Del Rio – Whenever we’re on the road, we always look for unique places to feature. When it came to driving around Del Rio, it didn’t take long to find Meme’s. Carolina Gonzalez is the senior sibling that helps run this little chicken shack that happens to be across the street from a really big grocery store. “I’ve had people say, ‘Oh, you can smell Meme’s. Forget the groceries. We’re going to have to go order Meme’s.’,” joked Carolina.
Meme’s Kleen Kitchen takes two things very seriously, cleanliness of course and family. “I’m here with my sister, so we’ve raised our kids together. I have three and she has one and we’ve been pregnant at the same time. We’ve raised them together, and Del Rio is home,” said Carolina.
“I am completely honored to be able to run the business and manage it along with my family,” said Azalea Gonzalez.
Azalea Gonzalez has been here since her father Joey Gonzalez bought Meme’s. Owning Meme’s was a dream of Azalea’s and Carolina’s dad for a long time and after a long career on the railroad, Joey got to purchase the place that’s been a part of Del Rio since the 50’s. “Meme’s is something that he had always wanted, and he says, ‘ Meme’s is a family business, so I won’t be doing it alone. Everybody’s going to do it.’ And literally, that’s exactly what has happened,” said Carolina. “We all do a little bit of everything here to continue the legacy that my father started,” expressed Azalea.
When Azalea says “we all”, she means we all. Turns out the Gonzales’ already have the next generation filling orders and helping around the family business. “When we say that Meme’s Kleen Kitchen is a family-owned business and we’re all in it together, we are literally all in it together. He’d be very proud of them. He’s proud of them that they’re all in here doing a little bit and learning the business. That’s what he wanted,’ expressed Carolina.
Joey passed away in 2013 but the family keeps the clean kitchen ticking. “It’s pretty awesome to be able to share the experience that my dad shared with us, with them and our kids,” said Azalea. “We always remind the kids that their grandfather was a man of his word. He lived by his word. It was integrity. And that’s the kind of man he was, so here we are,” said Carolina.
Now the clean part of this equation is taken very seriously because customers can see everything going on in the cleansed kitchen from all sorts of crazy angles thanks to windows on just about every side of the kitchen. “People have come to the window and said, oh my God, y’all are busy, but it’s always so clean. And we’re like, well, we take pride in that as well,” stated Carolina.
With their history, their reputation, and their food. Meme’s Kleen Kitchen truly is close-knit to this community and surrounding communities as well. “I love this spot. I’ve been coming here since probably before I was born. So I was in mama’s womb eating at Meme’s, so now that I’m out of it and driving it myself, I get here as much as I can,” said Frenchy.
Azalea got us geared up for an assortment of their goodies.“We have our own batter. We have our own secret little ingredients that go in there. The ladies who make the chicken, it’s a gift. It really is,” said Carolina.
Chicken wasn’t the only thing on the menu at Meme’s. The battered fries are a big thing here. And jalapenos come with every order. Azalea made sure we got a little bit of everything here, so we have a few things to go through and I’m going to start with those incredible battered fries. I’ve seen a lot of fries across the Lone Star State, but I’ve never seen anything like it, and they are delicious! “The greasiness, you bite it in your mouth. I just love it,” said Josie.
As for the chicken, it is good a greasy and full of flavor. Just be sure to add a jalapeno slice to each and every bite to get the full authentic experience! “Crunchiness, juiciness, delicious,” stated customer Chelo Luna. “I can’t even describe it, man. I just get emotional thinking about it. It’s awesome,” joked Frenchy.
Well, if you’re looking for a rare bird in Southwest Texas, coming into Meme’s for some fried chicken at this Kleen Kitchen is well worth a stop on the Texas Bucket List!