New Mexican restaurant Los Aztecas aims to bring ‘Aztec’ culture
Los Aztecas is looking to bring a different color and taste to Mount Pleasant.
The new dine-in Mexican restaurant, 4445 E. Bluegrass Road, opened its doors to customers Aug. 9. Manager Luis Viurquiz said they wanted the name Los Aztecas, which means “the Aztecs,” to be fully represented by the decorations as well as the food — everything they make is cooked fresh and made “from scratch” by their cooks.
“We don’t buy cans,” the Cadillac resident said. “We make everything from scratch – chips, salsa, beans, rice – everything is homemade.”
Manager Ben Burklow is also the manager of Herra Duras, a Mexican restaurant in Cadillac. He said the owners’ idea to build a restaurant in Mount Pleasant came about because of an abundance of Central Michigan University students who frequented the Cadillac restaurant.
“A large amount of people come from Mount Pleasant saying they are looking for good, authentic Mexican food,” he said.
Burklow said everything he has tasted so far at Los Aztecas has been as good, or better than the food at Herra Duras, so he has high hopes for the success of the restaurant.
“The food (at Herra Duras) is excellent,” he said. “But everything I’ve tried here is exceeding what I’ve had there.”
Viurquiz said they tired to find property to open Los Aztecas in Mount Pleasant for “the last couple of years.” They have been in the building for the last three to four months and he is happy they finally opened.
“We were supposed to be open on the 24th (of July),” he said. “We just had to wait for the last inspections.”
Viurquiz said they are still waiting for their liquor license to be finalized, but plan to have a full bar. Los Aztecas has a unique homemade margarita, along with many other drinks that he hopes will make the bar a popular spot for students.
The restaurant should have their liquor license approved and the bar opened in the next several weeks, he said.
Burklow hopes the restaurant will be a hot spot for both local residents and students.
“Our goal is just to make people walk out the door either ready for a nap because they’re too full or smiling because they enjoyed the food,” he said.
People enjoying the food might be the easiest of their goals. Rebecca Lutsic visited Los Aztecas and thought the food was good, but the service was lacking.
“Bring your Spanish-English dictionary,” the Dearborn senior said. “The food was good, but the service was iffy.”
