I walked through the front door of Hotel McCoy in College Station, Texas, and the first thing I saw was Johnny’s smiling face. We’ve been friends for nearly 15 years, and when he said I had to come try the best empanadas ever, of course, I trusted him.
Outside the hotel sits a food truck, painted with beautiful, bright flowers and yellow butterflies. Juan Varela has been the full-time owner-operator of Macondo Grill for about a year. Most days you can find him parked outside of Hotel McCoy, if he’s not doing a catering or community event in town.
I sat down and visited with Juan for a few minutes before he had to get back to the hustle. He was an underwater welder for 20 years, an incredibly dangerous and technical career. He eventually decided to leave that field and move to Texas. Soon he took a position in the oil field, but after meeting his wife, he knew that he wasn’t going to be able to do that forever either. He and his wife started dreaming of opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant, but worried if Bryan/College Station was ready to embrace Columbian food; so they chose to start in a food truck.
Macondo is, “the most famous town in Columbia - that doesn’t exist,” I looked at him sideways and asked how that was possible. It was the magical and fictional town in the best-selling novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude, the masterpiece of the Columbian novelist Gabriel García Márquez. Juan named his business Macondo Grill, to bring a bit of that magic to the BCS area.
It helps that he’s parked at one of the most magical spots in town. Grab your food at the trailer, and take it inside to the retro, brightly colored, detailed hotel lobby. No grey’s or taupe’s to be seen here. It’s filled with things like egg-shaped chairs, Rubix cube tables, a full bar, and an espresso machine for lattes, and that’s just the beginning. An arcade room where the walls are papered with Dolly Parton. Then I stepped into the courtyard and opened a new world; with tons of seating, a stage with Johnny and the band, Recycled Radio, jamming an eclectic mix of everything from Led Zepplin to Maroon 5. A crisp, cool pool with chairs, tables, and lounges positioned in the middle of the courtyard. The open grassy areas were filled with playthings like cornhole, an enormous chess set, a seesaw, tree swings, and drums and chimes to bang on.
Sorry y’all, if you go looking for me, this hotel is where I will be from now on. There’s no charge to come in and enjoy all of this, and it’s so full of joy and peace.
Back out front, Juan handed me an arepa to try first. Street food at its best. If you’ve never heard of arepas before, think of a pita pocket, except it’s made from a grilled cornmeal patty, cut open, and stuffed. There were so many options, but he’s very proud of the steak; he uses a marinade recipe that he’s been perfecting for years. So that’s the one I tried. The pocket was filled with grilled steak, sweet corn, sliced avocado, and cilantro. The steak was flavorful, tender, and juicy. Because the pocket was made from seasoned cornmeal, it had a hearty texture and flavor. Then the sweet corn and bright cilantro flavors balanced out the depth of the steak.
After the first few bites, Juan asked if I wanted to try the special sauce for it. A little worried, I told him that I’m a weenie, and asked if it was hot. While it does have habanero in it, it actually was perfect. Similar to a pickle relish; diced cucumbers, onions, carrots, habanero, in a vinegar base. Y’all I seriously need to see if I can buy this by the jar from him. It’s crunchy, tangy, spicy, and a hint of sweetness from the carrots for balance.
Juan’s attention to his customer’s experience is beyond phenomenal. He’s one of those people that you feel like you’ve been friends with forever. Very comfortable to talk with, helpful, and happy to explain things to you. He brings a level of hospitality to the hotel that levels up the entire vibe.
As I sat out back, jamming, hanging out with the bestie and her hubby, munching on the arepa, and sipping a latte (yeah,I know for most that’s a weird combo for a Friday night dinner), Juan stopped by and asked if I wanted to try the empanadas too. Of course, Johnny had already hyped them up and I was super excited to try them.
A few minutes later he brought me a container with two empanadas and a container of that awesome sauce. They were piping hot, fresh out of the fryer. When they’d cooled off and I took the first bite, I was blown away. The outside is made from the same cornmeal dough, but because they’re deep-fried, it had the perfect crunch when I bit into it. The inside of the batter was soft and fluffy. Then there was the filling; a warm mixture of seasoned beef, potatoes, sofrito sauce, and special Columbian seasonings. The filling mixture was smooth and pillowy, everything was so tender that it just melted. I poured the sauce inside the warm pocket of heavenly flavor and polished them off.
Whether you want to enjoy a concert under the stars or an amazing weekday meal, make sure you take the backroads on over to Hotel McCoy and stop in to see Juan at Macondo Grill. Tell him I said hi, and make sure you get two orders of empanadas; you’ll be glad you did.
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3702 Texas 6 Frontage Rd, College Station, TX
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