Today we’d like to introduce you to Roxana and Octavio Aguirre.
Roxana and Octavio, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
We are originally from Northern California and made the move to Atlanta in late 2013.
We came with an idea to provide good quality Mexican food to Atlanta. When we saw the location in East Atlanta we knew that plenty of work had to be done. The location was already a Mexican restaurant with the same name, El Mexicano.
We decided to keep the same name but completely change the decor and the menu. Being Mexican we understood our flavors and what we wanted people to taste. We incorporated authentic flavors and ingredients that we grew up with and gave it a California twist. We also included a bar in April 2014 and have since then been handcrafting fresh margaritas like our popular Cazuela Mexicana and Skinny Margarita. Fresh and authentic Mexican ingredients will give you the best results. Plenty of hard work, long hours and passion have brought us where we are today.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road what so ever. This is our first restaurant so we have been learning along the way. We had no family in Atlanta and it was just us and our 9-month-old son for a long time. Roxana would go get all the fresh vegetables and merchandise while I would stay at the restaurant from opening to closing everyday.
One of the major obstacles that we encountered was that our first customers did not accept our food. They would say things like “This is not Mexican food” “Where is the cheese dip?” So many people in the area knew Tex-Mex food as traditional Mexican fare, which obviously is not correct. That is what when we understood that just not had to serve food, but educate our customers in traditional Mexican flavors. We incorporated dishes like Mole Poblano, Mexican street tacos and our very popular Molcajetes. We also would have events to celebrate our heritage like Mexican Independence Day, The real meaning of Cinco de Mayo and Day of the Dead.
El Mexicano Restuarant – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
El Mexicano Restaurant grew based on a dream that have always had, which is owning an authentic Mexican restaurant. We specialize in bringing traditional Mexican ingredients, flavors, and textures and creating dishes that are new to Atlanta. What makes us the proudest would have to be knowing that we made our dream come true and that our customers now know and value the food we serve.
What sets up apart from others is that we strive to have the best customer service, freshest food, and awesome fresh margaritas. Many people always ask us why are margaritas taste so good and there is a simple answer; we use fresh fruit always.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
That is a tough question, because we feel so proud of where we are today. But if we had to choose it would have to be opening our new restaurant in Grant Park next year. Our new restaurant, Patria Cocina, will be exactly what we have dreamt of. Patria Cocina defines our food, our traditions, and our culture. We plan on making this restaurant a cultural dining destination for all of Atlanta.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1341 Moreland Ave SE
Atlanta, GA 30316 - Phone: (404) 622-3501
- Email: elmexicanoatl@gmail.com
- Instagram: elmexicanoatlanta
- Facebook: El Mexicano Restaurant
- Twitter: El Mexicano Atlanta
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/el-mexicano-atlanta
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
