Photography by Jane Kortright

When Esteban Hernandez and his wife, Aisha Quichocho, came to Augusta’s Fort Gordon in 2019 after being stationed in Texas, there was one thing they especially missed: Texas cuisine. 

So, they decided to bring a taste of Tex-Mex to the Savannah River Region. 

This past April, with Quichocho having left the military and Hernandez set to retire in October, the couple launched Beanie Ben’s, a little slice of Tex-Mex in the heart of downtown North Augusta, serving breakfast and lunch tacos. (Fun fact: The restaurant is named for their children — toddler son Ben and young daughter Lucy, whose nickname is Bean.)

So, what exactly is a Tex-Mex taco? 

“We wanted the basics,” says Hernandez. “You have the chorizo and egg, bacon and egg, potato and egg, bean and cheese — those are staples in San Antonio. You go to any Mexican restaurant in San Antonio during breakfast time, and those will be there.”

For Texans in the know, Beanie Ben’s also stocks groceries from that state’s beloved H-E-B grocery store, including the Texas-born Big Red soda.

The restaurant also features Texas-inspired combos, such as the popular San-An Taco, loaded with bacon, egg, avocado and cheese, and weekend specials like barbacoa tacos filled with slow-cooked shredded beef, onion and cilantro, or carne guisada, a slow-braised beef in ranchero gravy. “Our specials are where [we can play] a wild card,” Hernandez adds with a grin. 

All those fillings come piled in a pillowy soft scratch-made flour tortilla, with a fresh flavor that you can’t get out of a bag, and your choice of three homemade salsas: a fresh and earthy red, a bright and spicy green, and a creamy avocado salsa with a kick. 

Any given morning, you can find happy patrons getting their Tex-Mex on. “So, there’s this thing in Texas called Fiesta, and it’s a time of the year where you see banners and there’s celebrations,” says Hernandez. “Everyone’s having a good time and having fun — and that’s the vibe we wanted to bring here.” 

Beanie Ben’s is open Monday through Friday, 6 a.m.-12 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

As seen in the August/September 2026 issue of Augusta magazine.

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