First-Hand Report: Is El Califa de Leon Really that Great?

In May, the Michelin Guide unveiled its first selection dedicated to Mexico...our man in Mexico City, Alfredo Espinola, visited one. Read More

Selling Your Salsas

Everyone loves the salsa you serve with your chips and the mole poblano that covers your chicken enchiladas. Your customers, friends and family members might even have told you to bottle and sell the sauces that come from your restaurant kitchen. Read More

2024 Mexican Multi-Unit Report: Growth at the Top and in the Middle

The performance of multi-unit Mexican restaurants in 2023 varied greatly. If we look at performance based on growth in the number of units, the two biggest – Taco Bell and Chipotle – did quite well, as they added a significant number of new locations. And handful of mid-size chains added a decent number of locations. But most of the rest added few if any locations, and a handful shrunk during the year. Read More

Two Concepts, Two Approaches to Plant-Based Menus

The way Mexican restaurants approach plant-based options depends on many factors — guests’ preferences, price considerations, and the overall concept among them. Read More

Five Questions: Chopped Champion Paco Moran

On the June 28, 2022 episode of The Food Network’s Chopped Desperately Seeking Sous Chef, Chef Francisco “Paco” Moran took the stage. Read More

A Colorful Take on Tortillas

When your customers think about tortillas, traditional flour and yellow and white corn varieties are what likely come to mind. Those are, after all, the options they’re almost always given when ordering tacos, fajitas, and other tortilla-based dishes. Read More

What's the Average Price for a Bottle of Corona?

Mexican restaurants sell millions of bottles of Corona each year. The crisp lager brewed by Grupo Modelo in Mexico goes with tacos, burritos and just about every other menu item. Read More

What's the Average Price for a Margarita?

Margaritas are giant sellers in Mexican restaurants. The tequila, lime and orange liqueur concoctions are on the menu of nearly every Mexican restaurant with a liquor license. What’s the average menu price for a margarita? And how are prices for margaritas set? We decided to figure that out. Read More

Chiles en Nogada: A Culinary Celebration of Mexico's Independence

Chiles en Nogada season has begun — just in time to celebrate Mexican Independence Day on September 16 and Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15 this year. Read More

Q&A with Chef José Salazar: Cincinnati is the Place for Him

Award-winning Chef José Salazar was born in Colombia and raised in Queens, New York. His culinary journey includes working with Chef Jean George Vongerichten, Chef Thomas Keller and other luminaries. In 2008 he and his family moved to Cincinnati, where he now runs four establishments. Read More

Perfecting Pozole

This year, in what is usually a mild first week of November, Mother Nature decided to surprise Denver with an early snowstorm that dumped almost a foot of snow in the metro area.

   While residents were digging out, the team at La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal — a Michelin Bib Gourmand pozoleria nestled between the city’s Rino Arts District and BallPark neighborhood — was inviting customers to dig into a bowl of pozole. Read More

Ceviche on the Menu

Ceviche is trending on restaurant menus and el Restaurante reached out to chefs at three Mexican restaurants to find out about the ceviches (and their cousins, aguachiles) they offer. Read More

The Adán Medrano Interview, Part 3: The Real Meaning of 'Enchilada'

Adán Medrano is a chef, film maker and author who has championed the unique cuisine served in home kitchens across south Texas crafted by cooks of Mexican descent. This cuisine is Texas Mexican, and Medrano has written books and produced a documentary – Truly Texas Mexican – on the topic. el Restaurante publisher Ed Avis interviewed Medrano.  Read More

Illegal Pete's Interview: Part 1 of 3, The Birth of Pete's

Illegal Pete’s is a fast-growing burrito-focused multi-unit in Colorado and Arizona. More important, the restaurant has character!  Read More