The story of Fonda San Miguel begins more than three decades ago, when Tom Gilliland and Miguel Ravago met and combined their mutual passion for authentic Mexican cuisine. Today, the Austin, Texas landmark is widely recognized as one of the best Mexican restaurants in the country, and continues to earn national recognition for its pioneering spirit, unique décor and remarkable food.

Tom and Miguel opened their new venture in Houston, Texas, in 1972. They called it the San Angel Inn. With help from Miguel’s grandmother, who traveled to Houston from her home in Phoenix, Arizona, they set up their kitchen, and were soon delighting the “who’s who” of Houston society with their authentic Mexican fare. Fortuitously, renowned cookbook author and expert in Mexican cuisine Diana Kennedy was a restaurant regular, taking Tom and Miguel under her wing.

On a quest for a larger space, Tom and Miguel moved their restaurant to Austin in 1975, where they found a large, hacienda-style building. Renamed Fonda San Miguel, the restaurant opened on November 25, 1975, bucking the widely popular trend at the time of serving Tex-Mex food. Instead, Tom and Miguel were determined to continue their tradition of serving authentic regional dishes from the Mexican interior.

The process of educating their hungry customers was not always easy, nor was finding some of the more exotic ingredients for their recipes. Yet as Fonda’s business grew, so too did the strong demand for their authentic Mexican ingredients, prompting several local stores to begin stocking them regularly.

By the late 1970’s, Fonda San Miguel had become a genuine hit, attracting customers from across the state and the nation. In order to create the proper showcase for their food, Tom and Miguel decided to undertake their first major remodeling project. Huge, hand-carved wooden doors from the state of Guanajuato welcomed guests to an expanded interior, replete with a patio bar with bright flowers and lush tropical plants. Punched-tin lantern light fixtures from San Miguel de Allende were hung in the main dining room, and rustic Mexican leather equipales replaced dining room chairs.

It was during this same period that Fonda San Miguel began to develop a reputation for its distinctive Mexican artwork. Tom began collecting pieces by some of Mexico’s most renowned artists — Rufino Tamayo, Francisco Toledo, Arnulfo Mendoza, Jose Fors, and many more. Tom extended the importance placed on fine art to the menus, commissioning some of Mexico’s finest painters and graphic artists to decorate them.

In the mid-eighties, Tom and Miguel introduced the hugely popular Hacienda Sunday Brunch Buffet, a beautiful display of banquet tables topped with fresh fruits, flowers, and a vast collection of imported Mexican pottery. The striking sight was matched only by the mouth-watering selection of Mexican dishes available — cold appetizers, salads, hot side dishes, savory entrees, and sumptuous desserts. The brunch is still regularly voted the best in the city. In 1993, Fonda San Miguel was invited to present at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City. That dinner generated such a positive response that Tom and Miguel were invited to return in 1996. The restaurant has continued to earn national recognition for its pioneering and adventurous spirit.

In 2005, to celebrate the restaurant’s thirtieth anniversary, Tom and Miguel published FONDA SAN MIGUEL: Thirty Years of Food and Art. Winner of the 2006 IACP Cookbook Award for Design, this beautiful cookbook brings the spirit of the restaurant, along with their famous recipes, to the home kitchen.

Today, Fonda San Miguel is a prime destination restaurant, a place where culinary connoisseurs, art lovers, visiting celebrities, and guests of the local Mexican consulate all come together. After thirty-one years, Fonda San Miguel continues to celebrate its distinctive cuisine, its colorful history, and the transforming influence it has had on the culinary palate of America.