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The Smokey-Citrus Chicken Salad, left, and other popular entrees from El Azteca Mexican Taco Shop in Provo, Monday, May 9, 2011. 

ANDREW VAN WAGENEN/Daily Herald

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The Chocolate Quesadilla filled with cinnamon and sugar cream cheese, chocolate chips and topped with balsamic strawberries and cream from El Azteca Mexican Taco Shop in Provo, Monday, May 9, 2011. 

ANDREW VAN WAGENEN/Daily Herald

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When it comes to authentic Mexican cuisine in Provo, El Azteca has been a go-to local fixture for the last 53 years. Originally opened in 1962, an announcement on Facebook Friday let the restaurant’s fans know the location will be closing its doors permanently at the end of the month.

“I think it’s literally the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make in my life,” said restaurant owner Carlos Rubio after the announcement was posted. “It’s killing me, but I have to be realistic.”

According to Rubio, it was his parents that opened the restaurant all those years ago, and the location has been a fixture in their family since then. Despite a loyal customer base, though, the restaurant’s income is just not high enough to keep it open.

“We’ve been here forever and I love the people that come in and I love the food,” Rubio said. “I’m going to miss the food, but we just don’t have enough business, and literally every month we barely make it.”

The hardest part of the decision, according to Rubio, came because of the store’s history.

“I had to sort of put the family aspect of it and the history aspect of it behind me and look at it only as a business, and as a business, it’s just not making it on its own,” he said.

Rubio took over control of the restaurant in 2010, and said since then, the income has been so low that he hasn’t really been making a salary from it. Though closing the doors was a hard decision, he said he’s appreciative of all the support the community has offered through the years.

“Thank you for the people that have supported us over the years, and not just the time that I’ve been here,” he said. “My folks came from nothing and they were accepted here in Provo. Our family was not only able to grow here, but flourish here. I just want to thank Provo and Utah for giving us that opportunity.”

According to Rubio, the Orem location of El Azteca, owned by his brother-in-law, Eugene Revuelta, is a completely separate business, and will remain open. Though it’s a separate restaurant entity entirely, complete with its own menu and recipes, Rubio said he is glad it will continue to serve the Utah Valley.

El Azteca in Provo will remain open during regular hours through the end of September with the exclusion of Sept. 26.

For more updates on El Azteca and the impending closure, check out the restaurant’s Facebook page here. You can also read a previous Daily Herald dining review on the location here.