A colorful balloon arch and the vibrant sounds of mariachi welcomed patrons to the grand opening of Uptown Whittier’s newest Mexican restaurant, Super Mex. The celebration on Thursday, Feb. 27 garnered much community attention, as the restaurant had a waiting list of new patrons wanting to try the restaurant for themselves. The event further catered to those who attended with raffles and food deals. Super Mex is located at 6554 Greenleaf Ave. and has a seating capacity of three hundred. Aside from dining-in, the restaurant also offers a take-out area with its own entrance.
Jerahm Orozco is the sole owner of the Whittier restaurant. However, the whittier location is only one of ten Super Mex restaurants owned by his family. “My grandparents started it. My dad, my aunt and my uncles owned it for many years, and now I do. I own 6 locations, and there are four franchise locations. It has been fifty one years since our first location in Downtown Long Beach.”
When discussing what sets the new location apart from the other ten, Orozco said, “This one is bigger and nicer. Still traditional but also modern. A lot of people that see it from the street or walking by would not realize that it’s not just the restaurant in the front. It also has a huge bar cantina. People don’t know about the banquet hall in the back either. Everyone that has walked in has been like ‘Woah, I had no idea it was this big!’ We invested a lot into the speakers and sound. We are gonna have DJs on the weekends. We have a full liquor license. We’ll be open until one in the morning on Fridays and Saturdays.”
In regards to the choice of opening a location in Whittier, Orozco said, “I like the area. The people, the demographic is great. And we just kind of looked where our potential customer base is and this seemed like a good area; a great location. And it has been. So far in the process, the people coming in have been great.”
Uptown Whittier has quite a few options when it comes to dining and bars. But what makes this place stand out? “I think we are very different in the sense that all the new Mexican restaurants that are opening are actually very much the same, duplicating each other. Everyone is so focused on how the food looks, and we are focusing on how the food tastes. What we’re really known for, and our slogan, is ‘Best salsa north of the border,’ you won’t find a better salsa. Our carnitas are very traditional michoacan style, slow roasted for many hours. My favorite are the crispy shredded beef tacos, and the way we do our tacos is just different from most,” said Orozco.
Amongst some of the first patrons able to dine at the restaurant were Whittier chamber of Commerce members, Ashley Arce, Julio Rivas and Mario Romero. “The location is good. It adds to the area. The food was great. I had the carne asada plate. The meat was great. There are no complaints about it. Inside is beautiful, very inviting,” said Arce. “It is much bigger than it looks. The bar area is very nice. Will definitely be coming back for some drinks,” said Romero. “Their Mexican ranch dressing was really good, I had that on my salad. The guacamole was very fresh and chunky. And the environment and decor is very welcoming.”
“I was pleasantly surprised. The margaritas, guacamole, the atmosphere. It is the minimum needed, a good tequila and guacamole. It looks really nice in there. Uplifting happy place. It is a really good addition to Whittier,” said long-time Whittier resident, Corinne Medina.
The grand opening weekend continues through Sunday, Mar. 2. For further information about Super Mex you can visit the restaurant website at www.supermex.com or their Instagram page using the @super.mex handle.