Jimenez Y Friends  

A Legacy of Flavor, Family and Community

 
In 1969, Lucio Jimenez and Rafaela (Jimenez) began a journey that would plant roots deep in Lubbock’s culinary landscape. With their guisado’s and pan dulce made by hand, they built more than a bakery, they built a legacy. Today, that legacy continues through Jiminez y Friends, where tradition and innovation meet on every plate.  
 
At the heart of their story is a commitment to staying true to their roots. The recipes for their guisado’s and pan dulce remain the same ones passed down from their grandparents, a grounding menu that has since grown to include specialty tacos and, more recently, barbecue. While some might see the two cuisines as unlikely partners, Jimenez y Friends has found a natural harmony. “This area is flour tortilla dominant,” Michael explains, “but we leaned into our corn tortillas. They became the vessel that told our story even better.” Whether it’s serving barbecue plates with handmade tortillas instead of bread or transforming Conchas into buns, every dish carries both innovation and authenticity.  
 
When asked what dish best captures the soul of Jimenez y Friends, Michael admits there isn’t just one. Plates like the Three Amigos, which features Carne Guisado, Asado de Puerco, and Picadillo, tell the story of their guisado’s. Tacos like El Cochino and the Drunken Taco bring a playful twist to tradition, while barbeque plates like La Tia showcase how well their roots have expanded. Each menu item reflects the family’s beliefs that food is more than nourishment, it’s a story passed down.  
 
Recognition from national outlets like Texas Monthly and USA Today has only deepened their sense of pride. Being named a Top 50 Taco Shop, Top 44 restaurant in the Nation for 2025, and a Top 100 Barbecue Joint feels less like personal accolades and more like validation of their family’s hard work and love for their community. “We don’t take it lightly,” Michael says. “These honors remind us that our legacy is still going strong. We’ve never done this for recognition, we’ve done it for the community.” 
 
That community is the heartbeat of Jimenez y Friends. Customers become friends, friends become like family, and every order carries a personal connection. Partnerships with local breweries and venues, from Good Line Beer Co. to The Blue Light Live, to even other barbecue joints such as Evie Mae’s and Pitfork & Smokerings, have allowed Jimenez y Friends to become more than a restaurant, they’ve become a gathering place. Their growing relationship with Texas Tech University has also opened new doors, while connections with other taco shops and barbecue joints across Texas have created a broader sense of kinship.  
 
When it comes to Hispanic heritage, Michael sees it as inseparable from legacy. “When you sit down and eat our food, you’re not only eating what was made that day,” he says. “You’re eating what was passed down from parent to child at some point. You’re tasting our roots. You’re eating our family’s foundation.” His mother adds: “Most of our pan dulce recipes are from Mexico. I recently learned that our grandfather had a bakery there before coming to the States. Knowing our lineage goes back even further proves that we were meant for this profession. Our food represents our family, our culture, and the good we hope to put into the world.” 

Looking ahead, the Jimenez family hopes to leave the same legacy that was handed down to them: one built on love, simplicity, and tradition. Michael’s wish is that future generations carry forward the foundation, the pan dulce, the guisado’s, and the barbecue, while finding new ways to expand and create. For them, the story of Jimenez y Friends is far from finished.  
 
It s a story of roots and recipes, of tortillas and tradition, of legacy and love. And it’s a story that Lubbock is lucky to taste every single day.