A steady stream of customers came with groups gathering around tables outside and others waiting inside to order during the April 5 grand opening of Loteria!, the new Mexican restaurant, located at 113 W. Innes St., Salisbury.

During the early hours of the event, they were treated to singing and guitar music by Tito De Lima of Mooresville with plans for a Mexican character to arrive later in the day, providing an opportunity for family photos.

Rafael Guerrero Alonso, owner of the restaurant, was helping in the kitchen during the grand opening working to take care of the customers. Restaurant work is nothing new to him as he grew up helping his parents in the business as they first owned a food truck, one of the first Mexican food trucks here, he said, followed by the opening of their restaurant Taqueria Guanajuato on Mooresville Road, named for their hometown of Guanajuato in Mexico.

Guerrero Alonso said he had been involved with the restaurant business in some capacity since he was a kid.

“I started at first just watching my parents, running small errands, go run for the money, run for the food, take this over to the people.”

When he was about 12, he started doing more and helping give change, serving customers, learning how to make the food, doing inventory, “just hanging around them and learning from them.”

At age 17, he had to take on more responsibility when his dad, Israel Guerrero Delgad, died, at which time he started doing the actual cooking, preparing the meats and making other foods with the help and instruction of his mom, Maria Irma Alonso Jaramillo, who continues to run the restaurant.

The plan to open his own restaurant came about because he wanted to be able to provide for his wife, Julissa Aviles Carmona, as well as desiring to branch out with his own business.

“I was just thinking about opening up a food truck because that is what I know how to do,” Guerrero Alonso said.

At the same time, he had always thought a place in downtown Salisbury would be a perfect place for tacos. However, when he made the decision to start his own business, the West Innes Street location was already rented.

“It disappointed me,” he said, and therefore planned to go forward with the food truck idea.

He was at the DMV registering the truck and when he left he passed by the building and noticed the sign in the window indicating it was available once again and he thought, forget about the truck and called the building owner to share his idea, hoping he would like it.

The building is small, he said, but “I always thought this would be a perfect place,” as he said his take-out restaurant is modeled after a popular downtown restaurant Hap’s Grill.

“I’ve always enjoyed going to eat there,” Guerrero Alonso said. “It’s just a small place where you go in and take out to eat.”

When finding a location, he said his goal was to find somewhere close to the park so people could drop by and “eat some really good, delicious tacos and go out and enjoy the town.”

The kitchen is where he grew up, he said, and where he feels the most comfortable and will apply that experience using recipes his parents taught him to make traditional Mexican food that can be found in any taqueria in Mexico and any street vendor would sell as best he can according to the availability of the ingredients.

The variety of tacos on the menu will be the classic ones of acada, or hand chopped beef; al pastor, or marinated pork; chorizo, a spicy sausage; campechano, a mixture of chorizo and beef; and pollo, or chicken.

He will also offer burritos, chicken and rice, quesadillas, tortas, seasonal fruit drinks, Mexican sodas and specialty desserts, such as flan and cheesecake, made by one of his staff who previously ran a pastry shop in Mexico.

One thing Guerrero Alonso wanted to share about the food is that everything is handmade and fresh from the various salsas as they have a smoky flavored one and one that is avocado based, plus they prepare the meat themselves, marinating the pork and cooking it to their recipe.

“I guess that is what I want people to know us by is just truly delicious, made at the moment food,” he said.

For now, he wants to keep the menu simple, but he did say he might add some seasonal treats and in time, maybe expand the menu.

Another special part of the restaurant is the name, which he attributes to Aviles Carmona. He said months passed as they tried to come up with a name and were undecided, and she thought of Loteria, a popular family game played in Mexico, similar to bingo except with pictures of characters.

“It’s really vibrant, really colorful and folkloric,” Alonso said. “It brings us all together and it’s kind of nostalgic for every Mexican,” which is exactly what Aviles Carmona “wanted to evoke. It’s a feeling of home, friendship, fun and excitement.”

In addition to the name, Aviles Carmona also decorated the space using vibrant colors on the wall and with the decor.

“We wanted to decorate and show what it means to us and show our culture,” he said, pointing out the various items on the wall including a painting done by his cousin, Alejandra Alonso Calderon, who is an artist in Mexico. The painting portrays a common scene of a street vendor, trying to make a living, he said.

While the building is small and no has space for inside seating, Alonso said the city approved for outside seating up to four tables, which will be offered for those wanting to get their food and enjoy the outdoors.

He said that during his recent soft opening, he saw people getting food and enjoying it outside and that it warmed his heart to see people come by and enjoy the taste of the food. 

Loteria! will be open for business from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday with the possibility of expanding those hours later.

“We want to start small, test the waters, and hopefully we can grow from there,” Guerrero Alonso said.

He also mentioned that hours could be extended if big events are going on downtown and would keep people updated on their social media.

Guerrero Alonso hopes that people will visit his restaurant and try the authentic tacos, which he said are different as they are served with cactus.

“It’s a different flavor, but it’s very enjoyable,” he said. “To me, it just reminds me of home.”

His customers are important to him and when people visit his restaurant, Guerrero Alonso said he hopes people will remember “the friendly atmosphere, the smiles on our faces, the beautiful decor, the taste of the food, the spices, and how all these flavors come together.”