Enrique's Mexican restaurant, formally known as El Gallo Giro, opened its doors in 1998. Just a year later, the current owners were able to buy the restaurant, and today it has become one of the most popular Mexican food restaurants in the Treasure Valley.
They have gone through many life-changing experiences throughout their 20-plus years of business. Throughout the years, they have been awarded multiple awards. But what they believe has been the key to their success is their menu inspired by family recipes passed down for generations.
"People come into the restaurant, and they think they feel like they are going to grandma's house to eat food, and they are not going to a big chain restaurant," said Enrique Contreras-Paz, Floor Manager at Enrique's Mexican Restaurant.
Enrique has hundreds coming in daily, but that wasn't always the case. When Enrique first bought the restaurant in 1999 from the previous owner, he struggled to get customers through the door.
"He would say that he would just sit on the window watching cars drive by, hoping somebody would stop by and just wondering what he was doing wrong," said Enrique Contreras-Paz.
He gradually had more customers coming in daily, outgrowing their first location and transitioning to a much larger place just a few blocks down, and a lot of that is due to the family recipes.
"Many of the sauces used in the restaurants are used in many dishes, and it's the foundation of our food," said Enrique Contreras-Paz.
Despite recently having to lose half of their staff through the pandemic, dealing with supply chain shortages and inflation. They adjust to keep sharing their Mexican family recipes with the Treasure Valley.
"It makes us proud to be Mexican and to be able to share our culture with all types of races that come into the restaurant," said Enrique Contreras-Paz.
