Taqueria Jasmine opened in Bealeton 14 years ago and since then has become a staple of the community, offering authentic Mexican food as well as Salvadoran dishes such as pupusas. The restaurant was named after the former owner’s daughter, Jasmine, and was brought under new management five years ago.

     Back when Taqueria Jasmine first opened, there were no Latin American restaurants in the area. The owners felt there was a need to open a Mexican restaurant in Bealeton to accommodate the growing number of Mexican and Central American immigrants in Bealeton, as well as provide another dining option for people passing by. 

     The busiest days for the establishment are Saturdays and Sundays. While most people either come to sit down or order takeout, Taqueria Jasmine also hosts events such as birthday parties and entertainment.

     Although there are other Mexican restaurants in the area, Taqueria Jasmine stands out in that it is authentic and not Tex-Mex. The most popular items on the menu are the tacos and the tortas.

     “There are a lot of Mexican restaurants in the area that claim to be authentic, but in reality they serve Tex-Mex. Coming to Taqueria Jasmine is like going to grandma’s house and eating authentic Mexican food. We make everything in house. We don’t buy the sauce, we don’t buy anything. We only buy the ingredients and we make it fresh,” said one of the owners, Erica Pérez, who also co-owns neighboring La Sofia Beauty Salon and Sabores del Sur bakery.

     While Taqueria Jasmine primarily focuses on serving authentic Mexican food, there are also a number of menu items from other Latin American cuisines.

     “We decided to include non-Mexican food items such as pupusas on the menu because they sell a lot. We do have a notable Salvadoran community in Bealeton, but everybody eats pupusas. No matter where you are from, everybody likes tacos and pupusas,” said Pérez.

     Despite the fact that Taqueria Jasmine has been around for a long time, the COVID-19 pandemic brought on a series of challenges for the business, as is the case for many small businesses across the country.

     “We had to close our doors during the pandemic. It was a hard time and business was slow. We could not offer dining in, so we were only able to offer takeout and delivery. Most of our sales come from dining in, so during COVID 80% of our customer base disappeared. Only about 20% of our customers ordered takeout so it was hard,” said Pérez.

     As we emerge from the pandemic and begin returning to life as it was prior to it, the restaurant has seen a steady increase in business. However, as yesterday’s problems slowly fade into the background, new ones have arisen. The current state of the economy has had a negative impact on Taqueria Jasmine.

     “Business has started to pick up a little bit now, but because of the inconsistent gas prices and inflation, we have noticed a decrease in the number of customers,” said Pérez.

     With a decrease in the number of customers, Taqueria Jasmine has had to make some changes to adapt to the current situation.

     “Due to the decrease in sales, we had to reduce labor which meant cutting down on employees and raising the prices,” said Pérez.

     As a lot of small businesses are struggling at the moment, the best thing patrons can do as a community is to support them. Consider stopping by Taqueria Jasmine and supporting a local, Latino-owned business.

   Taqueria Jasmine is located at 6370 Village Center Dr, Bealeton, VA and can be reached at (540) 439-3099 or taqueriajasmine.com.