Authentic Family Recipes Shine at El Cortez

Ajene (Jay) Carter of Chicago said he and his wife visit in Mokena about four times a month. Just recently, he began bringing his father, who is a very picky eater.

“El Cortez serves amazing authentic food at a very reasonable price,” Carter said.

His favorite dish is of Camerones a La Diabla, which he said is “a very flavorful dish with a nice kick, seasoned perfectly with rice and toritillas to balance out the spice.”

His next favorite is the mini burritos with melted cheese, refried beans, bacon and either chicken or steak, topped with homemade salsa.

“Sorry, I got carried away,” Carter said about his detailed explanations of El Cortez dishes.

The restaurant that gets Carter so excited first opened as a family establishment in 1975, owner Luciana Montemayor said. They began discussing the idea of owning a restaurant with another restaurant owner at the time, in Blue Island. Turns out, that owner was looking to sell his small space, so Montemayor bought it.

“We had to remodel but didn’t have money to do it, so we borrowed left and right to fix it up,” Montemayor said.

She’s the first to admit that the way El Cortez started was kind of strange and abrupt.

“It was born just from an idea, and eventually, it just kept going. The first three first years were very crucial and hard, but after that, people were coming from everyplace to eat at El Cortez,” Montemayor said.

As the clientele grew, so did the business. At one time, Montemayor said that she had five restaurants opened. Because of the economy, there is now just the one in Mokena and one in Country Club Hills.

December will be the two-year anniversary of El Cortez in Mokena, Montemayor said.

“We were skeptical in the beginning, because it was so close to our location in Orland, but we gave the thought some time and then decided to go to Mokena,” Montemayor said. “The building is newer, and now we have a better location in a more well-trafficked area.”

Though Montemayor is at the Mokena location regularly, her youngest son Jonathan helps out, and her daughter helps with the Country Club Hills location.

El Cortez serves up all the food you’d expect from a Mexican restaurant, including unlimited chips and salsa, tacos, enchiladas, tamales, flautas, quesadillas, tortas, burritos and tostadas. However, the menu continues with appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, steak, seafood, chicken, pork, desserts and a full bar.

Montemayor said lot of El Cortez’s recipes are authentic family recipes from her mother and mother-in-law. Other recipes were created by employees who came up with ideas through the years.

“There is a little bit of everybody here, from family traditions to employees that would take it upon themselves to make something different,” Montemayor said.

The menu is very extensive.

“There are so many things you can work with now, compared to 30 years ago,” Montemayor said. “You have to choose what the customers prefer and are telling you they like the best.”

Montemayor’s personal favorite dish is the Filete Estrella, which is thin-pounded tenderloin.

For customer Lesa K. Bradford of Mokena, who visits El Cortez once every couple months, the mole tostadas are favorite, but she also comes for the chips and homemade salsa.

Those who enjoy their food inside can admire the custom wall mural.

“The mural was my idea, but it was painted by a past employee from the Orland location,” Montemayor said. “We keep it simple here, but that added a big impact to the location.”

Montemayor said that it’s very important to keep the Mokena location open and to keep the customers satisfied. For them, that means keeping prices affordable, service friendly, atmosphere family-oriented, portion sizes generous and recipes consistent.

“Lots of customers drive far to come to this location,” Montemayor said. “It’s authentic Mexican food; you won’t get better than that.”

To try El Cortez out for yourself, visit 10128 191st Street. For more information, call 708-478-7766.