¡Viva El Limon! – A franchise of the regionally-beloved Mexican taqueria is coming to Madison Street in Lansdale Borough, as early as mid-April.
Ambler husband and wife Pedro Bucio and Ada Artiga have joined together with another Ambler couple on a “crazy ride,” as Artiga puts it, to bring the state’s 24th El Limon Taqueria franchise to the former The PEAK Center senior center location, next to Well Crafted Beer and a very short walk from The Healthy Shack and Stove & Tap.
Bucio, of Mexican heritage, and Artiga, whose family hails from El Salvador, are not strangers to the food service and hospitality industry, as they once owned a Chinese restaurant in Maple Glen before selling it six years ago.
“We dedicated ourselves to it. It was a killer running it 24 hours a day, seven days a week pretty much,” Artiga said. “It’s the reason why we joined with this other couple: We’re going to be there, just not seven days a week.”
Once El Limon Lansdale opens the doors to its 2,200-square-foot dining room, hungry customers will be greeted by the wives in the front of the house while the men handle the back-of-the-house and the cooking.
The two couples have luck on their side – Bucio is childhood friends with the owners of the original El Limon Taqueria in Hatboro. It also helps that Artiga’s brother-in-law owns the El Limon franchise on West Skippack Pike in Skippack, next to Skippack Village Italian Market, about a 15-minute drive from Lansdale.
Ironically, Artiga has no affiliation with the Ambler EL Limon location.
“When (El Limon) started offering restaurants as franchises, a lot of our relatives joined in. It came to the point where, since the whole family was joining in, we might as well,” she said.
Living in Ambler, Artiga wanted to open a restaurant in a similar town with a similar community feel. At first, her husband suggested Doylestown, but there was something special about the community vibe and how everyone helps out one another, she said.
Artiga said she drives through Lansdale often and frequently has lunch at Rio Dulce Mexican Market & Bakery or El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant.
“I like Latin food,” she said, laughing.
Artiga and her partners have begun familiarizing themselves with the borough; her family attended the opening for Retroware Arcade and Classic Game Junkie.
“This small town feeling (in Ambler) is so nice, and that’s what we were looking for,” she said. “We wanted to have a restaurant in a community, and something to be a part of and a town where we can be there for one another. We like the vibe Lansdale is giving. It’s pretty much like no other.”
Artiga said the permitting and application process with Lansdale Borough officials has been easy and fantastic. Even the landlord is behind the idea, putting money into renovating the interior over the next couple months, she said, with her and her partners shelling out for kitchen renovations.
“We’ve been in touch with the borough and we have a meeting next week. They’ve been so helpful and meet with us and tell us everything that we need, what permits to get, and step-by-step what we need to do,” she said. “My partners and I feel like we won the lottery when we decided to pick Lansdale.”
In fact, the community has promoted its support of El Limon coming to Lansdale. Recent Facebook posts have received more than 200 responses collectively.
“Believe me,” she said, “by all means, after that post on Facebook, I was like ‘Oh my God.’ We were blown away!”
Much of the appeal of El Limon is due to its menu. Customers can find an array of tacos, burritos, salads, sopes, tostadas, tortas, enchiladas, fajitas, alambres, and quesadillas. Artiga said the “Al Pastor” burrito is very popular, if you like marinated pork and pineapple.
“I’m biased, but the food is good. It is authentic Mexican,” she said. “El Limon is known for its service and cleanliness – you’re not going into any El Limon and find the place dirty. We have standards for all of that.”
Oh, and the free margaritas do not hurt either.
“When you dine in, you get a free margarita with your meal,” she said, adding that there is no liquor license but BYOB is a possibility. “If you’re not feeling up to having a margarita, that’s OK, but who doesn’t? Tacos and margaritas: what goes better than that?”
Most importantly, Artiga sees great and promising opportunities to work alongside and support new and established local businesses along Madison Street.
“Everything is diverse,” she said. “I already picture people sitting on the benches across the street from us where the apartments are, sitting there with friends, buying something from El Limon and then The Healthy Shack. You have a lot more choices right there. I don’t see it as a problem; I see it as a blessing actually.”
El Limon Lansdale will be at 314 Madison St., and open seven days a week for dine-in and takeout. In-house delivery will not be available, but it will offer partnerships with food delivery apps like Grubhub and Uber Eats. El Limon also offers catering. Check out the El Limon menu here.
El Limon has 21 other locations, including Skippack, Chalfont (205 E Butler Ave), Ambler (38 East Butler Pike), Norristown (1000 Sandy Hill Road), Royersford (451 W Ridge Pike), Eagleville (2828 E Ridge Pike) and Phoenixville (700 Nutt Road). Check out all the locations here.
See also:
Blueprint Brewing Co. in Towamencin to Permanently Close in March
Retroware Arcade in Lansdale to Host Grand Opening Saturday
First Look: Imprint Beer Co. Announces Opening of ‘Gnarcadium’ Free-to-Play Brewerycade
Lansdale Tavern Named First Lansdale ‘Business of the Month’ for 2023
Kub Kao Thai to Host Soft Opening of New Restaurant in Lansdale on Friday
