Don Juan’s Mexican Kitchen is coming to west Olympia

Before we tell the story of Don Juan’s Mexican Kitchen, there’s good news for those accustomed to driving to Tenino: Don Juan’s is expanding to west Olympia, with plans to open a second location off Harrison Avenue in a building shared by Blue Heron Bakery.

The second Don Juan’s is expected to open at the end of May or early June, said Juan Martinez Sr., who runs the business with his son, Juan Martinez Jr., daughter Marcela, and his wife, Eva.

Don Juan’s has built a reputation on authentic Mexican food, using fresh ingredients cooked in light oils — olive or peanut oil — and that emphasizes preparation, avoiding frozen foods and the microwave, Juan Martinez Sr. said.

“I do it right or I don’t do it,” he said.

The menu was inspired by his mother’s cooking who still lives in the city of Salvatierra in central Mexico.

That menu has introduced a much-heralded guacamole to South Sound that is made with chunks of avocado instead of a whipped or blended version that is so common to the U.S. Martinez said he has one person on staff who focuses on making the guacamole.

There’s also the use of organic tequila, organic mixers and fresh vegetables to create the cucumber cilantro margarita or the jalapeno avocado version.

And each night the restaurant offers a special dish to reflect a different region of Mexico, such as the Yucatan, Oaxca or Vera Cruz, he said.

The result has produced a restaurant so popular that securing a reservation is a good idea for dinner, Martinez, 55, said. He’s also realized that the business pulls customers from Olympia, so it made sense to expand in that direction.

Martinez’s story is that of the immigrant, a tale familiar to generations of Americans.

He came to the U.S. and Southern California when he was 20 and worked a series of jobs, including butcher at a meat-packing plant, saving money along the way. He returned with his family to Mexico and moved back in with his parents — that’s where his wife, Eva, discovered the family recipes — while he opened an auto parts business.

After a few years, they returned to Southern California. He eventually got his real estate license and sold mortgages to the Latino community before the Great Recession hit. He later traveled to Seattle with his wife and they fell in love with the Northwest. Martinez ran his taco stand at Rainier Market until it burned in a fire.

By then his son had attended a culinary school, so the two “decided to go all the way” with the next restaurant, he said.

Martinez said he would also like to expand to Tacoma, Bellevue, Seattle and Portland, possibly over the next five to six years.

This story was originally published March 19, 2016 at 4:17 AM with the headline "Don Juan’s Mexican Kitchen is coming to west Olympia."