Camino Real • Pflugerville

Camino Real • Pflugerville

By Melissa Mixon Friday, 05 June 2009

Each day, Luciano Henriquez gets up early and arrives at his Pflugerville restaurant by 6 or 7 a.m. to start cooking that day’s food. Most of the recipes are homemade or picked up from years of working in Mexican restaurants, something he and his wife did prior to opening their own place, Camino Real, in Austin and in Pflugerville.

Henriquez works at the restaurant most of the day, whether it is helping in the kitchen or tending to yard work outside. He only goes home for a short break during the day, but returns to the restaurant by dinnertime.

“After many years of hard work and always working for someone else, I finally have something that belongs to me. And, since both locations are family owned and operated, I can also help my own family grow,” he said.

Henriquez opened his Austin location in 1993 and, some 14 years later, opened the second Camino Real on FM 685 in Pflugerville.

He said the first year or so at the new location was rocky, something that may explain a few of the not-so-pleasant reviews that pop up during a quick online search of the restaurant. However, in the past year, Henriquez said the restaurant has improved its customer service and is trying to perfect what it delivers to diners. The work shows.

Whether a first-timer or a longtime patron at Pflugerville’s Camino Real, it is hard to be disappointed there. From the appetizer at the beginning of the meal right down to the last gooey bite of tres leches dessert at the end, food at the restaurant is authentic and fresh.

Start with the queso flamedado with shrimp appetizer ($7.95.) The dish — served in a skillet with fresh tortillas — is plenty for two people and combines finely chopped vegetables with shrimp, which has a tasty, subtle taste that does not highjack the dish of its other flavors.

For an entrée, try the Spinach Enchiladas ($7.00) served with rice and beans. The enchiladas taste fresh and the salsa verde is not too spicy or runny. Topped off with a little jack cheese and sour cream, these enchiladas are a house favorite, Henriquez said.

The most pleasant surprise comes at dessert. The restaurant’s tres leches ($4.95) is dense and filling, rivaling some of Austin’s best eastside Mexican eateries.

Henriquez said he wants the restaurant to be a good place for families to eat. Service at the restaurant is fast and friendly. Two different waitresses checked on a group of tables following the noon rush-hour, and they were quick to bring any requests, be it drinks or to-go boxes.

“We will only work harder to make good food and to give [customers] the best service we can,” he said. “To those who haven’t tried us or if we have disappointed you in the past, give us a chance to prove we can do this.”

Camino Real, 907 FM 685, Pflugerville, 989-8833

Hours: Sunday-Thursday 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 7 a.m.-10 p.m.