As pool balls crack through the hall, Estella “Stella” Moralez Reyna moves between tables, balancing plates and greeting customers with a warm “mija” or “mijo.”
Reyna has worked at Señor Loco Mexican Restaurant, located inside Romine’s High Pockets at 6125 S. 27th St., for more than 30 years. Over the decades, she has become a familiar presence to regulars who return to see her as much as they come to eat or play pool.
Before coming to Señor Loco, Reyna worked at another Mexican restaurant, Acapulco Lounge, at South 6th Street and West National Avenue, from 1980 to 1993. After her departure, the lounge was permanently closed in 2007. Many of the customers she met there followed her when she moved to Señor Loco.
One of the longtime regulars that followed her is Jeff Castillo…