El Willy's In Pasco. is some of the fastest, freshest and best Mexican food in the city!

Jose Contreras-Owner of El Willy's in Pasco, WA

                                     

Come inside El Willy's Mexican restaurant in Pasco,WA on the corner of East Lewis and Oregon Avenue and you're not going to stay long but for owner Jose Contreras that's a good thing.

I found out that Willy's has built their reputation on authentic Mexican food that comes to customers quickly. Contreras says his lunch time crowd is loyal and hungry and he knows they have no time to waste.

"I worked at several other places and I know at lunch time they just have a little bit of time to
try and do their lunch. So we try to do our best. So we get their food fast and the quality is excellent," said Contreras

David Champoux loves the speed, taste and convenience

Dozens of customers echoed those sentiments to me on my recent visit. David Champoux who works up the street at Monarch Machinery in Pasco says he comes to El Willy's anywhere from 12 to 15 times a month."We don't have really long to eat, so we come here because they serve you and it's really quick. They give you some chips and salsa...along with your meal so it's perfect," said Champoux who was enjoying some of El Willy's carne asada tacos.

     

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Same goes for Chris May who hasn't missed a day at El Willy's in months.
"I come every single day. I work up the street so it's convenient. The food is awesome. I usually get the number nine Chimichanga. It's the best place to get your food fast and get out of here in a half an hour," said May.

Jose Contreras opened El Willy's on June 8th, 2009 with his wife Linda after working in restaurants and around kitchens his whole life. He says opening a restaurant was always his dream and you'll taste his coastal roots from Manzanillo, Colima Mexico when you bite into his recipes.

"We use recipes from Mom and Grandma so we use authentic recipes. We have family recipes. So
we've been doing the business for a long time. We have tacos, enchiladas...a little bit of everything
carne asada. We also have prawns and shrimp," said Contreras

Contreras and his wife have five kids ranging in ages 12 to 25. Jose says his two kids Viviana and Chirstian have the restaurant business dreams like he did when he was young and are looking to open a restaurant in the near future in the Kennewick or Richland area. "We are looking to add another restaurant and they really want to be a big part of it, "said Contreras.

Great food, good prices and it's quick for a great lunch," said John Cacioppo, who works at Central Machinery Sales in Pasco. Cacioppo was chowing on some carne asada tacos when I caught up with him on a lunch time break.

For customers like Marlene Uvealle eating at Willy's is like a taste of home
"I like that it's authentic and it's at home, so if I don't want to cook I come here.
She loves juevos rancheros, quesedillas, and menudo,"said Uvealle.

After all that great feedback I decided to dig and test a few things for myself: El Willy's shrimp platter and the Cuban Torta Sandwich. Both favorites of customers.

Linda Contreras makes Torta Cubana Sandwich

Let's start with the Torta Cubana. It's the Mexican version of the Cuban Sandwich. Having grown up in Miami I was particularly curious how this baby would taste...Linda starts with some ham and a hot dog and throws it on the grill. She adds some bread..then she spreads some mayonnaise.
Add some lettuce, Jalapenos, tomatoes, onions, pulled pork and carne asada.
Put the ham and hot dog back on grill, cut in half then put a little bit of butter on top.
With all that flavor infusion it was time to give this Cubano a taste. I must say it did not disappoint.

El Willy's Shrimp Platter to go!

Next it's Willy's Shrimp platter. It's Tiger shrimp that's cooked in butter and garlic inside a pan on high heat. Jose adds mushrooms...then some lime juice is added to the mix. Next is some special seasoning with Adobo and a few other secret ingredients but Jose wouldn't tell me what they are.

Jose adds some more lime juice, then it's time to let it sit for a few minutes as the flavors start to infuse. When it's finished Jose takes the excess sauce from inside the pan and creates an amazing sauce that you can flavor your shrimp with even more. Only things left to do now is eat and after watching Jose cook this dish it won't be around long.

"This recipe was invented by my wife. The customers love it. What they love most is the sauce and how the shrimp are crispy yet melt in your mouth. Then the excess sauce from the pan is just a bonus," says Contreras.

For this journalist and food fanatic I must say these are the tastiest shrimp I've ever had in my life!


As for Jose Contreras he knows that being fast and friendly isn't enough...you have to have great food. "Our food is authentic. People love to come here because we are fast. But they also know we have the best food in Pasco," said Contreras.