If you happen to be turning 100 years old in 2023, an iconic Los Angeles restaurant is offering a tasty gift for centenarians next year.
El Cholo, which opened its doors back in 1923 and quickly became popular for serving dishes like enchiladas, beef and chiles and green corn tamales, is gearing up for its 100th birthday with several specials in the works, including free meals for anyone who is 100 years old.
Those who made it through The Great Depression, World War II, rocked with Elvis, survived the hippies, disco, hair metal and still love a great meal deal will be able to eat for free, anytime they want, all through 2023.
“We figured we owe it to them if they’re 100 years old and they can still eat Mexican food,” said Ron Salisbury, the grandson of the original El Cholo founders, who will not be able to enjoy the special since he is only turning 90 next year.
For those younger than a century, El Cholo has anniversary specials that will be available to everyone next year, including a fancy $100 margarita and the return of classic dishes to celebrate the milestone.
“It’s a wonderful warm feeling. I never thought I would live to see this anniversary,” Salisbury said.
And since turning 99 is no small accomplishment, the restaurant will be marking its birthday this year by selling its popular Carmen’s Original Nachos, which usually cost $7.95, for just 99 cents between 4-9 p.m. Oct. 24-27 with the purchase of a meal.
Originally opened as Sonora Café by Sonora, Mexico natives Alejandro Borquez and his wife Rosa Borquez before being renamed El Cholo in 1927, the restaurant has become part of the fabric of Southern California, counting celebrities like Hollywood icons Bing Crosby, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper and Nat King Cole as early regulars.
It’s a place that also became popular with families, who would come in for hefty meal combos, as well as nearby college students and sports fans who came to the restaurant after catching a game at the Coliseum, Salisbury noted.
“My favorite definition of what a restaurant is about is to make you feel good about yourself,” he said. “And I think over the years people have felt really good here. We’ve been creating good memories for 100 years.”
Today there are six El Cholo restaurants in the area, including the original spot on Western Avenue in Los Angeles and others in downtown Los Angeles, Anaheim Hills, Corona del Mar, La Habra and Santa Monica.
El Cholo is known for its consistent menu that includes things like flour tortillas, which are still handmade from Rosa Borquez’s century-old recipe, plus century-old dishes like the Sonora Style Enchiladas made with simmered chicken, green and red sauce and a fried egg, as well as the restaurant’s famous green corn tamales, which are rolled out every year between May and October.
And when new dishes are added, the menu notes the year each made its debut. The blue corn chicken enchiladas were added in 1985 and the fish tacos first appeared in 2001.
“Of course our food has to be really, really good and people have to feel welcomed; they have to feel that we care and we’re always tweaking things because we feel it’s important to be moving forward all the time,” Salisbury said.
While official plans are still being finalized, the 100-year anniversary celebration will include the return of several classic dishes that are not currently on the menu, like the Spanish Omelet.
“The omelet was so time consuming to make, but it was so popular that one lunch hour we sold 23 of them and the kitchen couldn’t keep up,” he recalled. “It was so popular, we had to take it off the menu.”
Since El Cholo is also famous for its various potent margaritas, the centennial celebration will also include that $100 14-ounce margarita. Salisbury said bartenders are still working on the exact recipe, but it will be made up of several higher-end “exotic” tequilas and will be served in a hand-blown glass, which people can take home.
Salisbury and his team are putting together a gala, which will take place at the original El Cholo location next October and said that there are plans to expand that restaurant with a new patio. There’s also an El Cholo restaurant set to open in Salt Lake City, Utah sometime next fall.
“We’re still trying to get better, even though we’re 100 years old,” Salisbury said.
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