A family that first dreamed of opening a restaurant back in 1990 finally did it this fall, debuting Treze at 318 Main St. in downtown Buda on Sept. 26. The restaurant serves sandwiches, soups and made-to-order breakfast tacos out of a newly constructed building the family built on property it bought in 2018.
According to Hays Free Press, the family purchased the Main Street property in 2018 and, with support from the city of Buda and the Buda Economic Development Corporation, constructed a new building to house the restaurant. The outlet reports the goal of owning a restaurant dates back to 1990 for the owner, though the process took years to come together. The owner now cooks in the kitchen each day while his wife runs the restaurant's day-to-day operations, the paper notes.
Local coverage shows some disagreement over the family's surname: Hays Free Press refers to the owner as Joaquin Nafar, while Community Impact and a city resolutions page both reference Joaquin Najar. Community Impact's reporting, drawing on reporter Sierra Martin's account, describes Treze as led by Joaquin Najar, his wife Xochi Raquel, and their sons Diego, Joel and Leonardo, with the family's restaurant idea taking shape in 1990 and becoming concrete by 2013.
A Menu Built Around Scratch Cooking
Treze's menu leans into comfort food made fresh rather than frozen or microwaved, per Community Impact's reporting. Options include chicken tortilla soup, a wedge salad, hamburgers and veggie burgers, alongside breakfast tacos filled with bean and cheese, bacon and egg, or barbacoa, served on corn or flour tortillas.
The standout dish appears to be Chip’s Reuben sandwich, which the same Community Impact report says pays tribute to the building’s architect. The restaurant's hours, per Hays Free Press, run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
City Incentives Helped Build the Restaurant
Treze's arrival wasn't purely a family effort. The Buda Economic Development Corporation confirmed the restaurant received incentives to build in Buda, and Community Impact's reporting states that the city of Buda and the EDC both provided construction and operating incentives along with a sales tax rebate to support the building, per a news release.
Buda Economic Development Corporation Assistant Director of Recruitment and Development Brian Dyer said Treze adds locally owned dining and vibrancy to Main Street and downtown, according to Community Impact's reporting. Dyer also said the family is committed to affordable, made-from-scratch food and has deep community ties, the outlet reported.
The restaurant's debut comes as Buda continues courting new business, with the EDC noting the city is eyeing additional destination retail and entertainment options. It's part of a broader wave of new dining options that has hit Buda's downtown in recent years — Hays City restaurant owners opened the steakhouse Taste on Main in Buda back in 2023, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
Treze's owner described the new restaurant as a dream nearly 40 years in the making, according to Community Impact, and said the family built it for families, adding they looked forward to welcoming neighbors and sharing food in Buda. More information on hours and the menu is available at trezebuda.com.
