On any given Sunday evening, amid tunes from a strolling mariachi band, diners at Don Pedro’s Mexican restaurant in Chicago Ridge can sample an extensive menu of authentic Mexican recipes.
“Most of our dishes are prepared from recipes that come from Mexican states like Michoacan and Jalisco,” said owner Al Menchaca.
His cozy, 4,000-square-foot restaurant seats about 200 people. Its stucco walls are decorated with Mexican crafts, Indian designs and festive hats. The loft can accommodate birthday, anniversary or other parties of up to 50 people.
Don Pedro’s carne asada features a 12-ounce skirt steak ($8.95) broiled and served with guacamole, lettuce and tomato. Chicken, steak or shrimp fajitas ($8.95) are also popular. All entrees are served with refried beans and rice.
Other dishes offered include huachenango, fried red snapper served with garlic butter ($12.95), and chilaquiles, scrambled eggs served on a bed of crisp-fried tortilla strips and covered with ranchero sauce ($3.75).
Crispy beef tacos are uniquely prepared, Menchaca said: “Because we fry our tortillas only after they have been stuffed with beef, the flavor of the meat is transferred to the taco shell itself. Customers really like them because tacos prepared this way are crispy but do not crumble like tacos served in prefried shells.”
Soft-shell chicken, pork, beef, guacamole or cheese tacos are also available ($6.75 for three). Appetizers such as queso fundido-melted cheese over a bed of poblano peppers or in a bed of chorizo ($4.25)-often are sampled as customers enjoy cocktails such as margaritas ($2.75 for small, $3.50 for medium and $5.95 for jumbo). But Menchaca and a couple of diners claim that people drive to his Chicago Ridge restaurant from miles away to savor his pina coladas ($2.75 for small, $4.50 for medium, and $5.95 for jumbo.) And mariachi musicians play every Sunday between 6 and 11 p.m.
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Don Pedro, 10339 S. Ridgeland Ave., Chicago Ridge, is open from 3 to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to midnight Friday and 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday and Sunday. Call 708-424-8100.
