Cancer survivor, burrito pro opens his own taco restaurant in Wilmington

Rico Hernandez moved to the United States for a better life, he said. And for decades he found that life working in local restaurants. For the past 20 years, that included the Live.Eat.Surf restaurants K-38 Baja Grill and now Tower 7 in Wrightsville Beach.

Two years ago, though, Hernandez was diagnosed with leukemia.

“Something like that really changes the way you think,” he said.

For two months, he was being treated in a hospital in Chapel Hill.

“I was just thinking if I got out, I wanted to do something more.”

And when he returned to Wilmington, he started to bring that to fruition. In addition to working at Tower 7, he started the Rico’s Mexitacos food truck serving the Mexican street food found in his native Oaxaca. It gained a following last year, at local breweries and at the North Kerr Mini Mart where it was often parked.

“We were lucky to have a lot of support from people,” he said.

Now, with his cancer in remission, that support has led to the opening of a Rico’s Mexitacos storefront this month at 1722 N. Kerr Ave. in that same small shopping center in north Wilmington.

The goal is to offer fresh and authentic food, he said. In fact, he visits Mexico about once a year, most recently in June. He always gets new inspiration that he brings back with him to North Carolina.

Tacos are the foundation of the menu. The restaurant offers a choice of eight proteins, like pulled chicken, birria and cow’s tongue. The Al Pastor pork and the azada, or asada, beef are the most popular.

“And we make the corn tortillas here, fresh every day,” he said. Flour tortillas and hard-shells are other options.

You can get them served traditional style, with lime, onions and cilantro, or special style with lettuce, pico de gallo, cheese and sour cream. But they also make them to order, with a selection of a dozen or so toppings. Rico’s Mexitacos also offers a Taco Tuesday special weekly after 5 p.m.

The menu also includes Mexican corn, tortas, tostadas, nachos, and rice bowls with a choice of protein, as well as customizable burritos and specialty burritos, like the Angry Burrito Chicken. Right now, Rico’s Mexitacos is open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

STAY CONNECTED: Keep up with the area’s latest food news by signing up for the Port City Foodies newsletter and following us on Facebook and Instagram. 

Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Cancer survivor opens taco restaurant in Wilmington, Rico’s Mexitacos