Olivia’s Mexican Restaurant

Tony Cabral’s love of good food and dream of owning his own restaurant was realized after his marriage to Olivia Luis. His journey began in the bi-centennial year 1976, when he purchased an old truck which was converted to a snow cone wagon. He and Olivia went into the neighborhood selling snow cones made with his family’s syrup recipe for 25 cents each.

This went so well that Tony soon added another truck and opened a small neighborhood store where he also sold snow cones. Soon, he expanded his menu to add food: hamburgers, tacos, homemade tamales, BBQ lamb head and menudo. In 1978, he realized his dream and opened a restaurant in Riverside, California, naming it “Olivia’s” after his wife. Olivia jokes that while dating Tony he promised to someday put her name up in lights, but he failed to tell her she would be working in the kitchen.