El Mexicano: Vibrant Mexican Restaurant Opens Its Doors In Gemmayze
If you’ve been driving or walking through Gemmayze in the past week, you probably noticed something different. There’s a whole new pop of color on what is one of Beirut’s most celebrated streets, and it’s hard not to notice. Once you see it, you’ll know what we’re talking about, and you’ll be drawn right into Beirut’s newest and most authentic Mexican restaurant right at first sight of its bright orange walls.
El Mexicano began as a small food kiosk in Faraya a few years ago. Fernando Gomez, from Mexico, and his wife Edite served hungry passersby traditional Mexican tacos, wraps, and tapas. The kiosk soon after expanded into a fully fledged restaurant in Faraya, and finally just opened its doors this week in Beirut.
Beirut is no stranger to Mexican food, but most restaurants that claim to serve it often leave something to the imagination. El Mexicano is here to solve that problem, being the first place in Beirut to have a Mexican chef, and with an extensive menu of the most authentic Mexican food you’ll get your hands on in the city.
They serve it all: from chips and dips – like guacamole, salsa fresca, and jalapeno cheddar cheese, to quesadillas, enchiladas, burritos, and tacos. If you’re craving the spicy freshness that comes with hearty Mexican food, El Mexicano is the perfect place for you.
They’ve got classic chicken, beef, or pork dishes to choose from, but they also serve unique dishes like chorizo tacos, beef tongue tacos, and jumbo shrimp tacos. Their main dishes include Mexican inspired steak frites – entrecote meat and onions topped with melted cheese and served with soft flour tortillas. For an out-of-this-world main dish, you can try their whole rack of ribs served with guac and salsa, or their slow cooked pork shoulder unlike any you’ve tried in the city to date.
To top it all off, El Mexicano serves what just might be the most delicious margaritas you can have in Beirut. Whether you’re into the classic margarita or something a little funkier, they’ve got it – they even have a chocolate margarita on the menu. Yup, chocolate.
For dessert, you can try classic sweet Mexican dishes like tres leches and churros – but they also serve other sweet dishes that you won’t find anywhere else, like their sopapillas: fried dough puffs sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and drenched in a decadent caramel sauce.
The decor at this new Gemmayze gem is just as inviting as its food: you’ll feel like you stepped outside of Beirut and into a Mexican fiesta from the minute you walk in. With brightly colored tables and chairs and walls adorned with authentic desert decor, you’ll feel like you have long lost Mexican roots when you realize how much you’re going to love this place.
