Los Chiludos Fresh Mexican Grill opened last week, adding a new option to one of Manatee County’s most diverse shopping districts.
Serving California-style Mexican cuisine, Los Chiludos joins the roster at the Anna Maria Island Center mall at 3232 E. Bay Drive, Holmes Beach.
The list also includes Old Hamburg Schnitzel Haus, Teriyaki Cove, Graze Street AMI, Peaches Restaurant, Solo’s Pizza, China 1, The Cheesecake Cutie & Cafe, Holy Cow Ice Cream and other cool stuff and more.
Owners Tera and Jose Lemus – who run Los Chiludos with their sons, Anthony and Alonzo – say the diversity of restaurants was one of the things that drew them to their location, along with, of course, the island’s beaches by Anna Maria.
“We started vacationing on Anna Maria Island about seven years ago and fell in love with the island,” Tera said.
In March, the family moved to the Bradenton area after operating a Mexican restaurant in the Pittsburgh area since 2008.
Jose was born in Mexico City and moved to Orange County, California when he was 15 years old. He and Tera met as teenagers in Orange County and moved to Pittsburgh in 2000.
Jose has been in the restaurant business since he was 17 and fell in love with cooking while training as a restaurant manager. Los Chiludos incorporates traditional Mexican flavors with a fresh, wholesome Southern California twist. Jose hopes to one day open several sites.
Anthony, 27, says business has been good and so has customer feedback.
“The best thing is to see customer satisfaction. We really care about our customers,” Anthony said.
Other mall tenants have been very welcoming, Tera said.
“It’s a perfect place with just about every type of restaurant. All are small business owners,” she said. “Everyone is so friendly. We couldn’t have asked for better neighbours.
Los Chiludos offers dine-in and take-out. Either way, there’s no compromise on flavor or quality, says the Lemus family.
Menu specialties include burritos, tacos, quesadillas, salads, and appetizers.
House specialties include the Volcano Shrimp (giant shrimp served on a bed of Spanish rice. Topped with red cabbage, mango salsa, guacamole, fresh cheese and a chipotle aioli) and platter carnitas (tender pork topped with onion, cilantro and salsa. Served with rice, beans, pico de gallo, guacamole and four warm corn tortillas).
Anothony Lemus says his favorite on the menu is the Chilango Steak (grilled steak, peppers and onions, rice, shredded cheese, spicy salsa crema and chipotle salsa).
“He has a bit of a kick, but not too much,” he said.
Los Chiludos is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, when brunch is in the spotlight. The restaurant is closed on Mondays.
For more information, visit https://loschiludos.com/ or call 941-345-4102.
