Soup might not be the first thing your customers think of when they’re deciding what to order. But it is, in fact, one of the first and most traditional courses in Mexican cuisine. Here in Mexico, the practice of eating soup as the first course of thRead more
|t isn’t often that you visit a restaurant’s website and find information touting a cookie front and center. But that’s just what happens on the home page of Sabores del Sur, a South American restaurant in Walnut Creek, California.Read more
Sabor a Mi Grill Tequila & Botanas in Rancho Cucamonga, California endured the initial COVID shutdown that started in mid-March by offering take-out and delivery. When the state allowed a partial reopening in mid-June, owner Liz Hart reopened her patRead more
In an August 1 email Xico restaurant in Portland, Oregon sent about the day’s takeout and delivery menu, Ceviche Verde led the list of available options. For $17, customers could order a ½ pint of ceviche made with fresh, local, wild, red banded rockRead more
“In some dishes, authenticity is determined by the leaf. Cochinita pibil is not cochinita pibil if it is not wrapped in banana leaves. Without lime leaves lime soup is not a lime soup!”Read more
Editor Kathleen Furore and Publisher Ed Avis reached out to three el Restaurante readers to find out how they weathered the COVID-inflicted challenges of 2020 and how they’re moving ahead with hope in 2021.Read more
Sí, Virginia, hay vida después de las fiestas, además de más razones para que tus clientes saboreen cócteles calientes. Las versiones calientes de las bebidas favoritas de los bares están preparadas para volver en 2021, según "Do The Hustle", un infoRead more
Yes, Virginia, there is life after the holidays—along with more reasons for your customers to savor heated cocktails. Hot versions of favorite bar drinks are poised for a comeback in 2021, according to “Do The Hustle,” a report about 2021 food, beverRead more
The Latino Restaurant Association, a Los Angeles-based trade group founded in 2018, stepped up to help restaurants during COVID and has big growth plans for 2021.Read more
Pez Cantina in Los Angeles, like many Mexican restaurants, started selling cocktails to-go when the State of California allowed them last spring. The bottled cocktails, which adhere to the restaurant’s high quality standards, have helped ease the bloRead more
Who is the hero of 2020? In a terrible year for the world, and especially for restaurants, one hero stands out: The community. In countless examples, community members stepped up and helped save our readers’ businesses when COVID threatened to shut tRead more
Canned hard seltzers, wine cocktails, ciders and various mixed libations—once banned behind any reputable bar—are converting skeptical consumers with creative flavors, bold packaging and clever branding. But can cocktails in cans really play a profitRead more
Los refrescos alcohólicos, cocteles de vino, sidras y varias bebidas mezcladas en lata (alguna vez prohibidas detrás de cualquier bar de renombre) están transformando a clientes escépticos con sabores creativos, envases audaces y marcas ingeniosas.Read more
Managers are absolutely essential in the world of Mexican restaurants, and that has never been more true than during this bizarre year. That’s why el Restaurante and Jarritos are so pleased to honor the best managers of Mexican/Latin restaurants in tRead more
At the very end of October, stalls filled with pan de muerto—bread of the dead—spring up in markets all around Mexico. The bread is made only a few days before Day of the Dead and actually refers to three types of bread.Read more
Karla Garcia remembers well the woman who ran into her restaurant, Tecalitlan Mexican Restaurant in Chicago, without a mask and asked for her takeout order. Garcia pointed to the “No Mask, No Service” sign and politely asked the woman to don her maskRead more
Thousands of Mexican restaurants have been hammered by COVID, but some have actually seen business increase. One is El Tequileño, a four-unit restaurant in the Denver area.Read more
A two-minute walk down a narrow concrete path leading from Belizario Dominguez—one of San Gregorio Atlapulco’s main streets—brings you to another world. The noise, traffic and dust disappear, replaced by a silence broken only by the chirping of birdsRead more
There’s one fact that sets the stage for T.J. Steele’s pandemic-inspired tale of bringing delivery service to Claro: The restaurant was never, ever set up to deliver its award-winning Oaxacan cuisine to customers’ homes. As he told the New York TimesRead more
Warm weather and longer days bring with them an appetite for lighter meals. And these meals benefit from the inclusion of beets, an ingredient that appeals to the eye as well as the palate.Read more
When the COVID-19 crisis took hold across America in mid-March, restaurants scrambled to get a handle on the situation. Chronic Tacos, which has 49 locations across the United States and 8 international locations, deployed a tactic more commonly assoRead more
Great Mexican restaurants routinely pair their best dishes with quality alcoholic beverages, because pairings create a more complete experience for diners. Often the pairing is with tequila or a wine from one of Mexico’s burgeoning wineries. But someRead more
During the week of May 18, el Restaurante surveyed our readers to find out how they’ve fared during the Covid-19 crisis and what they think lies ahead. Twenty-four percent of those surveyed said they had partially reopened their dining rooms in the pRead more
Due to COVID-19, with dining rooms either closed or at limited capacity, restaurants are challenged to find new ways to stay afloat. Adapting quickly, many restaurants have pivoted to take-out and delivery only business models, and some are includingRead more
On March 19, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order that prohibited in-house dining and drinking at restaurants and bars but still allowed takeout. Four days later, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg issued “Stay Home, Work Safe” emergencyRead more
Indiana restaurants came to a standstill when Governor Eric Holcomb announced a “Stay-at-Home” order on March 23. Cancun Mexican Restaurant in South Bend was one of thousands of foodservice establishments that shut down that day… and it was one of tRead more
There are more Mexican restaurants in Texas than any other state besides California, so when the state’s governor allowed restaurants to open at 25 percent capacity on May 1, we knew el Restaurante magazine readers would be impacted. We spoke with twRead more
Cinco de Mayo and Mother’s Day are among the most popular holidays for Mexican & Latin restaurants. And while the current crisis has probably put a stop to most of the promotions your restaurant has always relied on, you don’t have to abandon plans tRead more
El Cinco de Mayo y el Día de las Madres se encuentran entre las fiestas más populares para los restaurantes mexicanos y latinos. Y, aunque la crisis actual probablemente haya puesto fin a la mayoría de las promociones en las que siempre ha confiado sRead more
A medida que transcurre la crisis del COVID-19, encontrar formas de mantenerse en contacto con los clientes se vuelve cada vez más desafiante. ¿Qué puede hacer además de ofrecer comida para llevar y entregas? Estas son algunas ideas a considerar:Read more
As the COVID-19 crisis goes on, finding ways to stay connected with your customers becomes more and more challenging. What can you do besides offering take-out and delivery? Here are a few ideas to consider:Read more