Stephen Montoya
Street food isn’t just a cheaper way to experience a geographical area’s culinary preferences, it’s also the best (and one could argue, tastiest) representation of a place’s cultural heritage. It’s what the locals eat, so no fare is more indicative of a place’s palate.
So, if you wanna take a quick culinary trip to Latin America — sans a long flight — Boca 31 should be your prime destination. On the corner of Rosedale Street and Eighth Avenue, in the same shop where Funkytown Donuts once resided, you’ll find house-made empanadas, street tacos, quesadillas, and authentic Miami-style Cuban sandwiches. Yes, it runs the gamut of authentic Latin American street food.
A concept from world-traveling chef and restaurateur, Andres Meraz, and his wife, Marlene, the first Boca 31 opened in Denton in 2016 before expanding to Keller, followed by Fort Worth in 2023.
“Originally, I wanted to do some elevated seafood. And my wife's like, ‘Well, in this specific location (North Texas), you might not be able to do that,’” Meraz says. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, you're right.’ So, I had to kind of tone it down.”
Having previously worked in kitchens spanning the globe, including Miami and San Sebastian, Spain, Meraz would end up infusing his experiences from his travels and previous jobs when creating the menu for his new concept.
Besides a sundry of daily specials on Boca 31’s menu, it’s Meraz’s house-made empanadas, served both savory and sweet, that prevents anyone from becoming a one-time customer. The menu also boasts his take on an authentic Cuban sandwich, complete with pulled pork, ham, cheese, mustard, and pickles on ciabatta bread.
“We don’t have a giant menu here,” Meraz says as a point of pride. “The smaller the menu, the fresher the ingredients.”
Stephen Montoya
Yes, one might be disappointed to learn the “31” in the eatery’s name, unlike Baskin Robbins, has nothing to do with the number of flavors or empanada offerings his restaurant has. No, the name Boca 31 was chosen as both an ode to Meraz’s grandmother and for ease of remembrance.
“We were researching names for so long, and I was like … boca you eat with your mouth (boca is Spanish for mouth). It's easy to pronounce. It's easy to remember,” Meraz says. And 31 represents both his grandmother’s birth year and the age at which he opened the restaurant.
“A lot of people ask that question,” Meraz explains. “I guess it's because it’s not something like Andre's Tacos. I wanted something that could stand out that's catchy and have people asking for it.”
After a fire forced his original shop in Denton to close in early 2023, the Merazes would choose not to renew their lease in Keller, which ended in July, deciding to focus solely on their new shop in Fort Worth, where it’s safe to say they’ve found a niche.
“Just making our own food and staying true to who we are, not compromising what we do for everybody else, that’s what sets us apart,” Meraz says. “Having the open kitchen is one of our strong elements that we can see what's going on. We just like to have fun with it. I mean, sometimes it's not always fun, but we try to make the best of it.”
