Mariachi Hospitality Group: Growing a Mexican Brand on Chicago’s North Side

By Kathleen Furore

    The year was 1996. On a quiet section of North Broadway in Chicago, Antonio Estrada opened a cozy, 10-table Mexican restaurant he called El Mariachi. It was, he admits, a risk: the area, several blocks from Wrigley Field in East Lakeview, was then a not-so-nice section of the city.

     “The neighborhood wasn’t yet gentrified...three years after I opened, they found dead bodies in a nearby hotel!” Estrada recalls.

     Times have certainly changed—and so has the Estrada family’s business, now comprised of four restaurants under the Mariachi Hospitality Group banner.

     Anchored by the flagship El Mariachi Restaurant, still in the original small storefront, the enterprise also includes El Mariachi Tequila Bar & Grill; the Italian-themed Tutto Fresco Trattoria; and Revolución Mexican Steakhouse—all within a five-block stretch of North Broadway populated by restaurants, bars, boutiques and upscale grocery stores.

     His sons Jorge (Tony) and Adrian, who were raised in Lakeview and grew up in the business, are key figures in the family enterprise.

     “How long have I worked in the restaurants? All my life,” Tony laughs. “I was 11 when I was officially added to the schedule.”

The Early Years

     Mexican food is a staple in most communities today. But back in 1996, the cuisine was in its infancy in the United States—even in a food-savvy town like Chicago. The two Mexican restaurants anywhere near El Mariachi were several blocks south, and only sold tacos and burritos.

     “When I opened my little restaurant, I charged $1 for a taco—they charged $2.50. I had 100 items on my menu, they only had tacos and burritos,” Antonio says of the other restaurants, which eventually closed.

     Still, business wasn’t booming. Cus tomers didn’t really comprehend what El Mariachi’s concept—fresh, authentic Mexican food that went beyond tacos and burritos—was all about.

     “Every day a young girl—she was about 15 or 16 years old—would walk by and look inside,” Antonio says. “I invited her in and said, ‘I know you want to try [our food], so I’m going to buy you dinner.’ After that, she brought me so many customers—one year later, there were so many of them that I didn’t have enough tables to seat them all. When they turned 21, they all had their birthday parties at El Mariachi!”

     Success followed. The second El Mariachi opened in 1999; Mariachi Tequila Bar & Grill in 2004; Tutto Fresco Trattoria, run by Antonio’s nephew in the space that housed El Mariachi #2, in 2005; and Revolución Mexican Steakhouse in 2012.

     “Because of the positive support we received from our customer base, we were able to explore new business horizons by creating the Mariachi Hospitality Group and offer more dining options,” Antonio says.

Three Mexican Concepts, Three Approaches To The Cuisine

     A native of San Juan Jalisco, near Guadalajara, Antonio Estrada emigrated to the U.S. in 1969. Then just 15 years old, with no restaurant experience under his belt, he landed a part-time job as a bus boy, and then server, at Chicago’s M&M Club. He moved on to the Hilton Hotel, where he was a member of the dining room staff for 20 years. Then, he decided, it was time to venture out on his own with El Mariachi.

     “I had to learn to cook—but that was pretty easy for me,” Antonio recalls. The formula was fairly simple: he made recipes; the ones he liked became part of the menu.

     Antonio built a reputation for serving authentic Mexican dishes including but not limited to tacos—offerings like carne asada suiza and grilled chicken breast dressed in mole poblano—all presented in a warm, intimate setting where high-quality ingredients and friendly, personal service proved a formula for success.

     That formula is at the heart of all three Mexican concepts Mariachi Hospitality Group operates today.

Revolución: Reaching For The Stars

     With the El Mariachi brand firmly established in the Lakeview neighborhood, the Estradas decided they wanted to do more to elevate the profile of Mexican food. Hence, Revolución Mexican Steakhouse was born.

     “We talked to people in the business and shared our idea, but they were afraid to launch [a Mexican steakhouse]. They said Mexican food shouldn’t be expensive,” Tony says. “But we like to do things differently. There was no Mexican steakhouse in Chicago, and we wanted to show you can do Mexican fine dining and elevate the presentation of the food.”

     The risk they’d taken with El Mariachi in 1996 had paid off; the family hoped their fine dining

concept would do the same. And so, in October 2012, they opened the doors to Revolución across the street from their first Mexican restaurant. Brick walls, original paintings and a ceiling that mimics a blue sky by day, and lights up with stars and a moon by night, evoke a warm yet upscale feeling.

     While entrees focus on prime cuts of meat including bone-in rib-eye, filet mignon, rack

of lamb, and pork chops, the Estradas make sure they put creative Mexican touches on all the dishes they serve. A professional chef is at the helm in Revolución’s kitchen. But it’s the Estradas who hold the reins when it comes to developing the menu.

     “We’re in the kitchen incorporating our ideas—we cook things at home and work to make nice presentations and to convert dishes to fit a steakhouse menu,” Tony explains.

      That kind of collaboration has helped bring dishes like the Filete Revolución to life: The 10-oz. filet mignon sits atop a slice of seared panela cheese that rests on grilled cactus in a pool of chile pasilla salsa. The meat is drizzled with epazote ancho-garlic butter.

     Other menu offerings with decidedly upscale Mexican twists include the Chipotle-Tamarind BBQ Baby Back Ribs, Ancho-Coconut Fried Shrimp with honey-chipotle mayonnaise, Salmon al Mango Chimichurri , and the Revolución Steakburger, a half-pound of Kobe beef with queso Chihuahua, bacon, grilled onions and jalapeños, avocado, cucumber, lettuce, tomato, ancho mayo and service with cotija-guajillo French fries. Guests can also enjoy steaks with their choice of several signature crusts, rubs or sauces such as cotija-gorgonzola crust, epazote ancho bread crumbs, roasted poblano chimichurri or chile pasilla sauce.

      Desserts include a chocolate Abuelita lava cake with tequila-infused cajeta, and a sweet corn butter cake make with cream cheese and piloncillo and served on a bed of horchata reduction.

     Revolución is also introducing customers to Mexican wines, and plans to host a wine tasting dinner in early 2016. “We’ll be pairing wines with Mexican food—that will be new to this neighborhood,” Tony says.

     So what lies ahead for Mariachi Hospitality Group? While there are no definite plans on the horizon, a property the Estradas own in the nearby Andersonville neighborhood could come into play. Whatever the future holds, it will be more than the food that will keep Antonio, Tony and Adrian going.

     As Antonio says, reaching the top is about more than material success. “Success isn’t just about what you accomplish in your life, it’s also about what you inspire others to do.”

Kathleen Furore is editor of el Restaurante. You can reach her at kfurore@restmex.com