North Texas Dining: Vaqueros Barbecue Shuttered After Brief Run

A popular barbecue spot in Allen has closed its doors, ending a short-lived partnership between a local food truck veteran and a major restaurant group.

Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Q, located at Watters Creek Village, stopped serving customers at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The restaurant had only opened in January of this year. An October 28 Facebook post from the business told followers, "ALLEN, TX., it’s been real…Doors closed today at 4. Stay tuned. We ain’t done yet."

Edgar Guevara, CEO of M Crowd Restaurant Group, confirmed the shutdown in an emailed statement. He said the decision was made after much consideration. Guevara thanked the Allen and North Texas communities for welcoming the brand. He also expressed gratitude to the staff and guests who supported the restaurant during its brief operation.

The closure ends the financial and operational partnership between M Crowd and Arnulfo "Trey" Sanchez, the founder of Vaqueros. M Crowd, which was founded by the late Mico Rodriguez, is known for managing neighborhood concepts like Mi Cocina. That brand also has a location at Watters Creek. Sanchez remained a partner and the pitmaster at the Allen location until the end.

Vaqueros began as a food truck in Grapevine in 2018. Sanchez gained national attention for his smoked meats and specific twists on Mexican classics. His birria tacos were featured in Texas Monthly’s Top 20 Bites of 2020 and ranked as the 14th best cheesy dish in the USA by Cooking Channel’s Man's Greatest Food. The menu at the Allen restaurant extended these concepts, offering brisket, ribs, and barbecue-influenced Mexican dishes like cochinita pibil.

The standalone restaurant was announced in 2023. At the time, Guevara praised Sanchez’s approach as unique and authentic. Sanchez said he was thrilled to join forces with Guevara to take the business to the next level. The Allen location received strong reviews upon its opening, earning a nomination for Best New Restaurant in the 2026 CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Awards.

Guevara did not specify a reason for the sudden closure. He stated that M Crowd’s involvement with the Vaqueros brand has ended with the closing of the Allen location. Any future announcements about the brand will come directly from the company rather than through the restaurant group.

CultureMap has reached out to Sanchez for comment. As of the publication of this report, he has not yet responded to requests for information regarding the next steps for his brand.