History Of Hofbräuhaus

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Discovering La Mexicana Restaurante Cantina & Tienda

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Interview: Bailey Kemme

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It’s not often you can go to a restaurant with “foreign” food and find it not “Americanized”. Luckily, in Newport, Kentucky, some locally owned and original businesses in the heart of the city still have the passion for authenticity that some strive for when looking for a good restaurant. My classmates and I found a Mexican restaurant in Newport that is more of a “hole in the wall” kind of restaurant you only find occasionally, La Mexicana. While being a small Mexican diner, you can also find a small store in the back filled with authentic Mexican ingredients for making your own at home.

We were only able to talk to the owner for a moment, and unfortunately, they had been going through General managers/owners in the recent past, so he had not been there very long, but seemed very professional and honest, and described himself as a down to earth and good-hearted man. He claimed to have a very fine view of what he wanted the restaurant to be, claiming he strives for the food to not only be great in quality, but to hold the traditional Mexican value. We saw this in Lily’s quesadilla, where they used Queso fresca, like they do in Mexico, instead of the traditional American “hot liquid cheese” kind of queso, or even the American shredded cheese. I also noticed the chips were airier, flaky and crisper than other Mexican restaurants I have been to, with a thinner, more blended and spicier salsa than an American Mexican restaurant would give- showing us that they really do care about the Traditional Mexican Vibe.

Our waitress, Catalina, told us they have been going through Bosses very frequently to find someone suited to hold the small business afloat in an increasingly popular street of Newport, and that they often have more Mexicans eat here to get a taste of authentic Mexican food without having to cook at home. She takes pride in working in a less Americanized version of “Mexican cuisine”. She said the customers are usually nice and she prefers working in a smaller, more intimate space than in a bigger Mexican chain restaurant. They even endorse activities going on in Newport that help make Latinos feel welcome, like “La Terapia Latin Night!”, where they play the “best” Latin music of bachata, salsa, cumbia and merengue, and she said it was a great way for Latinos to get out there and make new friends in Newport while having a good time. She said she loves how the restaurant can find ways like this to help get known in the community and promote themselves in a way that benefits the Latino community.

Overall, we found that most of the workers love their job working here and believe they serve great quality, traditional Mexican food, and we believe so too! If you want to hear more about the food and atmosphere of the restaurant, check out our other blog posts about it, or go see for yourself!

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Thank youNewport Times Team

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