Coming in at 3 a.m. every weekday—and 1 a.m. on the weekends—Manuel Aguilar of Southside Barbacoa starts work on 60 pounds of barbacoa waiting in a steamer to be prepped and readied for the coming breakfast rush. Maria Aguilar is never far behind her husband, coming in to start front-of-house operations and opening doors for eager patrons who await her amiable smile and their morning repast.
Married for 46 years, Maria and Manuel Aguilar have been business partners and the team behind Southside Barbacoa for the better part of three decades. After moving to Texas from Mazatlán in 1981, the couple earned their stripes working across the local breakfast scene, with Manuel in the kitchen and Maria as a server. The two quickly became favorites among their patrons throughout the various places they worked, and then opportunity came knocking.
They took the reins at Southside Barbacoa in 1997, and Manuel got to work learning the ropes of the art of barbacoa—something he attributes, like all his recipes, to trial and error and a deep love for his work.
“We didn’t know anything about barbacoa, but we had worked at other places here, and we saw that’s what people like,” Maria said, speaking to the sheer diversity of Mexican cuisine and certain meetings and departures in Tex-Mex fare. “Customers at other places always loved the way Manuel cooks, and so people started coming to see us.”
They expanded the menu from three tacos in 1997 to the full breakfast and lunch menu offered now, including their renowned carne guisada taco, which in 2024 earned a spot in Texas Monthly’s “50 Best Tacos in Texas.” Southside Barbacoa was the sole selection in the publication from Corpus Christi, something the Aguilars are equally proud and humble about. The taco itself, which had also been featured in Texas Monthly’s “120 Tacos to Eat Before You Die” in 2015, is a true balance of comfort and hard-earned trials for consistent flavor.
Manuel exemplifies the “grandma method” of measuring with your heart when it comes to making his recipes—a pinch of comino, a dab of salt—which, while not so easily replicated, is a wonder to witness and taste.
I love what I do, and because of that, my food turns out good,” Manuel said of the secret to his craft. “If I wasn’t happy cooking, the food wouldn’t be good, and I would know it was time to retire.”
Maria credits the success of their food purely to Manuel, but their equal dedication to the restaurant shows in every detail. “If there’s no tortillera, I’ll make tortillas. If there’s no dishwasher, Manuel washes dishes. If there’s no cocinero, I’ll do it, but it’s not my favorite spot because I can’t talk to anybody from back there,” Maria laughed.
As the Aguilars approach 30 years at Southside Barbacoa, they continue to look to the future while paying their gratitude for every success up to now—for the generations that they have watched grow up in their restaurant, and for the generations still to come.
