Family-owned taqueria Marrufo’s Tacos opens in south Rockford
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A local family that built a following for its California burrito and award-winning tacos has opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant.
Marrufo’s Tacos, 3222 S. Alpine Road, fills the former Ana’s Mexican Restaurant space next to the former Subway south of Sandy Hollow Road. Owners Emily and Jesus Marrufo built a following over the past four years with Sabores Mobile Kitchen, a trailer and then food truck that twice won the title for best tacos at the annual Tamale Fest in Rockford.
“They have a premium product, they have good flavors and they have a great following,” said Manuel Salgado, who organizes Tamale Fest and is the president of the nonprofit MASA. “This probably won’t be their only restaurant.”
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Marrufo’s Tacos opened last week and expanded its menu this Monday to include traditional burritos as well as rice and beans to round out any meal for dinner. They’ve also added the dessert saboritas, which are warm freshly made flour tortilla chips dusted with cinnamon and sugar and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and chocolate drizzle.
The menu will eventually be tweaked even more, including seasonal changes and the coming addition bottled Mexican soft drinks. That’s all in the works as the family moves toward holding a grand opening in August.
“We just want to bring a little bit of our passion into your home,” Emily Marrufo said. “Everybody knows us for a our food truck, and we have such a great following, and we wanted to be able to bring a different experience” with the brick-and-mortar restaurant.
MASA, which stands for Mexico Americanos Saliendo Adelante, is a nonprofit that helps budding entrepreneurs navigate starting their businesses. About four years ago, Salgado guided the Marrufos through locating and opening their first food trailer.
Salgado said that Jesus goes out of his way to make sure he uses premium products in his recipes, and he said that Emily and Jesus Marrufo complement each other with the perfect blend of business savvy and kitchen know-how.
“I’m excited to see that after the little bit of knowledge and expertise that we lent to our friends at Marrufo’s, we’re seeing them grow from a trailer to truck and now a restaurant. Their win is our win, their success is our success,” Salgado said. “I’m excited to see somebody that we helped is now out there doing it all on their own. I’m sure this is not all we’re going to see from them.”
Sabores won the annual Tamale Fest title for Rockford’s best tacos twice. The first win was for its street tacos in 2021 and the second for its QuesaRibeyes tacos in 2023. Tamale Fest happens Sept. 7 this year.
The menu at Marrufo’s is similar to what you found at Sabores Mobile Kitchen, which will continue to operate at special events and locations. The most popular order there is the CaliBurrito, which comes with your choice of meat, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream and two types of cheese wrapped in a burrito.
There is also a variety of freshly made street tacos and the restaurant’s specially seasons fries.
“It’s always really fresh, it tastes good, the people are friendly,” said Lindsey Bland, who stopped in the restaurant for lunch on Saturday.
The Marrufos came to Rockford about seven years ago after years of working in the restaurant industry in Chicago.
Emily Marrufo said her grandfather had run a food cart in Puerto Rico, and her father, Jose Colon, had suggested she and Jose open a food truck here. He even recommended the name Sabores, which refers to the various tastes or flavors that can be experienced.
Colon died in 2018, and the Marrufos opened their first food cart a year later.
“When we opened the food truck, for me it was in memory for him, so the food truck means a lot to us,” Emily Marrufo said. “Now, opening the restaurant, we know he’s here with us. …
“We put our heart into this. It means a lot to just not us, but our family, too.”
About | Marrufo’s Tacos
Opened: July 8
Location: 3222 S. Alpine Road, Rockford
*Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday
On Facebook: Go HERE
*Hours are subject to change. The owners are studying the busiest times to determine a permanent schedule in the future.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
