2020 Best Mexican Restaurant: Fiesta Mexican Restaurant & Catering
Isidro Ortiz helped his mother, Teresa Ortiz, fulfill her dream of owning her own Mexican restaurant, which happened in the Tri-Cities in 2001.
Isidro and his siblings came together and started the restaurant. Mom was the chef and the others worked as servers.
At that time, 80 percent of the staff consisted of immediate family members.
It was exciting.
“We giggled through our very first order,” said Ortiz on the restaurant’s website, “and celebrated ‘en grande’ when we opened our second restaurant.”
And now, the family has three restaurant locations, one in each of the Tri-Cities.
Today, customers enjoy the family feel on which the restaurant was built. Fresh guacamole is made table-side and there’s a fresh salsa bar with homemade tortillas, plus live music every Thursday through Sunday. And margaritas “as big as your head.”
“We have a very good, loyal staff that keeps that engine running,” says Isidro.
All of the recipes are Isidro’s mother’s from the small town the family came from in the state of Michoacán, Mexico.
This is the sixth consecutive year the restaurant has won this category.
1. Fiesta Mexican Restaurant & Catering
8524 W. Gage Blvd. #130, Kennewick
509-586-4456
5210 N. Road 68 #L, Pasco
509-543-6884
2731 Queensgate Drive, Richland
509-219-0552
2. El Fat Cat Grill
539 N. Edison St., Kennewick
509-546-1413
3. Chapala Mexican Restaurants
El Chapala - 107 E. Columbia Drive, Kennewick
509-582-7848
Chapala Express - 1028 Lee Blvd., Richland
509-943-6589
Chapala Express II - 7704 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick
509-820-3811
This story was originally published June 5, 2020 at 12:01 AM with the headline "2020 Best Mexican Restaurant: Fiesta Mexican Restaurant & Catering."