Tucked just south of Interstate 70 near US 63, a restaurant offers more than just Mexican food in the back of a small plaza.
Known as Los Comales, the restaurant has a small store with various goods from Mexico, ranging from shampoos and laundry detergents to produce. Varying shades of red paint, bright and warm, surround the refrigerated and freezer sections. Art yet to be hung lies nearby. Beyond that is a butcher counter that offers cuts of carnitas, chorizo, carne asada, al pastor and other specialty meats.
Ismael Mendez, the manager, said that beyond the store and butcher it has, Los Comales’ Mexican recipes set it apart from other local restaurants he considers “Tex-Mex.”
“The chipotle chimichanga is one of the best; people love it,” Ismael said. “My grandma used to make those over there (in Mexico), but here, it’s different.”
Mendez learned to cook from his grandmother, using her own recipes in his kitchen. His brother, Ezequiel Mendez, owns the business. The menu includes Mexican dishes like burritos, enchiladas, tamales and other classics, ranging in price from $10 to $18. The most popular dishes among customers so far are the tacos, Ismael said.
Los Comales’ store is open daily from 9 am to 9 pm; the restaurant is open from 11 am to 9 pm The concept for setting up the business came from his relatives in Chicago, who own a restaurant and combined store.
Social media has helped Los Comales in gathering customers, specifically from Facebook groups where people share their experiences with businesses in the Columbia area, Ismael Mendez said.
“They started coming in because we have people who have started posting. We don’t know where they’re even coming from, because I guess the group is private,” he said.
Among Mendez’s favorite items on the menu is quesabirrira: tacos made from stew meat then cooked in the fat from the stew, typically topped with Oaxaca cheese.
“I want a taste of Mexico,” he said, “not a taste of here.”