Monday, September 9, 2024
By Ben Rodgers
Editor
SUAMICO – There’s a new Mexican restaurant in town and the owner promises something different than anywhere else.
“We make everything different,” said Aldo Rangel, co-owner of Old Mexico Authentic Cantina and Grill. “It’s handmade from scratch, the chips, salsa, guacamole, everything.”
Old Mexico boasts a large menu with something for everyone, Rangel said.
With 17 years in the restaurant business and another Old Mexico location in Sturgeon Bay, Rangel said every offering is unique to the area, but there is one thing people go nuts for here.
“Shrimp tacos,” he said. “People drive miles, people drive from Appleton to get these tacos.”
Rangel uses tropical fruits and vegetables and each bite blends sweet, spicy and crunchy together.
The menu also has popular dishes like burritos, enchiladas, fajitas and more.
Plus, he uses family recipes for dishes and sides. His wife created a tasty mole sauce, his enchiladas come from his mother and the salsa is his own creation.
All meats are cooked over a charcoal grill and include chicken, ribeye steak, al pastor, scallops, shrimp and more.
Rangel said he also wants to provide value to his customers, so the portions are large.
“People will take boxes home here everyday,” he said. “That’s one of the things I focus on, if you’re paying for a meal, you should get what you pay for.”
Rangel said you can’t have a good Mexican meal without something to wash it down, so Old Mexico offers 25 different margarita flavors in four sizes.
“It’s different,” he said. “You go to a restaurant and they have strawberry and lime (margaritas), and here it’s different. We got something for everybody here.”
Each margarita is made from 100 percent agave tequila and, of course, is made fresh.
Some of his flavors include watermelon, cucumber and passion fruit.
Rangel also is a tequila fan and wants more people to try something they might not have had before.
“My goal is to have over 100 tequilas,” he said. “I’m working on it.”
To give people an authentic experience, Rangel said he and his team converted an old dance studio at 11884 Velp Ave. into a festive restaurant.
It took three months, but they installed new floors, walls, a bar and a kitchen.
As for the move to open up a second location in Suamico, Rangel said it was a no-brainer.
“This is a growing area,” he said. “There is a lot of businesses opening new in this town and I think this is a great market.”
More information can be found online at oldmexicowi.com, or on Facebook by searching for Old Mexico.
“We’re different,” Rangel said. “That’s what I tell people, we’re different and you have to try it.”
