Angelina’s Don Louis: Coming, Coming, Here

by Diane M. Ciarloni

Isabel Velez and husband, Louis, are members of a family that oozes at the seams with entrepreneurial success.

Their story began nearly 40 years ago when namesake Angelina, Louis’ mother, took the initial step toward fulfilling her dream of a quality restaurant chain with a menu of her personal recipes. Her delicious Mexican dishes were first offered in The Colony, shifting her dream almost immediately to fast- forward.

She expanded, buying two acres for a 310-seat capacity location. While that was happening, she opened restaurants in Flower Mound and Lewisville. Incredibly, all the restaurants flourished.

Angelina gave the Flower Mound site to her daughter and son-in-law, Tina and Arturo Vargas. They changed the name to Cristina’s, though they still serve classic Mexican food and now have 14 current locations.

The Lewisville (Main Street) location was given to Angelina’s eldest son Louis Jr. He and wife Isabel, a dynamic entrepreneurial spirit who fit smoothly into the family, kept the parking lot filled while simultaneously opening a location in Corinth 13 years ago. Then, in the summer of 2019, a fairytale began unfolding for them at 101 Baize Blvd. in Hickory Creek.

They visited with Hickory Creek city officials as well as the Small Business Development Center in Corinth. The result was a $200,000 land credit used with a $3.4-million project loan for a new, two-story, 8,500-square foot restaurant with beautiful amenities and plenty of client-pleasing extras.

A spacious, upstairs patio overlooks Hickory Creek’s expanding vistas. An elevator makes it easy to skip the stairs. An expanded menu caters to a broad variety of taste bud preferences, including spinach quesadillas and more for non-meat eaters. And, of course, Angelina’s award-winning margaritas are readily available wherever you are in the restaurant! The Corinth location, far from being abandoned, is already changing to a comfort food venue named Pop’s Kitchen, still owned by Louis and Isabel.

Heavy rains last winter and COVID-19 delayed completion of Angelina’s Hickory Creek debut, but it’s now safe to say the mouth-watering can begin within the next 90 days.