¡Salud! These restaurants offer Cinco de Mayo specials: Enchiladas, margaritas and more
Few foods are more popular May 5, or Cinco de Mayo, in the United States than enchiladas, tacos, guacamole or margaritas.
Thursday will mark the anniversary of the Mexican army's victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. While it is a minor holiday in Mexico, it has become a big day in the United States, including the Mohawk Valley, where people celebrate with food, drink and entertainment.
Here are some local restaurants and bars that are joining in the fun of Cinco de Mayo with food and drink deals:
El Buen Gusto Restaurant
El Buen Gusto, which offers a combination of Mexican dishes and Salvadorian flavors on James Street in Utica, will celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a special of Mexican enchiladas with horchata, a sweet drink made with white rice soaked in water and cinnamon, for half price at $9 instead of $16.
Address: 322 James St., Utica
Phone: 315-922-7761
Hours: 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. Wednesday through Monday
El Jarocho Mexican Restaurant and Bar
El Jarocho stands for "someone originally from Veracruz" in Mexico, just like the owners, who have been serving food straight from Mexico to Rome, NY for four years.
This Thursday, May 5, the restaurant will offer fajitas, a dish with stripped grilled meat that can be chicken, beef or shrimp with peppers and onions. You almost can't have a Cinco de Mayo celebration without enchiladas, which El Jarocho will serve with chicken, rice, beans, cheese sauce and green tomato sauce. Both the fajitas and enchiladas will be available for 15% off for Cinco de Mayo.
Margaritas will be served for $3.50 and beers including Corona, Dos Equis or Modelo for $2.50.
Address: 1305 Floyd Ave., Rome
Phone: 315-533-5964
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and noon to 8 p.m. Sundays.
Rio Grande Tex Mex and Grill
Because Cinco de Mayo "is the day," Rio Grande will have a special menu with dishes they don't normally have on a daily basis. Some of those will be tamales, chiles rellenos, Mexican lamb meatballs and shrimp-stuffed jalapeño peppers. The menu will range from $12 to $19 and people can order a combination plate if they want to try a little bit of everything on the menu.
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With that much food, people might be thirsty so Rio Grande will have special margaritas for $10 and sangria wine for $6. For dessert, the restaurant will have homemade tres leches cake and flan for $5.
Besides food and drink, Rio Grande will also celebrate the day with a DJ who will be playing music outside.
Address: 3913 Oneida St., New Hartford
Phone: 315-737-1010
Hours: 11:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
La Perla Restaurant
La Perla, a newly opened Mexican and Salvadorian and Mexican restaurant on James Street in Utica, is joining the fun for Cinco de Mayo with several deals. Some of those include tacos with chicken or beef, which will be $8, enchiladas with beans, rice, cheese for $8. Burritos with French fries included also will be priced at $8.
Guests also can enjoy camarones a la diabla, which is spicy shrimp with rice, salad, beans for $14. This also includes pineapple, cantaloupe or tamarind juice, which is made in-house. Quesadillas will be $9 and are served with guacamole, sour cream and nachos.
Mojarra al ajillo, which is a type of fish, will include rice, salad, beans and corn tortillas with a free beverage for $13. Make it spicy with Mojarra a la diabla for the same price.
Address: 202 James St., Utica
Phone: 315-507-2050
Hours: 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. Monday through Sunday
Killabrew Saloon
This sports-bar has been celebrating Cinco de Mayo for several years and this time it won't be different. Killabrew Saloon will feature a chef's special, which will include tacos, quesadillas and more. Pricing will range from $8 to $12. Tequilas, margaritas and beers such as Corona or Modelo also will be available.
To make it a party, Killabrew Saloon will offer live entertainment with a band playing from 7 to 10 p.m.
Address: 10 Clinton Road, New Hartford
Phone: 315-732-9733
Hours: 11 a.m. until 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday and noon until 2 a.m. Sundays
Irwin's Fine Food
Right on Genesee Street in Utica, people can enjoy a special menu for Cinco de Mayo at Irwin's Fine Food. For $12, guests can have a Mexican street corn soup, a chicken burrito with rice and mango salsa and a watermelon salad with cucumbers, pumpkin seeds and a citrus vinegrette.
Address: 240 Genesee St., Utica
Phone: 315-724-3845
Hours: 8:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. Monday through Friday
Sazón Frank
Don't be confused by Sazón Frank's Dominican and Caribbean food, for Cinco de Mayo, they're also joining the party. Open since February 2021, the restaurant will serve a special of two tacos for $5 and owner Nieves Núñez will make pupusas, a flat and round corncake that is filled with cheese, pork and beans, which will be available for $5.
Besides those specials, Sazón Frank also will offer a 20% discount on their regular buffet.
Address: 657 Bleecker St., Utica
Phone: 315-507-3234
Hours: 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. Saturdays
Maria M. Silva covers food, drink and culture in the Mohawk Valley for the Observer-Dispatch. Email her at mariamsilva@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Where to find Cinco de Mayo food and drink specials near you
