El Palmar: Waukesha's Most Popular Mexican Restaurant

WAUKESHA, WI — Walk into El Palmar on any day of the week, and you'll see Waukesha at work.

Walk in the front door at 145 W. Main St. and you're greeted by the restaurant's kitchen as the scent of chili powder, seasoned meats and warm flour tortillas hang in the air over the lunchtime crowd.

Workers dressed head-to-toe in construction gear mingle with road workers. White-collar workers dart in-and-out with carryout orders as owner Pedro Trujillo helps man the busy kitchen.

Pedro opened El Palmar in 2008, and enjoys cooking up many of his original recipes. " I came up with everything in the menu, just trying different recipes out but they are all my original recipes," he said.

When Waukesha Patch.com asked readers what their favorite Mexican restaurant was in Waukesha, El Palmar came in first place with the most mentions on Facebook.

El Palmar

Address: 145 W Main St, Waukesha, WI 53186

Hours:
Wednesday 9AM–12AM
Thursday 9AM–12AM
Friday 9AM–3AM
Saturday 9AM–3AM
Sunday 9AM–12AM
Monday 9AM–12AM
Tuesday 9AM–12AM

Phone: (262) 446-4888

Pete Rodriguez has known Pedro for many years, back when Pedro married one of his cousins. Pete told Patch.com that he helped Pedro get his original business off the ground, going to City Hall committee meetings, applying for permits and shopping for business capital prior to El Palmar's opening in 2008.

"He is a humble man and very family oriented. A very hard working man who is happy with how things are. He has no plans to expand and is just grateful people like his food and that they come there to eat and spend time with their families," Pete said. "He has definitely earned the recognition and the good reputation that the restaurant has now. Waukesha went from 2 or 3 Mexican Restaurants to over 10-15 in the course of about 20 years."

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image via waukesha patch.com