-Berto's
-Berto's is the informal name for the family of inexpensive Mexican taco shops in Southern California and the Southwest whose names end in "-berto's", such as Alberto's, Filiberto's and Hilberto's, all modeled on Roberto's Taco Shop, founded in San Diego by Roberto and Dolores Robledo.
Origins
Roberto Robledo first came to the United States in the mid-1940s under the Bracero program, and he and his wife, Dolores, came from San Juan del Salado in San Luis Potosí. NBC 7 San Diego reports that in 1964 the couple bought two adjoining houses in San Ysidro, near the border, turning one into a tortilla factory; Tasting Table says they sold tortillas in bulk along with bean and cheese burritos before buying a run of existing restaurants and naming the fifth one Roberto's. The family encouraged relatives to work in the shops and then open their own.
How the name spread
According to NBC 7, the first spin-off came when Roberto asked relatives running one of the shops to stop using his name after they stopped using fresh ingredients; family lore says they simply painted over the R to make Alberto's. Others followed with names such as Filiberto's, Hilberto's, Riliberto's and Juanberto's. More than 70 variants have been counted across the Southwest, many run by people from the same region of Mexico as the Robledos. Most copy the original's orange, yellow and red color scheme and sombrero logo, and the menus remain close to Roberto's.
Menu and influence
The -berto's shops serve cheap tacos, burritos, tamales and combination plates. Reynaldo Robledo, one of Roberto and Dolores's 13 children, told NBC 7 that the family started the rolled taco and the carne asada burrito; the origin of the California burrito, with french fries, carne asada, guacamole, pico de gallo and cheese, is disputed even within the family. Roberto died in 1999 and Dolores in 2020. Reynaldo franchises Roberto's in Nevada, where he counts about 60 stores, and Tasting Table puts the total of actual Roberto's shops at more than 80.
Reviews
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See also
References
- "How a Family-Run Mexican Restaurant Became a Popular Chain — and a Southwest Phenomenon". NBC 7 San Diego. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "How One California Taco Shop Grew Into A Multistate Phenomenon". Tasting Table. Retrieved 2026-10-10.