TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – A small building in East Topeka that used to house a Dairy Queen now serves an entirely different kind of food.
Zoila’s Cafe, 1000 SE 6th Ave., offers homemade Mexican fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The restaurant is open from 6.30am to 6pm seven days a week.
Owner Juana Zoila Silva said she opened her restaurant about four years ago.
Business has been good, he said, as he has developed a following of loyal customers.
Favorite items include the “house burrito” and fried tacos.
If customers don’t see something they want on the menu, Zoila’s offers made-to-order food items.
Silva, a native of Mexico, said she previously worked at the Seaman School District just north of Topeka, as well as at Berry Plastics in Lawrence.
Surprisingly, Silva said she wasn’t always a cook and continues to hone her cooking skills in the kitchen.
Though he’s in the restaurant seven days a week, Silva said he never tires of pleasing his customers with home-cooked food.
The best part of restaurant management, she said, is knowing the people who walk through the doors.
“They’re more than customers,” Silva says. “They are my family.”
