Iconic Eduardo’s Taco Stand to close on Ocracoke

By Maggie Miles for Outer Banks Voice

Eduardo Chavez, owner of Eduardo’s Taco Stand in Ocracoke, has been fascinated by the restaurant industry since he was a young boy helping out in his mother’s restaurant in Mexico City.

When he came to the United States 25 years ago, he found his first opportunity in Ocracoke, working in construction. Before long, he was offered a job bussing tables at Back Porch Restaurant, but he quickly set his sights on the kitchen, eager to learn and grow. He helped out in any way he could, developing his cooking skills while improving his English—learning the names of ingredients as he chopped and cooked and practicing conversations with the kitchen staff.

Over the next five years, he continued working in the food industry at Back Porch Restaurant and Jason’s Restaurant. One day, a manager he had worked with at Back Porch told him that a friend was looking to rent out a small food truck on the island.

“It was the end of the year, the end of the season, basically, and it was kind of scary,” Chavez said, noting that his start date would be Dec. 1. He wondered whether he would be able to make enough to pay the rent. “But I said, ‘Okay, I’ll take it.’”

He knew that during that time of year, winning over the locals would be key to the success of his business. To make it work, he had to convince them to try his food. He opened the stand with Mexican classics he had learned from his mother, blending traditional flavors with fresh, local ingredients and seafood.

At the time, Facebook was still new, and Chavez wasn’t familiar with social media. One day, a customer stopped by and told him, “Hey, they’re talking about you.” Curious, he logged on to see what people were saying.

“They say they like the food, even all the locals, and so we started from there,” he recalled. “I said, ‘Hey, I know you like it. I will do my best every day.’

Now, 15 years later, Chavez, 58,  has announced that this will be his final season as he heads back to Mexico after the summer to be with his family. Over the years, the stand has become a beloved staple in Ocracoke, drawing a loyal fanbase of both locals and visitors from across the country, many of whom have become dear friends and family to Chavez. What began as a one-man operation has grown into a business with a staff of 10.

Over the years, Eduardo’s Taco Stand has received numerous accolades. In 2015, it won the Seafood Throwdown at the Day of the Docks Festival in Hatteras Village. It has been ranked among the top 10 best tacos in North Carolina by Best Things in NC and was rated #2 among the best Mexican restaurants on the Outer Banks by TripAdvisor. Beyond his business, Chavez has been actively involved in the community, volunteering and organizing food for the Latino Festival de Ocracoke.

In addition, people have come to Ocracoke just to try his cuisine, with the famous shrimp tacos being the favorite. The stand also serves a variety of other seafood dishes and traditional Mexican offerings like carnitas and picadillo—a Mexican-style ground beef dish enjoyed in quesadillas, tacos, burritos, and more.

And while the delicious food is a huge part of the draw, it is Chavez himself who has captivated guests with his warm, welcoming, and vibrant spirit—his spirit of “bienvenido.”

“Communication, for me, is kind of important, just to be in touch with the customers. I mean, obviously, the food is going to be important, but it is really our relationships with customers that make the business,” Chavez said.

His final season announcement was shared on his official Facebook page and later picked up by The State You’re In, a popular website covering North Carolina restaurants and happenings. Their Facebook post, shared with over 50,000 followers, garnered more than 600 comments and over 400 shares, with people expressing sadness over the closure and sharing their fondest memories of the taco stand, such as, “Eduardo’s on Ocracoke Island is closing at the end of the 2025 season after 15 years, and honestly, it’s hard to picture the island without it. That little truck has fed more beach days and ferry rides home than we can count.”

Many fans took to Reddit to share their love for the taco stand and their sadness over its closing. Chavez, touched by the response, thanked his followers on Facebook, prompting hundreds more responses, including many customers saying they would make a special trip to Ocracoke just to eat at Eduardo’s one last time.

One user wrote: “Noooo! We weren’t going to make an OBX trip this year, but now we have to.” Another shared: “There is nothing better in life than sitting on the beach at Ocracoke and having Eduardo’s shrimp burrito while looking at the ocean… Thank you, not just for your amazing food, but for the many years of memories.”

Though Chavez is sad to be closing, he is excited for what’s next. He plans to return to Mexico to spend time with his family and help out with their coffee shop in Mexico City. While his daughter, Ana Luisa, remains in the United States and visits him frequently, he looks forward to spending more time with his mother and five sisters.

Over the years, while in the United States, he returned to Mexico to help his family open a stationery shop, which eventually turned into the coffee shop Good Mix, now run by his son, Luis Angel. He also plans to launch a tiny home business in Yucatán and to start a tourism venture there. But above all, he is grateful for 15 years of patronage from his loyal customers.

“You can mention this was for all my loves,” Chavez said. “It’s important for our society, as a human being, to communicate to others at this specific time. This was for all my love. They know.”