Authentic Mexican fast-food, 24 hours a day

After moving to Spokane to raise his family in a nice, quiet community, Juvenal Najera noticed a hole in the marketplace. Spokane had many fast-food restaurants, but he after driving all over town looking, he couldn’t find what he considered an authentic Mexican fast-food restaurant. That unsuccessful search eventually led to him to open Abelardos Mexican Restaurant this summer at 11519 E. Sprague Ave. in the Spokane Valley.

The restaurant is named for Najera’s business partner and co-owner, Abelardo Gonzales, who lives in Nebraska where he owns two other Abelardos’ restaurants.

The men are longtime friends and have known each other since their childhoods in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, said Najera, describing how he called his friend after his fruitless fast-food hunt. “I tell him I didn’t see any fast food in Spokane. He came and drove around and liked the city. He said, ‘Find real estate and let me know.’ “

Najera found restaurant space to lease, in the building formerly occupied by La Milpa Family Mexican Restaurant, and they opened in June. Abelardos Mexican Restaurant includes drive-through service and is open 24 hours a day. Most combination meals on the menu ring up under $7 and you can get many menu items for under $3. But don’t let the prices fool you: The burritos are made with 14-inch tortillas and stuffed till they’re plump. You’ll need both hands and a hearty appetite to eat one.

The most popular meal, said Najera, is the California burrito. It’s made with pico de gallo, tomatoes, potatoes, cheese and carne asada, a “medium spice” beef.

Najera, who has four employees and cooks in the restaurant himself, has been making Mexican fare for more than 20 years. He learned to cook when he was young and started cooking in restaurants when he was 15.

Before opening Abelardos Mexican Restaurant, Najera cooked for six years at Azteca in Spokane. He also worked in Mexican restaurants in San Diego, and many customers, he said, have compared his food to the Mexican restaurants in Southern California.

“People who come from California and live in Spokane say they’ve waited a long time for this to open,” he said. “I like when the people come in and say the food is good.”

“This is different food than fast food,” he added, explaining that though his prices are low, his food is both bigger and better. In fact, one customer told Najera that he prefers the food at Aabelardos to the food at the chain fast-food Mexican restaurant where he is an employee. “He comes in every day in the morning,” Najera said with a chuckle.

Several customers, added Najera, drive over from Idaho and have asked him to open another restaurant in Coeur d’Alene. While he’d like to eventually, he replied “not yet.”

Before making Mexican fare, Najera said he tried farming in San Luis Potosi for a time, growing corn and beans. But running a farm is hard work, he said, shaking his head. The time and work required to own, manage and cook in a 24-hour restaurant is easy by comparison. “The farm is more work – too hard.”

So far the restaurant has done “good business,” said Najera, and stays busy, even at night. On the weekends, he said, business picks up at 2 a.m. “After the bars close, people start coming in.”

“I want a lot of customers – everybody,” said Najera. “Come and try the Mexican food. It is pretty good food and not too expensive prices.”