Cinco de Mayo has arrived. Here are five local places to celebrate it
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Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in the U.S. as a way to honor Mexican culture and heritage— often with a margarita in hand. To those in Mexico, the holiday commemorates a victory it had in the Second Franco-Mexican War (1861-67).
However, many people outside the country often confuse it with Mexican Independence Day — Día de la Independencia — which is Sept. 16 and was declared in 1810.
On May 5, 1862, Texas-born Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza led the charge over the French at the Battle of Puebla, according to History.com. Despite the odds, Zaragoza and his 2,000 men rose victorious against Gen. Charles Latrille de Lorencez’s army of 6,000.
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The battle was part of a larger fight with the French as Napoleon III was trying to add Mexican territory to their empire. Napoleon III was motivated to gain control of Mexico when the president at the time, Benito Juarez, stalled on foreign debt payments, as the French (as well as England and Spain) lent some funds to help get the country out of financial ruin.
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Cinco de Mayo is a relatively minor holiday for most Mexicans, but in the state of Puebla, people honor the victory with military parades, re-creations of the battle and other festivities. As for us in Massachusetts, let’s raise a margarita for Zaragoza’s success over the French troops. Here are a few local spots where we can do so:
Margaritas Mexican Restaurant, Framingham
Want to win a free dinner for a year or a trip to Mexico? Spend Cinco de Mayo at Margaritas Mexican Restaurant on 725 Cochituate Road (Route 30) for a chance for just that
Vanessa Araujo, server and bartender, said customers can come in and scan a QR code to test their luck and win a prize.
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The restaurant will also open the patio for seating. Enjoy some tacos and blood-orange margaritas (some of Araujo's favorites) with friends and family under the sun.
The Framingham location has been open for 10 years. Margaritas also has nearby locations in Northborough and Waltham.
Aztec Restaurant, Framingham
Cinco de Mayo is the busiest day of year for the Aztec Restaurant at 2 Waverly St. (Route 135) and “the waits will be crazy,” co-owner Dulce Guerrero said.
After 21 years in business, Guerrero and company prepared for the crowds with festive decorations covering the patio and are offering food specials for the celebration. One special is fish tacos with a mango salsa, and Guerrero said they are still deciding on a couple more.
Their house margarita pairs well with any taco. Guerrero said other customer favorites are the spicy and pineapple coconut margaritas. If you want to spice it up, she said fajitas are best to have with margaritas because you can prepare your taco as you go — and who doesn’t love the sound of that sizzling skillet approaching your table?
The Aztec Restaurant also takes reservations for large parties if your office wants to grab some post-work drinks.
Acapulcos Mexican Family Restaurant & Cantina, Milford
“We’re preparing for a lot of people,” said Eusbio Rueles, manager of Acapulcos’ Milford location at 231 East Main St. (Route 16). Since opening in 2004, Cinco de Mayo has been one of its busiest days of the year. And with temperatures expecting to hit 71 degrees today, they predict several customers will grab tacos and margaritas in the outdoor dining area.
The house margarita is the restaurant’s staple, but Rueles said many customers also substitute for the skinny version.
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Rueles shares Guerrero’s opinion that fajitas are the best dish to have with margaritas, but he said “carne asada, enchiladas, burritos, tacos, almost everything” pairs well with this cocktail.
In addition to having margaritas to-go, Acapulcos also has several other locations including one in Franklin.
Sol de Mexico Bar & Grill, Milford
Patron lovers, unite. Sol de Mexico Bar & Grill on 350 East Main St. (Route 16) will have Patron representatives come to the restaurant from 6-8 p.m. for Cinco de Mayo. Manager Alexandra Belteton said there will be many giveaways from Patron and from a liquor distributor, Horizon, as well.
Belteton said the customer favorite is the ultimate margarita, which takes a twist on the traditional by adding orange juice. Another popular choice is the margarita sampler, for which customers receive three 8-ounce glasses of whichever flavors they choose. If you want to try a new flavor with no financial consequences, the Milford location will give out free samples of select margaritas.
The best dish to pair with margaritas? "It all depends which margarita people get... but the most popular meal is the Molcajete," she said. It has "steak, chicken, shrimp and chorizo that comes in a lava rock."
If your group wants something to nibble on, Belteton said the appetizer sampler — which has two jalapenos wrapped in bacon, mini-chicken chimichangas, papa nachos and three Mexican-style chicken wings served with cheese dip and ranch — is a great choice and "there's a lot of flavor profiles."
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This year, Cinco de Mayo happens to fall on the restaurant’s Burrito Night, which means $3 off the California-style burrito — an extra-large burrito filled with your choice of meat, rice, beans, onions, cilantro and topped with cheese dip.
Sole de Mexico Bar & Grill also has locations in Natick, Bellingham and Taunton.
Mexicali Cantina Grill, Worcester
What’s better than tacos, margaritas and live music? Come over to Mexicali Cantina Grill at 225 Shrewsbury St. if you want to enjoy dinner and cocktails with a DJ.
Manager Hilda Hernandez said this location has been in business for three years and every Cinco de Mayo, you can count on them to have a DJ starting at 4 p.m. to get the party started. Besides the music, she said the main crowd pleaser is the skinny jalapeno margarita.
But if you want to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in the comfort of your own home, no worries, Mexicali also offers margs to-go.
The cantina also has locations in Natick and Westborough.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with margaritas at these MetroWest restaurants
