Tequilaz Mexican Restaurant

Tequilaz is growing in both customers and reputation. Recently, on a rainy, windy Sunday night, I was given the opportunity to take shelter in Tequilaz meet its owner, sample the Mexican food they serve, and take in the atmosphere and see what all the hype was about…

And as I walked to Tequilaz, for my maiden visit inside, I was a little apprehensive about what I might see. When I hear of a “Mexican” restaurant, located hundreds of miles away from its origin I get worried. It reminds me, an Irishman, of walking into those “Irish” bars that seem to think an Irish bar has to be decorated in green, with Guinness signs draped from the ceiling to the floor and with pictures of men who look as old as mountains, wearing a paddy hat and looking cold. So I was relieved when I saw Tequilaz. There were no cheap gimmicks or stereotypical Mexican symbols such as a statue of a small, happy, chubby man with an anchor mustache wearing a sombrero.

In fact, my first impression was one of a modern, stylish and sophisticated restaurant with Mexican food as its primary attraction. It’s stylish in its setting; it’s spacious with the bar serving as the epicentre of it. The open space allows for two things: room for multiple groups to sit comfortably with one another which gives rise to a relaxed and free social environment where people can talk freely with their friends, as well as an area that looks out onto Gwangsan-dong street. If you are having trouble looking for it on a Saturday night, you will probably hear it before you see it, because of the jubilant environment inside.

While I was there I did two things, speak to Sung-ju and sample Tequilaz’s menu. I found Sung-ju to be reserved when speaking of himself, yet passionate and hungry to succeed as we spoke of Tequilaz. Sung-ju, a former agent, is a well-travelled man, having spent time living in Canada, Australia and England. Upon his return, in 2010, he decided to open up a Mexican restaurant with its manifesto to “give people the opportunity to meet others” and to “share and change cultural experiences with one another” in Gwangju. Thus, it is a restaurant, but it also acts as a social space for people to come and chat together.

Sung-ju’s hunger is seen in his ambition for the business and in his knowledge that to succeed, change is necessary. Given that nearly 80% of his customers are expats, he was keen to get Korean people tasting his Mexican food and by doing so, making them aware that such food exists in Gwangju. G.I.C day, 2012 provided Tequilaz with the perfect platform to make people aware that Mexican food exists in Korea and to allow them to taste his food. The event was a great success for the owner, and he hopes that word will spread about his business. Change came about in 2011 when he decided to move Tequilaz from its original location, Chonnam, to down-town. With a new location brought a new menu, serving “high quality food,” according to the owner.

In the beginning there was only Sung-ju in the kitchen, but now he has three chefs working for him. This improvement in quality became obvious to me as I was treated to a sampling of their Mexican cuisine. I was served tortilla tacos, chorizo nachos with fresh salsa sauce and pork chimichanga. The food, cooked with all fresh produce, was tasty and extremely filling. Mexican food is the ideal food to eat on a night out with others. The food is authentic, served fresh and it is food made to be eaten around a table and shared with friends in a fun environment. Tequilaz provides this for its customers and at a reasonable price too.

Tony, the manager, has brought not only a hunger to succeed to match Sung-ju, he has also brought his own stamp to Tequilaz; most noticeably in its myriad of cocktails served at the bar but also in his “baby” as he calls it, “Wing Wednesdays”. Every Wednesday at Tequilaz, you can enjoy a classic trio of American style chicken wings, beer and football. The wings are served with sauces all made in house, and they are sauces you will not have tasted before. There is a peanut butter and jelly sauce, a spicy chocolate and coca-cola sauce as well as the traditional sauces you would expect to find. On Wednesdays, you can get a healthy helping of wings and a draft beer for only 8,000 won, a pitcher of beer for 10,000 won and for those going in a group you can get a platter of twenty wings for a buck each. Another great offer is buffet night, which happens on the first Thursday of every month, from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. The charge is 15,000 won for all you can eat of Mexican food only, with a draft beer included. While Wing Wednesdays show that Tequilaz is not exclusive to Mexican cuisine, and a possible sign of things to come, it does show that they are willing to change and alter to cater for the appetites of their customers.

While my visit was short, I feel I got a sense of what Sung-ju is trying to achieve at Tequilaz. It is a restaurant that serves Mexican food, beer and cocktails. Yet, it can be more than that; it’s a social hub for the Gwangju people to come and talk, to communicate with others. It is the perfect place to go on a Saturday night with a group of friends to eat, drink, and laugh, all hallmarks of a great night out.

Tequilaz is located down town in Gwangsan-dong on the second floor, next to Soul Train. To see more promotions available at Tequilaz, visit their Facebook page.