This year’s National Fajita Day falls on this Saturday, August 18, and several area Mexican restaurants will be celebrating with specials.

 

According to the National Day Calendar website, Fajitas were originally made from throwaway cuts of beef by Mexican vaqueros, or cowboys,  in Southwest Texas.  A regional staple in the early 1930’s, the cowboys cooked the steak over an open fire and served it with flour or corn tortillas. 

 

As their popularity grew, peppers and onions were added for color and flavor, and more tender cuts of beef as well as chicken, pork and shrimp were served with freshly made tortillas. By the 1980’s, fajitas became a staple at most Mexican restaurants in the United States, often served with lime, cilantro guacamole and pico de gallo. 

 

The national restaurant chain, On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina, created National Fajita Day in 2016 and is hosting a weeklong fiesta through Saturday, Aug. 18. The Fajita Fiesta for Two is being offered for $19.99 with choices of chicken, steak, shrimp carnitas, and portobello & veggie. All of OTB’s fajitas are served with house-made soft flour tortillas, sour cream, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, guacamole, and a side of Mexican rice and refried beans. 

 

Locally owned Tequila Comida & Cantina, 5607 Carolina Beach Rd., will be serving several specialty fajitas this Saturday as well as special pricing on the chicken, shrimp and steak fajitas that are regularly on the menu. 

 

Zocalo Street Food and Tequila, 1474 Barclay Pointe Blvd., will offer $7 mushroom fajitas, $8 chicken and steak fajitas, and $9 shrimp fajitas for lunch on Saturday. Prices are slightly higher for dinner. There will also be two fajita dinner specials created by chef Julio: a tequila mango glazed chicken and a habanero citrus jumbo shrimp.