Where Food Means Family

Reyna’s Taqueria

When you ask owner Gino Calleja about the success of his authentic Mexican restaurant, Reyna’s Taqueria, he seamlessly references his business partners and his mother as the true reasons the restaurant thrives. At Reyna’s, food is a family affair—owned by Gino; Gino’s sister, Leticia Calleja; Gino’s husband, Jose Viera; and heavily influenced by the recipes of Gino and Laticia’s mother, Dona Reyna.

Gino and Leticia grew up in a huge family with nine children: eight boys and Leticia, the only girl. Their mother made it her mission to keep the family recipes diverse and interesting to please her burgeoning family. From a young age, Gino recalls his and Leticia’s inherent interest in the kitchen and learning the facets of their mother’s cooking.

Gino’s culinary interests blossomed into a career as a chef, which led him to New York. As with many of our residents, Gino vacationed in Sarasota and eventually grew tired of the bitter city winters up north, and relocated to our land of endless summer. His sister followed from Illinois, and the two went to work in the kitchens of local restaurants.

When Gino and Leticia decided to strike out on their own, Gino’s husband, Jose, was their largest support. He championed their decision and assisted in their exhaustive three-month research and development phase, where they spent endless hours in the kitchen, perfecting their mother’s incredible recipes. They tinkered with available ingredients and consulted with their mother, who still lives in Mexico, as to appropriate substitutes for Mexican ingredients not available in Florida.

One example is their mango salsa. Their mother made a traditional salsa, flavored with ciruela, a Mexican plum, unavailable in our market. Reyna suggested they substitute the ciruela fruit with mango, as it would add a similar flavor. After tinkering with the recipe, they found the perfect combination, which would ultimately make its way to their current menu. Gino says that a taco is no good without good salsa.

The entirety of the menu at Reyna’s Taqueria is as painstakingly curated as that mango salsa. They offer traditional Mexican street tacos, with fillings like barbacoa, al pastor, and carnitas, but what sets them apart from other tacos is their unrelenting consistency. Every bite is flavorful, well-seasoned, and piping hot. In addition to their tacos, they offer quesadillas, burritos, tortas, molotes, and sopes—a cousin to the taco, but with a thick fried corn shell, which carries the filling like a boat and cures everything that ails you.

When you stop by Reyna’s Taqueria you’ll see Gino and Leticia darting around the kitchen, and Jose’s warm smile greeting guests at the front. Be sure to grab a fresh-made agua fresca to sip while you wait for your meal, and appreciate the coordinated family effort that made this spectacular dream a reality.

> Reyna’s Taqueria: 935 N Beneva Rd, Suite 701, Sarasota; 941-260-8343 reynastaqueria.com