Chito’s Mexican of Plano to open second branch in Allen

by Teresa Gubbins

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Next to a gas station, just like the branch in Plano.

Colette Copeland

Chito's sign

ALLEN — Chito's, the small but highly lauded Mexican restaurant that's located next to a gas station on Legacy in Plano, is expanding to Allen, where it will open a second, even smaller branch next to a Valero gas station on Main Street.

Sandra Correa, who owns Chito's with her husband Gabriel, said that they hope to be open by mid-May. The couple lives in McKinney, so expanding in a northward direction made more sense.

"We have three little ones, so for us it makes more sense to stay on the north side," she says. "We had looked around, we were thinking Frisco or Allen. We have a lot of followers from the area and we were ready for a second store, so we decided to give Allen a chance."

That's when they were approached by the owner of the Valero store off Main Street near Allen Heights. "As you can tell by now, our signature is to be next to a gas station," Sandra says, joking.

Chito's is best known for its tacos, tostadas, and the fact that they make their own tortillas. Its asada de puerco was nominated as a top-100 dish by the Observer in 2010, and the Dallas Morning News called Chito's Plano's best Mexican, touting its tostadas and sopes.

"We pride ourselves on what we do – our kitchen is very fresh and very authentic, and yet it's very homey," she says. "We don't like to mix and match, and I think people are loving us for that reason."

While the Plano branch has a full-service bar, they haven't decided what they'll do regarding the space in Allen.

"We haven't even approached the TABC yet -- we're just shooting to get open by the 15th of May," Sandra says.