By Natalie Lozano Trimble
Photography by Thanin Viriyaki
The idea for Shogun Taqueria, a Japanese Mexican fusion restaurant, which opened in April, began with a collaborative dinner during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Francisco “Paco” Islas, who owned the Mexican restaurant, Paco’s, was paired with Tokyo Cafe’s chef, Kevin Martinez, to create a prix fixe menu as part of the Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival’s dinner series, held in 2021 in lieu of their annual festival. The creative results from blending the two chefs’ specialties, with dishes like barbacoa gyoza, inspired Islas to continue experimenting. His recipes evolved into the Shogun Taqueria menu. Islas’ initial hope had been to open Shogun as a separate restaurant from Paco’s but 2024 was a hard year for his restaurant. Instead he closed Paco’s to launch his fusion concept in the building.
“If there’s one place where it’s going to really fit well, it’s going to be in the Near Southside of Fort Worth,” Islas says. They’ve gotten good foot traffic, he says, from people who are intrigued by their tacos and ramen sign.
They make everything in-house, including the kimchi in the quesadilla, the Pork Carnitas Tonkatsu’s broth, which simmers for 14 hours, and Lo Mein a La Diabla — Islas’ current favorite dish because of his love for spice and seafood.
His wife, Karen, created the sake flan. The couple has been together for 13 years, and Islas credits Karen as the mastermind behind all the desserts.
Birria, a beloved dish from Paco’s menu, is also available. “It’s the same ingredients for the most part just miso added in the consomé to give it a creamier consistency and flavor,” Islas says. “Birria kind of saved us out of Covid.” The dish’s popularity in 2020 meant Paco’s had a line for curbside pickup down the street.
Islas, who grew up in Fort Worth, hasn’t always been in the restaurant industry; he worked in real estate and sales after high school. But his first job was as a dishwasher at Saint-Emilion, where his father was a long-time employee. Islas’ father also partnered with the French restaurant’s owner, Bernard Tronche, to open Paco and John in 2004. The restaurant was named for the owners’ respective sons and was a fusion of Mexican and French cuisine. When Paco and John closed, Islas asked his dad about doing a Mexican restaurant, which reflected their heritage — the family is from Pichugo, Hidalgo — and style of seasoning. They opened Paco’s in 2016.
“At the very beginning, I thought it would be easy — I’ve worked in restaurants, you know, most of my life,” Islas says. “No, not at all.” But, Islas says, he knows not everyone can say they get paid to do what they love.
Although Paco’s brick-and-mortar location closed after almost nine years, the concept lives on as a food truck, with Islas’ mom helping. It’s open Thursday through Sunday in the evenings behind Shogun Taqueria, serving mangonadas, aguas frescas and special guisados.
Islas has also been transforming the space adjoining Shogun into a speakeasy called Secreto, which he anticipates opening in early October with late-night hours on weekends.
Shogun Taqueria is located at 1508 West Magnolia Avenue and is open 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Sake Flan
Serves: 6 to 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 50 minutes
Chill Time: 4 hours or overnight
Caramel
Ingredients:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
Preparation:
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water over medium heat.
Cook without stirring until the mixture turns a deep amber color, about 8–10 minutes.
Immediately pour the caramel into the bottom of a 9-inch round baking dish (or individual ramekins), swirling to coat the bottom evenly. Set aside to cool and harden
Custard
Ingredients:
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
- 3 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- ½ cup sake (Junmai works well)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Preparation:
In a blender, combine sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs, egg yolks, sake, vanilla, and salt. Blend until smooth.
Pour the mixture over the cooled caramel.
Bake the flan:
Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
Place the baking dish inside a larger roasting pan. Pour hot water into the roasting pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the flan dish (water bath).
Bake for 45–50 minutes, or until the center is just set but still slightly jiggly.
Chill:
Remove from the oven and water bath. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
Serve:
Run a knife around the edges of the flan to loosen. Invert onto a serving plate so the caramel sauce drizzles over the top.
Slice and serve chilled.
Note: The sake adds a subtle, floral, rice-like aroma that elevates the traditional flan. For a bolder flavor, use a dry sake; for a softer profile, choose a sweet Nigori sake.