Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Speedy service, fresh food
Mexican favorites, all prepared in-house, served hot and fast
Mexico Viejo offers an extensive menu prepared with fresh ingredients. The service aims to be exceptionally fast, like Speedy Gonzales, said manager Gonzalo Leon.
The Mexican restaurant opened in 2002 and is a familyowned and operated eatery located at 2131 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., behind Starbucks.
Upon arrival, customers are greeted with a basket of freshly fried corn tortilla chips and house- made salsa.
The restaurant is divided into several intimate dining rooms with a centralized bar and a large room at the back of the building that doubles as a party room for large groups. The party room can be reserved for catered parties with no additional room fee. The parties can be booked for banquet- style or table- side service.
A patio will soon be available for customers, according to Leon.
The bar is fully stocked and offers an assortment of bottled and imported beers, draft beer by the mug or pitcher, mixed drinks and glasses of wine. Margaritas and daiquiris are served in a 16- ounce glass, as a 44- ounce “Monster” drink or by the pitcher with 60 ounces to share.
Specials run 5- 10 p. m. Mondays and Thursdays.
The menu has more than 100 selections, including vegetarian dishes, appetizers, salads, fajitas, entrees, house specialties and desserts.
“We make everything in- house — the salsa, queso, beans, desserts — it is all prepared fresh daily,” Leon said.
In addition to fresh salsa and white queso, they also offer bean dip, guacamole or queso fundido — queso with chorizo and beef.
Lunch plates priced from $ 3.49 to $ 5.75 come with a side of rice and beans. The customer has a choice of seasoned ground beef, chicken, shredded pork or cheese for a filling. The selection of dishes includes a crispy taco, chimichanga, tamale and enchilada.
Lunch specialties priced from $ 3.99 to $ 6.49 offer nearly 20 additional dishes, including taco salad, fajitas, huevos con chorizo and about a dozen combination plates.
Lunch is served 11 a. m.- 3 p. m. daily.
A popular dish that has popped up on the menus of other Mexican restaurants in the area originated at Mexico Viejo. Steven’s Special serves a
plate of sliced, grilled chicken on a bed of rice that is ladled with queso blanco and served with flour tortillas. As the best selling dish at Mexico Viejo, it is also offered in a smaller portion on the children’s menu.
In addition to several other Mexican dishes, the children’s menu includes chicken nuggets, grilled cheese or a cheeseburger served with French fries, and a cheese pizza.
For dinner, 29 combination plates are offered for $ 6.50, or customers can create their own combination plate with a choice of three popular items for $ 7.99.
The house specialty, Especial Dinner, depicts classic Mexican dishes with a sampler platter that includes one taco, one enchilada, one chile rellano, one tamale and one chalupa with rice and beans ($ 9.75).
The Burrito Mexicano stuffs a flour tortilla with pork simmered in tomatoes, onions and bell peppers. The burrito is topped with queso and is served with lettuce, tomatoes and guacamole ($ 5.25).
The fajitas can be ordered with beef, chicken, shrimp or a combination of all three with chorizo sausage. Served for an individual ($ 9.25-$ 11.50) or for two ($ 16.99-$ 18.99), the meat is accompanied by sauteed onions, bell peppers and tomatoes; rice; beans; lettuce; pico de gallo; sour cream; guacamole; and a choice of flour or corn tortillas.
The menu also offers ceviche; pork chops; steak and shrimp; and chicken and rice.
Desserts include a traditional Mexican custard; a fried flour tortilla topped with honey, butter and cinnamon; or ice cream topped with cocoa, corn flakes and whipped cream.
Mexico Viejo opens daily at 11 a. m. and stays open until 10 p. m. Sunday- Thursday and 10: 30 p. m. Friday- Saturday.
More information is available by calling ( 479) 587- 8181 or at
mexicoviejofayetteville.com.