Photography by Kathy Tran
Rafael Peña wanted a food cart as good as the ones he knew visiting his parents’ hometowns in Mexico, but he never could find one that totally satisfied him.
Last summer, he and his wife, Amanda, opened their own, El Mero Mero Elotero, which operates regularly at locations in Oak Cliff.
Elotes and beef hot dogs are always on the menu, along with aguas frescas ($3.50), served with locally made chamoy rim dip, in flavors such as cucumber-lime, pineapple or strawberry. Amanda makes them herself from fresh fruit, and she always brings at least one homemade dessert, such as cake or candy.
Sometimes they have hamburgers. On nights when it’s not too busy, Rafael also stirs up hibachi fried rice piled with steak, chicken and veggies ($15).
Order elotes ($4.50) with crunched-up Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, cheese puffs or Takis on top, or just the standard way, with butter, crema and queso fresco. El Mero Mero Elotero cuts it off the cob to order.
“We use nothing but fresh corn. We don’t use frozen corn or canned corn or nothing pre-cooked,” he says.
Loaded hot dogs ($8) come with bacon, grilled onions and bell peppers, queso fresco, pico de gallo and ketchup.
Rafael is a talkative guy who remembers his regulars’ names.
The 25-year-old grew up in Oak Cliff and graduated from Molina High School. He worked at Mariscos 2000 on Forest Lane. After he met Amanda, he started at the restaurant her father owns, El Taxqueño, on Zang at Suffolk.
Later he was hired at U-Haul and worked his way up to manager.
“It taught me a lot about business, profit and loss,” he says. “I had to hire my own people and train them.”
But he wasn’t satisfied with just having a job.
Rafael’s older brother, Noe Román Peña, was killed in 2016. He says they used to dream of having their own businesses, and that’s always motivated him to reach for more.
Amanda’s dad already had the elotes cart and trailer, and they added a professional portable blacktop grill.
They’re open five nights a week, and the rest of their time is spent shopping and prepping.
Finding fresh corn in the wintertime is expensive and can be next to impossible, which surprised them at first. They both have plenty of food-service experience, and they’re learning everything else as they go. They sell out by 10 or 11 most nights.
The Peñas live in Cockrell Hill with four cats and a bird, and they plan to continue saving until they can invest in their own restaurant.
Rafael says he’s “not a chef,” but he experiments and learns new things from YouTube or friends, and he especially enjoys Korean food.
For things to taste good, he says, “You need love.”
El Mero Mero Elotero, 420 N. Gilpin Ave. Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 5-10:30 p.m. (but they’re sometimes open as early as 1:30 p.m. on Sundays)
