Hours

Tuesday-Saturday

11am-8:30pm

Sunday & Monday

11am-10pm

Contact Us

(573) 507-6068

El Fógon Veracruzano is an authentic Mexican restaurant bringing you a taste all the way from Veracruz, Mexico.

Yesica Herrera and her brother Alan Herrera come from a background of cultivating fresh citric fruits and vegetables. The sibling duo spent their childhood watching their grandma prepare homemade tortillas, tortillas a mano.

These memories lingered in the minds of the Herrera siblings as they moved to the States.

Yesica was the first to discover her passion for the kitchen alongside her mother, who taught her how to make an authentic arroz or rice.

Upon settling here in Columbia, the family noticed a void for authentic Mexican antojitos, or snacks. This set the stage for the Herrera's dream to open a restaurant in 2019.

“What I have always wanted is food that has the taste associated with home cooking, to when your grandma would cook for you,” said Yesica.

They first opened up as Paleteria El Tajin to serve the antojitos, which included esquites, or Mexican-style corn in a cup, fruta picada, fresh fruit cut-up, and paletas, or traditional Mexican ice cream. The restaurant then rebranded in 2022 as El Fogón Veracruzano to expand the menu which included the first introduction of homemade empanadas in Columbia. The crispy stuffed fried bread contains cheese and chicken. Tano Mateu has driven all the way from Franklin, Missouri for the past two years to try this delicious piece of his home.

“She presented me to empanadas, which is a very traditional cuisine in my home state of Veracruz,” said Mateu.

Yesica and Alan have accomplished their dream of opening a restaurant to serve Columbia, bringing familiar flavors and a homemade feel to the community. In the future, the duo plans to expand both their team and the food they offer.

Yesica leads her team in following trends of Mexican-fusion style food in California and after being inspired by this cuisine, she plans to introduce menu items like pasteles and enmoladas to El Fogón Veracruzano.

Our Menu

El Fogon Veracruzano welcomes you.

Photo Gallery

El Fogón Veracruzano serves crispy chicken empanadas on Nov. 25, 2023. This meal is seen as a staple of the restaurant. Taken by Mia Hanlon.

El Fogón Veracruzano serves quesa birria tacos on Nov. 25, 2023. The popular menu item was devoured within minutes. Taken by Mia Hanlon.

Yesica Herrera works the morning shift on Aug. 29, 2023, to prepare for her daily load of customers. Tortillas are hand-rolled and pressed inside El Fogón Veracruzano daily. Taken by Cristal Sanchez.

The bright yellow color of El Fogón Veracruzano beams as the sunlight hits the outside patio on Nov. 25, 2023. The restaurant was recently repainted to match the color scheme of the logo. Taken by Mia Hanlon.

Customers dine inside El Fogón Veracruzano on Nov. 25, 2023. This was the pre-lunch rush which allowed for a calm environment. Taken by Mia Hanlon.

Bottles fill the shelves of the bar inside El Fogón Veracruzano on Aug. 29, 2023. The most popular day for the bar area is Friday at 4. Taken by Mia Hanlon.