About Us
Our History
The very first Nico’s Mexican Food (est. 1982) was not an overnight success. San Diego
already offered a lot of variety in Mexican food and the market was quite competitive.
However, on Thanksgiving Day that first year, Nico made a decision that would turn his small
business into a huge success — he decided to keep his restaurant open whereas others
closed their doors for the holiday. On that fateful day, a great number of people visited Nico’s,
and the food they ate there was so good, that they all just kept coming back (and brought
their friends and family along too).
Nico inspired his brothers and sisters to open their own Nico’s Mexican Food locations as
well. His brother Prieto eventually brought the concept to Arizona, where he saw yet more
opportunity to grow. Arizona did not offer many casual, fast-food style Mexican food
restaurants, so the first Nico’s shop opened in Tucson. Prieto gave his Nico’s a fresh new
look, and the restaurant grew to be extremely popular in Arizona as well.
Nico's Eindhoven
We, grandson Nicolas Carreon (born in San Diego) and Vera Oudejans (born in Den Bosch),
are the proud owners of the first international Nico’s. We met each other in 2018 when Vera
was studying at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff on an exchange program. ‘A mutual
friend introduced us to each other because Nico had studied at my school in Breda during his
summer abroad program’’- Vera. We bonded over a love of travel and our passion for
hospitality. Nico’s ambition was to grow the Nico’s Mexican Food business, and Vera saw a
great opportunity in the Netherlands. And so, after 4 years of traveling back and forth,
familiarizing ourselves with each other’s cultures, and doing a lot of research, we opened our
own Nico’s in Eindhoven.
Nico’s USA
Nicolas Carreon the 1 st (grandfather and founder) chose the rooster to be Nico’s logo, not
because chicken was his specialty dish, but because of an expression well-known in
Mexican culture: ‘’El que es buen gallo, en cualquier gallinero canta’’. This translates to: ‘’He
who is a good rooster, sings in every chicken coop’’. The saying means: if you are good at
what you do in life, you will do well wherever you go. And this is exactly what we believe in
and uphold.
Below we’ve listed all Nico’s locations from old to new. You can also visit our USA website by clicking here.
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