Juan Maldonado came to the U.S. in 1988 as a 14-year-old and quickly learned the ropes of the restaurant industry by working in his cousin’s restaurant. He went on to launch his first restaurant in Baton Rouge and envisioned opening a Mexican restaurant by the beach. That was when the idea for the first Juan Tequila’s Restaurant was born.
The eatery, which opened in late 2011, serves a mixture of Tex-Mex classics like burritos and fajitas, but mostly traditional Mexican recipes inspired by Maldonado’s aunt and mother. This mix has made the restaurant a Long Beach staple.
A second location opened in Saucier in 2013, and another in Waveland shortly after. Last year marked the debut of the latest location, Juan’s Tacos and Beer in Biloxi, which offers a more casual spin on Juan’s tried-and-true formula.
“The thing that most people enjoy about the restaurant, besides the delicious food, is the casual environment,” he says. “In Juan Tequila’s, you feel like you are walking in your house the moment you are greeted at the door. Mi casa es su casa.”
MOST POPULAR DISH: Although traditional Mexican dishes, like menudo, are on the menu, Maldonado says the most desired dish lately is the birria, either as tacos or quesadillas, lovingly nicknamed “Quesabirria.” Birria is a traditional stew from Jalisco, Mexico, that features premium beef cuts slowly simmered in a stock with vegetables and traditional Mexican spices until it is so tender, it falls apart. Tortillas are dunked in that flavorful stock and made into tacos. It is served with a small cup of the stock to either dunk the taco or eat by itself.
“It is a taste of old Mexico on the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” Maldonado says.
DELICIOUS NEW ADDITIONS: Maldonado and his team are excited about the upcoming Cinco de Mayo celebration. Cinco de Mayo commemorates of the Battle of Puebla, in which a handful of peasants defeated the French army in Puebla, Mexico.
“We celebrate it every year,” Maldonado says, “and we are planning a huge celebration this year where we will be having karaoke, live music and drink specials in all our locations.”
306 Beach Blvd., Long Beach
(228) 324-5826
facebook.com/JuanTequilas/
