The Galvan family had dreamed of opening a restaurant for decades. That dream came to fruition in July 2024 when they opened Por Favor Tacos & Tragos. Located in the Westside shopping center that shares a parking lot with Marigold Cafe & Bakery, this taco cantina vows to be anything but just another Mexican restaurant.
“We are creating an experience,” says son and Marketing Manager Everardo Galvan Jr. “We’re selling the flavors of tradition.”
The Por Favor menu features a selection of Mexican street-style tacos, each distinct in flavor and ingredients. Take for example, the Cochinita Pibil, which is a slow-cooked pork taco from the traditional Mayan culture of Southeastern Mexico and Central America. Traditionally, the meat is first marinated in chiles and spices found in the Yucatan Peninsula; then it is wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in a dirt pit. While Por Favor Tacos & Tragos does not have a pit in the back (I am sure to your relief), they do try to replicate the cooking process as closely as possible to honor the traditional methods.
“Each taco represents a different region and has its own toppings and preparation,” says Everardo Jr. “We’ve even developed specific salsas for each taco as well.”
Pursuing the American Dream
The Galvan family originally migrated from Guadalajara, Mexico, into Southern California where Everardo Sr. and his wife, Maria, raised four children. They struggled to make ends meet, particularly during the Great Recession when they lost their jobs and home. Everardo Sr. moved to Colorado to find work, and a few years later Everardo Jr. put his college plans aside and joined his father.
Everardo Jr. remembers the hardship that he and his father endured while starting a new life in Colorado Springs.
“We had nothing,” he says. “We literally showed up to work [at a restaurant] with the clothes on our backs. After that first shift, we looked at each other and said, ‘Now what?’”
They had nowhere to go, so they slept in their car for a couple of weeks until they could afford an apartment with roommates — 12 roommates. Surviving on tips and hope, they sent every penny they could back home until the whole family was reunited. Everardo Jr. says they used their same name to share a single membership at a local fitness center where they would go to shower.
Knowing what they have gone through together, it’s no wonder that Por Favor Tacos & Tragos is a family operation with all hands on deck.
The Galvans proudly include many tried-and-true family recipes on the menu, recipes that Maria made back in Guadalajara, now modified by their chef. Should you ask for a recommendation, they will not be shy in pointing you to their two most popular dishes: Elotes and Birria Tacos.
The Stars of the Menu at Por Favor Tacos & Tragos
The elotes come as hunks of corn on the cob piled high and slathered with tajin, queso fresco, cream and freshly chopped cilantro. Its fresh and tangy flavors make for the perfect appetizer.
The birria tacos, however, are where Por Favor Tacos & Tragos truly shines. The process begins by marinating beef all day in a rich and earthy spice blend of guajillo and ancho chiles, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and black peppercorns. The meat is then slow cooked overnight for 12-14 hours, leaving the beef deliciously tender, while the rendered fat and spices combine to create a savory and aromatic consommé.
The taco comes plated as a “create-your-own-adventure” experience with ramekins of fresh cilantro, the rich consommé and raw white onion.
Everardo Jr. and the rest of the serving team make it their mission to explain how to eat birria tacos, which involves folding back the top tortilla (traditional Mexican street-style tacos have two tortillas), stuffing it with white onion and cilantro, then dipping the edge of the taco in the consommé with each bite. Having this personal presentation and hands-on experience alone is worth the visit.
As for Por Favor’s location, it was strategically selected to serve the surrounding corporate offices and residential neighborhoods. So far, the strategy has paid off as the Galvans have surpassed all sales projections for their first three months in business.
“We feel like this location has been neglected by restaurants, and we saw it as an opportunity,” Everardo Jr. explains.
What’s in a Name, Por Favor
The name is also intentional. Not only are the words tacos and tragos alliterative, but Por Favor is a common Spanish phrase (meaning “please”) that ensures the Galvans’ cantina is almost always on the tongue. Tragos means “gulps” in Spanish and is a slang word for cocktails or alcoholic drinks. And the particularly astute might also catch the pun of por — or rather pour — in regard to those gulps.
Speaking of drinks, the beverage menu offers a selection of beers, wine and cocktails. Leading the cocktail program is the ever-popular margarita. A margarita flight allows the indecisive among us to choose four flavors from options that include lime, strawberry, pineapple, mango, cucumber or guava.
While tradition matters to Por Favor Tacos & Tragos, the vibe in their dining room is undoubtedly modern with cheeky neon signage and even a selfie wall.
Opening a taco cantina in light of the current difficult restaurant market may have been a risky decision, but the Galvan family is determined to prove that passion and hard work can overcome the odds. And their tacos and tragos make a resounding case for success.
You can learn more and follow the latest at porfavorco.com.
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