How Mourad Belkacem Brought the Texican Cafe to Life

Mourad Belkacem spent his formative years working in a restaurant in the suburbs south of Paris. He later emigrated to Texas and studied engineering at UT. To make ends meet he took a job at the original Mr. Gatti’s startup. He was intrigued by the energy there and moved up the ladder at Mr. Gatti’s while gaining management experience.

A chance visit to a friend’s restaurant in New Mexico gave him the idea to start his own place. Not long after that, roughly 20 years ago, he came across a small Mexican restaurant for sale down at the end of Manchaca. With only the credit card his father had given him for emergencies, he took out a cash advance and bought the place. The chef had prepped in El Paso and soon he and Mourad had developed an El Paso style for the newly christened Texican Cafe.

The Texican Cafe took off running, driven by the chef‘s skills and Mourad’s management and customer pleasing style. Soon another Texican opened at Brodie Oaks (try the cabrito) and after that at Lakeline Mall. The fourth Texican recently opened in Kyle, bringing a nice culinary gift to that town.

The original chef has retired but remains on the payroll, typical of the kind of guy that Mourad is and the reason why his staff and customers are so loyal. It’s a great local story and it’s all about integrity and consistency.

Well done Mourad!

Texican Cafe Locations:

Kyle *new*
856 Kohlers Crossing
Kyle, TX 78640
(512) 262-7680

Manchaca
11940 Manchaca Rd.
Austin, TX 78748
(512) 282-9094

Lakeline
11066 Pecan Park Blvd.
Cedar Park, TX 78613
(512) 506-9900

South Lamar
4141 Capital of Tx Hwy
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 707-1733