El Palenque brings authentic Mexican food to new Brooklyn location: Photos

BROOKLYN, Ohio — Mexican food lovers disappointed about the closure of La Casa Tequila last summer in Brooklyn will be happy to learn that El Palenque recently opened its doors at 5092 Tiedeman Road.

“El Palenque is known for good drinks and great food, where everybody gets treated like family,” Brooklyn manager Claudio Fuentes said. “It’s really authentic Mexican food pulled from family recipes. Our signature dish is Cazuelada.”

The Cazuelada features steak, chicken and chorizo with sautéed red bell peppers and onions, covered with cheese. It’s served with El Palenque’s Mexican rice and charro beans.

“It’s our No. 1 seller that’s like a fajita — you make your own,” Fuentes said.

Other popular El Palenque dishes include Mexican street tacos, steak and chicken chipotle. Fuentes said the restaurant’s secret is its chorizo, or Mexican sausage.

“Most places buy their chorizo pre-made, but we have our own recipe and make it from scratch,” Fuentes said. “We ground the pork and add the salsas and mix all together. It’s homemade chorizo. It’s not like the stuff you get from the store. That means every dish we have with chorizo is a good seller for us.”

The other calling card of El Palenque has to do with its handcrafted margaritas, which are made to order using fresh fruit.

The Brooklyn location marks the second restaurant for El Palenque, which originally opened eight years ago in Eastlake.

“We were looking at this location for a few months,” Fuentes said. “We actually were driving by and said, ‘This would a good location for another El Palenque.’ We have a lot of customers from this area who live or work here and get lunch or dinner at Eastlake.”

Someone who can’t wait to visit El Palenque again is Brooklyn Mayor Katie Gallagher.

“They did a great job updating the restaurant décor,” Gallagher said. “I tried the guacamole at the grand opening and it was good. I’m looking forward to going back with my family for dinner sometime soon.”

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