Special deals abound during Hispanic Restaurant Week
Hispanic Restaurant Week had a trial run in 2020, and is taking off in a big way this year, as part of Hispanic Heritage Month.
“Last year, we didn't do a lot of promotion, so people may not even have heard of it. This year, we've had more time to organize, and this is way bigger than last year,” said Estela Salaman of the Hispanic Chamber of Columbus, which organized the event.
More than 20 restaurants are participating, most of which are offering three-course specials for varying prices. The event will run Oct. 11-17 at participating restaurant
And it's not all about the food. “We're going to be highlighting a specific restaurant each day, based on their special activities. For example, one night El Barco (Mexican Restaurant) will have mariachi music. Another night, Taco Nice will have a ladies' night and a Latin DJ. And then another night, El Arepazo (Latin Grill) will be featuring live flamenco,” Salaman said.
Those events, the details of which are still being finalized, will be listed on the event website.
The website also divides the restaurants into various “trails.” The Andes Trail, for example, features information
about the cuisine of Venezuela, Colombia and Argentina and the classic dishes of each country, as well as listing the Greater Columbus restaurants where those interested can explore the food.
Fans of Mexican food will find four different trails: Pacifico, Mariachi, Norteno and Sabores.
“I am from the north of Mexico, from Monterey, so it's a totally different type of food, more like Texas, lots of steak,” Salaman said. “And then if you go to the Pacific, there's a lot more shrimp, ceviche, that sort of thing. In Mexico City, it's different again, with enchiladas or mole.”
The organizers have learned from their experience last year.
“Some of the feedback we got from last year was that there wasn't enough variety as there could have been, a lot of the restaurants were Mexican. This year, we still have a lot of Mexican food, but we're trying to diversify more, to offer more food from the Caribbean and from South America. Most non-hispanics are more familiar with Mexican food and culture, but there are so many delicious dishes from other countries,” Salaman said.
Some of those dishes are offered at Pablo's Havana Cafe in Powell, which is participating in Hispanic Restaurant Week for the second time.
Owner Pablo Taura — who was born in Cuba, grew up in New Jersey and has lived with his family in Greater Columbus for the past 20 years — opened the restaurant in 2018, using traditional recipes he learned from his mother and grandmother.
“Cuban food is very rich in flavors,” he said. “We serve our food with spices, but it's not hot, it just has a lot of flavor.”
A couple favorite dishes will be offered as specials during Hispanic Restaurant Week.
“The most popular item on our menu is the Cuban sandwich. Our pork is fresh roasted every day, cooked Cuban-style. Pork is a big dish on Christmas Eve for Cubans, so it's Christmas Eve every day at Pablo's,” he said.
The Cuban sandwich will be one of the options on the lunch special. The dinner specials will include another popular item.
“The other dish that customers really like is ropa vieja. Its literal translation is 'old clothes.' It's a farmer's recipe, a mixture of beef with garlic, onions and peppers, brought together with a nice tomato sauce. We serve it with black beans, white rice and plantains. It's very traditional.”
Most restaurants involved in Hispanic Restaurant week will be offering three-course specials for various prices. They offer various options for each course. The following are sample selections. For other options and more information about hours, drink specials, descriptions of the dishes and more, visit www.holarestaurantweek.com.
• Barroluco, 47 N. Pearl St., $20 specials, including empanada, full paella, alfajores; https://www.barroluco.com/
• Casa Mezcal Mexican Grill, 2171 E. Dublin-granville Road, $20 specials, including chicken tortilla soup, sweet potato salmon salad, flan, https://www.casamezcal columbus.com/
• Cuco's Taqueria, 2162 W. Henderson Road., $23 specials, including sope de tinga, chiles en nagada, tres leches cake; https://www.cucostaqueria.com/
• Dada Empanada, 199 Chittenden Ave., $19 specials, including fried plantains, classic Cuban sandwich, Nutella empanada; see Dada Empanada Facebook page
• Domerican Fusian, 84 Phillipi Road, $25 specials, including grilled Mexican street corn, sancoche, choco flan; https://www.domericanfusion.com/
• Don Tequila (3140 Kingdale Center, Upper Arlington; 5637 Woerner Temple Road, Dublin; 9762 Sawmill Parkway, Powell; 6211 Cleveland Ave.), $25.99 specials, including choriqueso, Venezuelan patacon, various desserts; https://www.dontequilagrill.com/
• Dos Sabores Mexican Grill, 6042 Huntley Road, $23 specials, including guacamole, flautas supreme, churros; https://do2sabores.com/
• El Arepazo Latin Grill (515 S. High, 93 N. High St. Gahanna), $28 specials, including yuca frita, pabellon criollo, tropical tiramisu; https://elarepazolatingrill.com/
• El Puerto, 4740 E. Main St., $29.99 specials, including chicharrones, pupasas, bola de nieve; see the El Puerto Facebook page
• El Vaquero Mexican Restaurant
(nine locations: see www.vaquerorestaurant.com), $24 specials, including azteca soup, conchinita pibil, sopapilla
• Fiesta Mariachi (1620 Georgesville Square, 1998 Stringtown Road, Grove City), $18 specials,including taquitos, camarones a la diablo, fried ice cream; https://www.fiestamariachioh.com/
• Habaneros Fresh Mexican Grill,
1105 Yard St., Grandview Heights; 3650 Main St., Hilliard; $23.99 specials, including choriqueso, pastor torta, chocolate cake; https://www.grandview yard.com/business/habaneros-freshmexican-grill/
• Iguanas Mexican Restaurant & Bar, 76 W. Powell Road, Lewis Center, $17.99 specials, including spinach dip, enchiladas tapatias, tres leches cake; https://www.mexicanrestaurant lewiscenter.com/
• La Michoacana Restaurants
(eight locations, see www.holarestaurantweek.com), $15 specials, including nachos supreme, enchiladas mi bandera, flan
• Las Tapias Birria, 530 Norton Center, $10 specials, including consome, tacos, agua fresca; see the Las Tapias Birria Facebook page
• Mariscos San Blas, 43 Georgesville Road, $24.99 specials, including cheese dip, pasta San Blas, flan; see the Mariscos San Blas Facebook page
• Pablo's Havana Cafe, 9685 Sawmill Road, Powell, $15 lunch special, including frijoles Colorados, El Cubano; $20 dinner special, including ropa vieja, tres leches cake; https://pabloshavanacafe.com/
• Palmas Tropical Escape, 46 N. High St., $20 special, including empanada, full paella, alfajores; see the Palmas Tropical Escape Facebook page
• Sidebar Columbus, 122 E. Main St., $35 special, including seafood ceviche, pork lomo saltado, flan de coco; https://www.sidebarcolumbus.com/
• Taco Nice, 4832 W. Broad St., $15 special, including chips and chicharron, three street tacos, flan; https://www.taconiceoh.com/menus/
• Villa Bonita Mexican Restaurant, 5467 Bethel Sawmill Center, $18.99 special, including queso dip, ceviche, sopapillas; https://villabonitacolumbus.com/
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