A Waco family tradition
Decades before
the doors opened.
The story of Trujillo’s Comedor y Cantina began decades before our doors first opened. At age 14, Silverio Trujillo left South Texas hoping to make his way to Chicago. After reaching Dallas and running out of money, he took a job washing dishes at a Mexican restaurant to earn enough to continue his journey. Silverio never made it to Chicago. Instead, his unexpected stop in Dallas became the beginning of a lifelong career in the restaurant business.
Dallas was also where Silverio met the love of his life, Delia, whom he married in 1950. By 1955, Silverio was working in the kitchen and Delia was working as a hostess at El Chico No. 5 on Lovers Lane. With limited formal education and speaking no English when he arrived in Dallas, Silverio worked his way through nearly every restaurant position—from dishwasher and cook to waiter and manager.
The Trujillo family eventually made Waco their home. In 1967, Silverio became manager of El Chico No. 14 in Waco. In 1976, he advanced to district manager, supervising restaurants in Waco, Austin, Bryan, San Antonio and Temple.
Silverio and Delia still dreamed of owning a restaurant of their own. In 1978, they became the owners of El Nopal at Southgate Shopping Center on Valley Mills Drive, beginning a new chapter built on their decades of restaurant experience.
Then, on December 1, 1981, Silverio and Delia opened Trujillo’s Comedor y Cantina in a building they purchased on Waco’s historic Circle. Many loyal customers who knew Silverio from El Chico and El Nopal followed the family to their new restaurant.
Trujillo’s was built around Silverio and Delia’s original recipes, food made from scratch daily, and the warm hospitality that made guests feel like part of the family. Their dedication created a loyal following that has continued through generations of Waco diners.
Today, their five daughters continue to own and operate Trujillo’s as a family, proudly welcoming new generations of guests to the table.