I was the manager of the LaFonda de Acebo restaurant in Colorado Springs on the corner of Union Ave and North Academy Ave. In the late 70's. I was trained at LaFonda managed by George's Sister in south Denver. I was privy to all receipts and supervised the prep of the secret sauce for the Tacorita when my Chef was off or Sick. I have also been the Assistant Manager of the Holly Springs here in Colorado Springs.

I was the Victim of a robbery at the Holly Springs near the end of the 70's also and gave up being a Restaurant Manager. The Owner George Pappas visited my restaurant frequently. He and I conferred on some issues he needed assistance with at the restaurants here in COS. I stayed after the robberies and took of those issues for him and then left. At the beginning of my career with George I signed a statement that I would never divulge the recipe to his secret sauce and I have kept that promise even though he has departed. I will not give the recipe away unless authorized by the current owner legally authorized to do so. The recipes I have seen so far are not the original.

Sorry!

Al

LOL not even close! I worked for George at the original Holly on Holly and Evans from 1967 til 1976 with day cook Dave Demao and night cook Jose Garza. I CAN ASSURE YOU NO CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP NOR SAGE MUCH LESS CHEESE SOUP was ever, EVER in a Holly or La Fonda kitchen!!

Who cares! This recipe comes pretty darned close. And if you love tacoritos, you'd still yearn to taste that special tacorito taste... This comes pretty darned close. Give it a try! That way if you've never worked there or dated the owners brothers cousin, you can still go out and buy the above ingredients, despite how authentic they are, and create your very own tacorito masterpiece. This recipe checks out! I was in heaven. (Again!) You will be too! BET.

Hi we had a LaFonda's in Omaha & for some reason it closed @ least 10 years ago, maybe longer. We love the ranchareto (sp) with Colorado sauce I have never found another place that the Colorado sauce was as good as Lafonda's ! Anyway do you have the recipe? Only for our personal use. Thanks

My cousin worked at Holly Springs in the mid 80s... and he passed that wonderful recipe over to my my mom. It is the best Taco Rito recipe ever!

Can you post the recipe for the Tacoritos from Holly Springs in Colo. Sprgs. I have an old recipe but says Mission Bell Inn??

Did they ever post the Holly Springs recipe? If so I would like if possible. Thank You. Bret Hopper

I lived in Buhl Idaho in the 70's. It was a friday night always seen it when you had to stand in line to get in. Would love to have the original receipt. I miss them. The recipes I tried are not the way I remember. Please send it. I will send you some potatoes.

Not the Tacorito sauce I remember. . .

Yup so far from real recipe... I know, I worked there for nine years!

Charlie, John, Jan (Mission Bell Inn); No restaurants offer the Holly Tacorito any longer and a trademark is considered "abandoned" if not used for three years. The family appears to have no intention of using it anymore. Surely enough time has passed that the recipe can divulged now? Would you consider even an ingredient list? Perhaps a personal email rather than publish it? It would be respected and greatly appreciated.

Craig did you find the tacorito recipe I too worked at the restaurant on Evans as a bartender never knew the recipe?

I worked at Holly West forever. The secret sauce, if I remember correctly was Enchilada sauce.

I would so love the true recipe. Been trying to get it right for many years!

Do any of you happen to know the fried ice cream recipe from Holy West? I was only a kid when I had it last but it was the best I've ever had!

No way is this the original sauce. All of my sister and brother worked for the company for years. The original sauce was made with lard definitely NOT cream of chicken soup :)

I've been trying to get restaurants to make tacoritos for me ever since having one at the Holly Springs restaurant back in the 1969-1971 time frame as a teenager! Please, please, please someone divulge! :)

I worked at the Holiday Inn on Monaco and Evans for years. George Pappas was there daily and was always kind. The chef didn't know much English so while I taught him that language, he taught me to speak Greek.

Wonderful wonderful memories!

Every Christmas George's wife would bring in a huge platter of homemade Greek desserts. The baklava was to die for. Along with the yummy Tacorito, they made chicken kapama which was fantastic. Those were the good old days.

Worked for Holly Inn in Monaco and Evans for years. I can guarantee there was no soup in the Tacorito recipe. George Pappas would be rolling over in his grave. Rip worked with him daily... he was kind man.

I am writing this in 2021... not sure whom will see this but here goes. Enchilada sauce is the closest thing to the sauce in the original Tacorito. I was devastated to find Holly West (La Fonda de Acebo) closed in June 2013 (it closed December 2012). As a kid in the 80s, there would be tons of people waiting to be seated, but by the 2000s it became a ghost town.
Anyway, The South near Hampden (used to be the Holly South) still serves a similar dish called Quesorito. The primary difference is that there are no olives. Tastes pretty much the same. If you are craving a trip down memory lane, I'd go get one soon. Not sure how much longer The South will be around.
RIP Holly restaurants, George E Pappas and his son George C Pappas (murdered in 2018).

The South still is with us, and as it so happens, am there right this very minute.

Of course, I ordered the Quesirito (sp?), with Ground Beef and extra Lettuce inside.

... Dick Shaw, 10/28/24

I only want the recipe for COLORADO SAUCE!!! ANYONE HAVE IT?

The real Tacoritos recipe is in the Colorado Cache Cookbook. No soup just real ingredients.

We should honor George and his family and share the recipe so others can understand how amazing their food was. I grew up going to Holly West. My first job was washing dishes and I remember how nice everyone was. Unfortunately we moved and I've always dreamed about those delicious tacoritos! Yum!