Type of business: Mexican restaurant

Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Location: 2151 W. Main St.

Contact information: 209-664-9719

Specialty: Riceless burritos

History of business:

The food of La Taqueria has already made a name for itself nationwide, and now Turlock is home to the restaurant that boasts “the best tacos and burritos in the whole world,” according to their tagline.

At its San Francisco location, La Taqueria’s riceless burrito was declared America’s best burrito by ESPN’s FiveThirtyEight, and the restaurant’s tacos were dubbed one of the five best tacos in the nation by Food Network.

The San Francisco location is owned by Miguel Jara, and his daughter Irene Gonzalez is now following in his footsteps with the same recipes and work ethic that made the restaurant famous. After working for her father for 16 years, Gonzalez knows the ins and outs of the business. Turlock’s La Taqueria opened its doors for the first time Thursday, welcoming the community to taste its award-winning menu.

“I’m thankful that my father let me work for him and now, opening this restaurant…without him I couldn’t have done it,” said Gonzalez.

La Taqueria’s food consists of the taqueria staples: tacos, burritos and quesadillas. Each taco is made with two tortillas, and a slice of Monterey jack cheese is slipped between the two. The burritos are riceless, said Gonzalez, which she believes gives them a distinct and delicious taste compared to other burritos.

“All of the burritos at other restaurants look the same, but ours are made without rice which lets the cheese melt into the burrito,” said Gonzalez. “The quality of food is different from other restaurants.”

La Taqueria has 10 meats and one veggie option to choose from, including grilled beef, pork, grilled chicken, chicken, sausage, marinated pork, beef head, tongue, pork stomach, and shrimp. All of the beef used by the restaurant is sliced from cuts of tender sirloin steak.

“We use the best quality of meats available,” said Gonzalez.

The location, which was formerly a Dairy Queen, has been completely transformed from the prior fast food location into a fine dining establishment, complete with tables and chairs brought in from the restaurant’s San Jose location. The drive through, however, is still intact, and customers are welcome to roll through and order a burrito.

Gonzalez hopes to continue her father’s legacy of serving the best tacos in the nation. She works alongside her husband, brother and two children, and plans to one day pass the business down to them if they’d like.