A Burnt Bean Sunday Breakfast

Seguin, TX, USA / Seguin Today

Cindy Aguirre

Local barbecue destination named one of the lone star state’s Best Taquerias!

(Seguin) – Seguin is no longer just “the destination” in Texas for the best barbecue. It is also now “the destination” for one of the state’s Best Taquerias (taco places).

 Adding another feather to its cap is the Burnt Bean Co. located in downtown Seguin. On Tuesday, co-owners Ernest Servantes and David Kirkland were surprised to learn that their one-day operation of serving breakfast had landed them on the list of one of Texas Monthly Magazine’s Top 25 New(ish) Taquerias in Texas.

 The honor comes almost one year after the prestigious magazine ranked Burnt Bean as No. 4 in its Top 50 list for Best BBQ places in Texas.

 Servantes says, unlike its number 4 spot, this honor is shared with the other 24 restaurants on the list – making them all top taco places in Texas.

 “We had the main editor of the taco scene, Jose Ralat which is a James Beard Award winner, he came in and we were like ‘oh my God! He is here.’ He ordered every taco and basically everything that we had on Sunday. He was blown away and that was it. We didn’t think anything of it. He wrote a nice little article on us and the other places he went to but Texas Monthly has their top barbecue — Top 50 every four years, the same thing with their top taco places or taquerias and I think cafes and something else and you know, we never thought that we would be in the running for the Best Taquerias in Texas much less us because we were a barbecue joint but when they came out with the list, he texted me and said ‘I highly suggest you look at this article and lo and behold, it said Seguin, Texas on there, Burn Bean Co. We were floored. We were like ‘Holy Cow! We made two list’ and to be the only barbecue joint in the state of Texas to be not only on the barbecue (list) but as well as the top taqueria places (list), it was just an honor but yet at the same time, we were really excited,” said Servantes.

Servantes says although Burnt Bean has solidified itself for its barbecue, he has always wanted to customize that perfect Mexican breakfast – a breakfast that now obviously has folks traveling to Seguin for a bite.

“We had a niche when we opened up our barbecue joint. We wanted to have a really cool Sunday breakfast – converting the Burnt Bean into a Mexican restaurant and only for breakfast and having all the classics, barbacoa and menudo and carne guisada and a lot of other things, huevos rancheros. It became a cult following. A lot of people come just for the breakfast and then they stay for lunch. I knew we had something good when we were getting really good write-ups on our breakfast and how solid it was, and how the different varieties of what we are making and the creations – some of the classics that people aren’t doing right now because it’s so labor intensive,” said Servantes.

 Kirkland says he remains in awe of this newest title and appreciates the accolades of what has been a very challenging yet rewarding journey for both cooks and businessmen. 

“When I first heard, I was speechless basically because he and I had talked about goals and achievements we wanted to try to do and it seems like every time we get to talking about something, then something like this happens and it’s like ‘oh my gosh! We just did what we thought we needed to work on’ and as many things that have happened over the past two years to us two guys that basically worked our butts off our whole lives, it’s coming around to — it’s our turn,” said Kirkland.

 Perhaps the most unique factor that sets them apart from others on the list is that the Burnt Bean Breakfast menu is served only on Sundays.

 And for those few hours, Servantes says the establishment offers up a whole new eating experience. 

“It’s only one day a week that you’ve got to go there and that’s what makes it so special. It takes a lot of labor. I don’t pretty much sleep that whole night because we have to get everything ready but it’s something special that on one day a week, you can come in and sit down and it changes the whole atmosphere of this place if you have not been here on a Sunday. It doesn’t smell like barbecue. It smells like fresh tortillas and barbacoa, carne guisada and menudo and then the music is going. We are playing Tejano. It’s just a different vibe here and it’s really special and obviously it got taken notice by Texas Monthly to rank us. Think about it. There’s a lot of barbecue joints in a town here in Texas but imagine every Mexican restaurant and taqueria. It’s probably two times or three times as much and to be considered one of the Top 25, it’s an honor,” said Servantes.   

 In his write-up in Texas Monthly, Ralat writes… “includes many of those smoked meats in hearty dishes such as saucy huevos rancheros. They also offer intimidatingly large bowls of menudo and tacos that shine bright with oak-smoke mollejas (sweetbreads), luscious carne guisada and glistening beef barbacoa.” He adds “keep an eye out for dessert tacos, like the fried flour tortilla stuffed with creamy peach cobbler filling.”

Although their Sunday menu remains the same every week, Servantes admits to always adding something different, something unexpected for their customers, especially those who continue to trek to Seguin weekly.

“The customer base is just growing and it’s funny because when Dave and I opened, I always had this vision and it was just locals and locals – they were like man, our type of menudo that we are doing is good old fashioned South Texas menudo and it’s one of those menudo’s that I think is fading away. A lot of restaurants are leaning toward more Mexico, and this is more South Texas flavor, so it really hit home to a lot of the older crowd and a lot of people and not only here in Seguin but a lot of our clientele from San Antonio and Austin are saying the same thing – ‘this is like my grandmas’ and that’s why they make the pilgrimage to Seguin for our breakfast. It tugs at peoples’ memories and not only that, our Huevos Rancheros which is one of our number one dishes here, it brings a different clientele. It brings a lot of the older crowd. We are doing something good on that part. People line up at 6 o’clock in the morning. That’s crazy for breakfast and we are busy because it’s only on Sundays. We open up at 8 (a.m.),” said Servantes.

Since its opening and even before its No. 4 ranking on the Best BBQ in Texas list, Burnt Bean has continued to draw more and more folks to the eatery on South Austin Street. Servantes says when Burnt Bean is recognized like this, then the entire community wins.

 “What our goal was to bring destination barbecue as well as now a place for breakfast to Seguin. We want to bring and introduce so many people to the city of Seguin that don’t ever come into the interior and the stories that they say – I love it – they say, man, my friends says there’s a small town Seguin, Texas – if you go downtown, it’s a beautiful spot and there is this barbecue joint right in the middle of town and they have amazing breakfast and it’s an amazing barbecue place that shouldn’t be in such a small town and it is what people look forward to, making a weekend out of it. They tour. They go see Juan Seguin and they’ll be in downtown Seguin and see how beautiful it is and they will make a whole day out of it and we get tickled pink when they do that,” said Servantes.

Although folks are driving miles to enjoy a meal or two at Burnt Bean, Servantes says much of his joy is in serving the locals and giving them yet one more perfect place to gather and enjoy a quality meal.

“I know the lines might be long and it’s not a gimmick or anything like that. We are just generally busy but it makes my heart happy when I see so many locals that do come and they come and support and it makes my heart happy and feels like we are doing our part in the community. A lot of people say they haven’t come by but at the same time, a lot of people have and it’s really cool. We have a lot of locals and the locals that come here a lot, know when to come, know when the lines are long or know when we have no line because there are sometimes when we don’t have a line. There’s a certain time and they are all here and it’s so cool to see and something I tell them is you know, if you are willing to wait an hour for a seat at the Olive Garden and then another 45 minutes to get your food and then another 30 minutes to eat it and you are there two and a half hours, being in line for 30 minutes and getting your food hot and fresh the first time, it’s not that bad,” said Servantes.

The Burnt Bean is open Thursdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Sundays from 8 to 3 p.m. Breakfast is served until food runs out. The Burnt Bean is located at 108 S. Austin St.

View article on SeguinToday.com