For a long time, it felt like we only had one good Mexican option in Lewis Center.
We love Mexican food! It’s always been one of our family’s favorites – partly because I love Mexico, period.
For years, we’ve been regulars at Senor Antonio in the Walmart shopping center on 23. It’s a familiar, consistently good option for Mexican-American dining. My favorite dishes are Huevos Rancheros or Enchiladas con Mole.
Honestly, there’s nothing like going to a restaurant you’ve frequented for years, where the staff knows you and the food is familiar and comforting. Senor Antonio was the first restaurant we returned to after the Covid shutdown back in 2020, in part because we feel so safe there.
Then again, it’s also exciting to try new places and unique dishes!
That’s why I’m thrilled that we have two relative newcomers to the LC Mexican restaurant scene. El Molcajete and Sotol are both excellent and provide Mexican fare that is a little bit different from the usual.
El Molcajete is in the stand-alone restaurant building at the corner of Polaris Parkway and 23 in Lewis Center. It’s kind of an odd location to get to, tucked back behind the Starbucks strip mall and in front of Skyline and Goodwill. Once you find your way to the right spot, there’s plenty of free parking on all sides of the restaurant.
El Molcajete is definitely worth a visit. It was a different Mexican place before these owners took over, and that one was just okay. El Molcajete is way better than just okay! Their menu is huge and the dishes we ordered did not disappoint. I loved the Tres Leches cake here and would go far out of my way to have it again!
The first time we walked in since the new ownership took over, we noticed that every table in the restaurant was taken up by Mexican families. That’s a very good sign, and sure enough, the food was authentic and delicious.
El Molcajete also serves horchata, a light, slightly sweet drink made from rice milk and cinnamon that both Z and I love. We’ve found that only the most authentic Mexican places serve horchata since most non-Latino Americans don’t know about it. We only know about horchata because of Alejandra, my friend and “little sister” through Big Brothers Big Sisters, who is originally from Mexico.
Sotol is a small, family-owned Mexican restaurant in the Kenneth’s/American Red Cross strip mall along Polaris Parkway in Lewis Center. I love their food and the clean, fresh decor. They also have terrific, affordable specials each weekday so it’s worth following them on Instagram to see what’s happening.
Their food is delicious and authentic with unique offerings such as Birria Ramen soup. I didn’t know that I needed Mexican Asian fusion in my life, but now I think I do! Their tacos are perfection – especially the Al Pastor street tacos, which are my favorite.
It probably goes without saying, but all three of the restaurants above have incredible chips and salsa. Great, now I’m craving chips and salsa. I know what we’re having for dinner tonight. The only difficult choice is which of our favorite Lewis Center Mexican restaurants to visit next!
Have you tried Sotol, El Molcajete and Senor Antonio – or do you have another favorite Mexican place in town? I’d love to know your favorite in the comments below or over on Facebook or Instagram!
