Hacienda Fuentes Cantina & Grill

Late last month I met my husband in Pekin for lunch at Hacienda Fuentes Cantina & Grill.
We sat in a booth in the second dining room and were served a basket of crunchy tortilla chips with salsa.
The waiter came by for my drink order but I still had to take in the many menu options, so he said he would be back for our food order.
I decided on the Tacos Hacienda ($7.99), three pork tacos with grilled onions and tomatillo sauce with a side of rice and beans. The tacos were tasty, complete with crunchy onions and were served in flour tortillas.
At a table nearby while we were dining, the staff sang happy birthday to a sombrero-wearing young lady, and proceeded to smear some whipped cream on her face. Later I noticed some photos of similar celebrants, so it must be their tradition.
Years ago before there were several small, local Mexican restaurants in the Peoria area, I remember helping someone celebrate a birthday at Chi-Chi's where they topped the birthday girl's head with a huge sombrero and snapped a photo of her.
Hacienda Fuentes has lunch specials starting at $4.50.

3 Reales Tienda Mexicana

I completely forgot about 3 Reales Tienda Mexicana having a restaurant inside, so it took me a while to get around to dining there.
We walked in to the Mexican grocery, housed in the former Lums on Knoxville Avenue in Peoria, on a recent Saturday and found the small dining room to the right. A young lady brought us some menus and took our drink orders, bottled water for both of us.
Soon we had some very crunchy tortilla chips and two dishes of spicy salsa in front of us as well. It took me a while, but I determined that I liked the green variety better.
I decided to try one chicken taco and one carne asada (steak) taco on soft corn tortillas. We also tried a green chicken tamale, one of a few varieties they offer.

The tacos were good, both dressed in our favorite manner, topped with onion and cilantro and served with lime wedges, but the standout for me was the tamale. The corn meal seemed whiter than most I've seen, and the green sauce gave it a great flavor.
A table of men dining near us each ordered a bowl of soup that I guess was probably tortilla soup. The bowl size was quite impressive.
Service was good and the prices were reasonable.

El Mexicano

Just down the road from the Hofbrau on NE Jefferson sits a pretty non-descript restaurant serving Mexican food. In the early 90s the building housed a Daylight Donuts.
We've been to El Mexicano twice now for food, and I know my mom is a fan as well.
The food is good, prices are reasonable and the servers are efficient and polite.
There is seating for a few inside if you want to dine in. There are several picnic tables outside so you can enjoy your burrito alfresco, and they also do a good carry-out business.
They currently don't accept credit cards, so you can leave home without your Visa card.

Los Jimadores

A few months back I noticed that the old Pepe Taco building (7723 N. University Street in Peoria) had a new tenant, but every time I drove by, I had a hard time reading what the name of the place was.
Recently they added a newer sign that is much easier to read: Los Jimadores. We took the time to check it out late last week.
I hadn't been inside the building since Pepe Taco closed, so walking in I was surprised to find that you no longer ordered at the counter, instead we were greeted right away by a gent and taken to our seats in the room to the right. He took our drink order before leaving us to check out the menu.
Inside the door I had noticed a sign touting about 13 lunch specials priced at $3, and a bowl of tortilla soup for $1. I opened the menu to find that that price seemingly covered all lunch specials, which I found hard to believe.
Shortly someone else stopped by to take our drink order, and we told him we were taken care of. Our drinks arrived, and I decided to order one of the 13 specials, a chicken enchilada with beans and rice, plus a bowl of tortilla soup.
I don't recall what my husband decided on.
While waiting, we admired the murals painted on the walls, a different decor than most Mexican restaurants in the area. My husband commented that the one wall seemed to be telling a story. We sampled the chips and salsa while we waited. This salsa had more kick to it than most places I've been in town, and I really enjoyed it.
Our food was soon delivered to the table. The bowl of tortilla soup was large and the broth was light and didn't have a tomato base like some I've had in the past, but was chock full of vegetables and topped with crispy tortilla strips.
My enchilada was topped with a red sauce that had something different in it, possibly cinnamon, and also had more heat to it than most of the Mexican restaurants I frequent.
I visited the restroom during our visit and found the hallway leading there was also painted in murals, and blacklights gave an interesting quality to the scenes. Arriving back at the table, I noticed that there were blacklights in the room we were in as well, but being that it was lunchtime and there was a lot of natural light streaming in, the lights were either off or not having an effect on the paintings. I'll bet it looks neat at night, though.
When our bill was delivered, sure enough the lunch entrées were $3, the soup $1, and with drinks and a side dish of queso, we escaped for under $20.
As he was paying the bill, StfRon asked about the name and was told that Jimadores are the men who gather the agave leaves for tequila, an interesting tidbit.
The food was good, prices were great and everyone was attentive and friendly. Los Jimadores was a hit with me.

Lorena's Mexican Restaurant

With Cinco de Mayo falling on a Monday, it seemed a perfect time to check out the new addition at 422 Riverside Drive in East Peoria, Lorena's Mexican Restaurant.
StfRon was planning to meet me there fairly early, right after work. I walked through the restaurant and didn't see him, so I stepped through the arched doorway decorated with painted stone accents and found him sitting at the bar having a cerveza.
I joined him and ordered a margarita, which, due to the projected large (or crazy) crowd, was served in a plastic cup rimmed with salt.
We visited for a while and played some festive tunes on the digital jukebox, then decided to just have our dinner at the bar.
We asked for some menus and found them chock full of offerings. Our lovely bar maid/maiden also brought us some chips and salsa. The chips were not salty, like some offerings I've had.
Being a green sauce junkie, I went with the enchilada zuisas, three cheese enchiladas topped with roasted pork and green salsa.
StfRon selected a beef chimichanga.
Our food arrived pretty quickly, but not so fast that we didn't enjoy our drinks and chips and salsa.
My meal was good, not spicy at all, and had a heftier amount of pork on it than I've been served at some places. StfRon's chimichanga was good, too, buried under lots of guacamole, beans and more, and he said it did have some spice to it.
Most of the entrées on the menu were priced at $7.75.
By the time we left around 6:30 or so, they were not yet packed and we were wishing we'd arrived a bit later so we could hear the band that was set to play starting at 8 p.m. But we did notice that they have a live mariachi band every Thursday starting at 6 p.m.
There are also three large TVs over the bar, for the sports enthusiasts.
The next time you're in downtown Peoria and are thinking about making a run for the border, take the short jaunt over the river and check out Lorena's.

El Sombrerito

For Cinco de Mayo this year, StfRon and I headed to El Sombrerito, 111 W. Spring Creek Rd. in East Peoria.
I spent many years working on Pioneer Parkway in Peoria, back when El Sombrerito occupied the building now used by the Cinco de Mayo restaurant. My favorite thing to order was the tortilla soup, so I had been wanting to try the East Peoria El Sombrerito to see if they had it on the menu.
Sure enough, the soup was on the menu. This bowl of broth filled with chicken shreds, a little onion, white cheese and tortilla strips was very good. I felt like it wasn't quite as flavorful of a broth as the Peoria location used to serve, but it has also been close to 10 years since I was able to have this soup, so my taste buds could be failing me. Still, it was great to have this soup again, accompanied by a margarita.
They also had the squeeze bottles of pureed salsa, which I remember from the Peoria location as well. This was back in the day when Peoria had maybe only one or two other Mexican restaurants to choose from.
This location has the look of a new, clean strip mall restaurant, though not stark, due to festive, brightly colored walls and decor.
Our server was prompt and friendly.

Jalapenos

Jalapenos Mexican restaurant took over the space that Dominic's had for many years in the Metro Centre in Peoria. The menu is very similar to what you will find at one of the many Fiesta Ranchera locations in the Central Illinois area.
My favorite dish here is the enchiladas suisa.
And of course I can't forget to mention the margaritas!

Tequila's Mexican Bar & Grill

Peoria has quite an abundance of Mexican and Italian restaurants. I'll bet you could spend two weeks straight dining out on Italian and Mexican and never eat at the same place twice.

Chillicothe, on the other hand, has more limited options for ethnic food. If you find yourself craving Mexican while in Chillicothe, Tequila's Mexican Bar & Grill, 226 N. Fourth St., is the place for you.

The chips they set down at our table with a side of salsa were the heartiest chips I've ever been served at a Mexican restaurant. These chips can hold their own without salsa. The salsa was good as well. Not too hot, not too mild.

I was interested to see that they have Huevos Divorciados on the menu, which reminded me of a dish I tried in Puerto Rico and loved. They offer several lunch combos for only $4.50, only $3.99 Thursday-Saturday. And I wish I had been hungry enough to try the asparagus al Grill appetizer...it sounds great.

I did have the enchiladas verdes, with chicken instead of beef. The chicken was very juicy and the tortilla was still firm, not falling apart like I have had at some places. I also felt compelled to have a margarita on the rocks, which was pretty tasty on this hot day.

The servers and employees at Tequila's were attentive and friendly.

6/14/07 — Tequila's is operating a cart near the courthouse in Peoria. It's a good way to give them a try if you don't want to drive all the way to Chillicothe.
One lunch hour I sampled the chicken hard-shelled tacos. The chicken was shredded, juicy and wonderfully seasoned. Two tacos set me back a whole $3 for lunch.

December 2008 — Tequila's has opened a location in Washington.

Sol Azteca

We were anxious to try Sol Azteca when it debuted in Washington. In a town short on nicer sit-down restaurants, any sign of a new one causes a lot of interest. And we were not disappointed by this one.
Sol Azteca, 1289 N. Peoria St., Washington, is a fine example of great Mexican food.
The salsa is fresh and delicious. The service is quick and very efficient. And the food is great. It comes out faster than you can say, "Do I have time for a quick siesta?"
Seriously, your order comes out very quickly, on a nice hot plate, and it tastes great. Wash it down with a margarita or cerveza, and all is good.