Hip, colorful Mexican spot opens in Modesto’s Century Center honoring family’s roots
Mexican food is often thought of as a monolith — an enchilada is an enchilada is an enchilada. But at Modesto’s new Taqueria El Maguey, the cultures of two Mexican states are honored with a distinct and delicious new restaurant.
It is also one of the first new businesses to open in Century Center since new owners took over last year, making it a welcome addition to the once bustling shopping center on the city’s east side.
The restaurant is the fourth dining venture from a family with decades of experience feeding Modesto. Husband-and-wife team Juan and Arcelia Jauregui opened their first food truck in 1989. Four years later they moved it to Yosemite Boulevard at Riverside Drive, where it still sits today.
In 1999 they added a brick-and-mortar restaurant just down the street, at Yosemite and Claus Road. And five years ago they put a second food truck, this time on Kansas Avenue, on the streets.
But after 30 years of running eateries, the couple was wondering whether it was time to perhaps retire. Instead, their eldest daughter, Lily Jauregui, said she was interested in entering the family business. And she wanted to bring a fresh, artistic approach to their new venture.
The result is a hip, colorful restaurant filled with cultural touches from both Juan and Arcelia’s neighboring home states in Mexico — Jalisco and Michoacan, respectively. The restaurant’s name is another touchstone to Juan’s past growing up surrounded by agave plant fields. Maguey is the Spanish word for the Mexican crop famously used to make tequila.
“My state and his state are all honored together in this one little restaurant,” Arcelia said. “We wanted to bring more of us, our culture, into this place.”
Both immigrated to America as youths, her at age 1 and him at age 17. They got married 32 years ago after meeting in Modesto. Aside from running their restaurants and food trucks, Juan ran the cafeteria in the now defunct Tri-Valley Growers, and subsequent Seneca Foods, from 1997 until 2016.
Their new restaurant is their largest to date at about 2,000 square feet, with space for about 50 inside. It is also their first to have a bar and an outside patio. They currently only serve wine and beer, but will have their full license by early December.
Lily, who serves as the restaurant’s general manager, said she wants to specialize in tequila and mezcal cocktails, another nod to his father’s past. They also make their own agua frescas.
The menu is also similar to their other restaurant — serving breakfast, lunch and dinner — but with some new and specialty items. That includes their molcajete, a spicy mix of strip steak, chicken breast, jumbo shrimp, grilled nopales (cactus), and Monterey Jack cheese all served up sizzling in a large volcanic stone bowl. It’s a showstopper and enough to share, so plan accordingly.
Other signature dishes include the fajitas (from $15 to $17 depending on meat choice) and the Pollo El Maguey (chicken marinated in Juan’s secret recipe for $14). And then there are those enchiladas. Their Enchiladas Mexicanas are served up Michoacan-style with slightly crispy pan-fried tortillas and topped with an overflow of potatoes, carrots and cotija cheese (which runs $12). On the weekends you’ll find birria and menudo as well.
The restaurant also provides food for the eyes. Lily enlisted Modesto artist Miguel Herrera Dominguez to paint the striking mural of Kahlo, and interior designer Keriann Bailey helped with the space’s look. Personal touches and Mexican art fill the walls. Hand-embroidered pieces by her aunt who still lives in Tzintzuntzan, Michoacan — a town made famous as one of the inspirations for the Pixar film “Coco.”
The family put a lot of sweat equity into the new restaurant, renovating what was an old floral shop and installing a kitchen. Juan made both the tabletops and bar top out of slabs from a redwood, sanding them down and keeping the curves of its natural edges. Ceramic tiles and pieces by the family’s younger daughter Karina, a Modesto art teacher, are also on display.
“We wanted something modern and artsy that reflects our family,” Lily said. “And we wanted this shopping center to come up again and be here for the community.”
Taqueria El Maguey, at 2401 E. Orangeburg Ave Suite 260 in Modesto, is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. For more information call 209-846-9608 or visit www.instagram.com/_elmaguey.
Elsewhere around the Business Beat:
News of downtown Turlock restaurant Latif’s sale last week had many customers breathing a sigh of relief it was going to another local owner, including its past owner.
Robert Stevens, who ran the Golden State Boulevard restaurant as a partner with his father for 16 years and then as owner for another 22 years, retired with the sale this month. But he wanted to thank all those who helped to make the vintage spot a Turlock icon.
“I would like to extend my deepest thanks to all of our customers for the many years of support, it has been a pleasure serving you. Also a heartfelt thank you to my fellow employees, some of which have been with the restaurant before my time, they are all like family to me,” he said in an email statement about the sale.
“My wife and partner Kelli and I are looking forward to the next chapter in our lives, so there comes a time for us to pass the torch and I could not be happier than to pass it to Nick Pedretti. Nick and his family are as much a part of the Turlock community as any of us and I know that he will make the necessary changes for the continued success of the restaurant without compromising it’s traditions!”
This story was originally published November 23, 2019 at 3:33 PM.
