National Geographic photo adorns the restaurant entrance.
After nearly 40 years in its original location on Maple Avenue, the family-owned business moved to Staple Avenue after they were pushed out by high real estate prices in the area, according to a 2014 WFAA report.
Nora Ontiveros, a member of the small family-owned chain, told WFAA in 2014 that they couldn't come to an agreement on a lease for that location. Ontiveros' husband is grandson of the Amelia Herrera.
Now, after serving the community for 50-plus years, local spot is closing its doors. Herrera's Cafe posted to Facebook on Thursday asking customers to share their favorite memories from dining there:
As news spread that the Tex-Mex restaurant's time was nearing its end, Dallasites flocked to grab one last meal.
A Facebook Live video one day before the restaurant closed showed a packed house:
Three generations of Herrera’s family members operate other restaurants in North Texas that share the family name but have different ownership, such as Herrera’s Oak Cliff, Cafe Herrera in Downtown Dallas, and Herrera’s Tex-Mex in Addison.
Those locations will remain open.