The customers at Riobamba Latin Kitchen in Glenview often ask for margaritas, which the restaurant could never serve – until next month, owner Tony Andino said, thanks to an action by the village.
“My buddy gave me a slushie machine that he’s no longer using, so I figured this would be the perfect time to start,” Andino said after the Glenview Village Board voted unanimously on March 4 to grant the restaurant, which serves Ecuadorian and Mexican food, a liquor license.
Andino plans to add a bar area and launch alcohol service in mid-April. Riobamba will start with beer, wine, regular margaritas and frozen margaritas before eventually offering a full tequila bar and Ecuadorian specialty drinks, he said.
Since opening, Riobamba, 1869 Waukegan Road, has operated under a Bring Your Own Bottle, or BYOB, license, Andino said.
“I do expect it to generate more business, especially because a lot of people ask for alcohol,” he said.
Andino began operating in 2016 with a food truck, he said. The slow-roasted pork tacos became very popular, Andino added.
“My father was born and raised in Riobamba, so that’s where we got the name,” he said. “We wanted to bring in some Ecuadorian seasonings. All of our recipes are authentic Ecuadorian recipes from my grandmother. All the seasonings, marinades, tamales are Ecuadorian style.”
For example, for chicken tamales, the dough is cooked with chicken stock, which makes it softer and “more flavorful versus Mexican tamales, where the dough is a lot stiffer,” Andino said.
All of Riobamba’s food is made with natural ingredients without hormones, antibiotics or GMOs, he said.
“Business is doing all right,” he said. “We’re starting to get into the food truck season.”
Andino operates both the restaurant and the food truck from April through November. The food truck will not sell alcohol, he said.
Last year Riobamba’s truck began serving customers “taquiza,” or buffet, style, Andino said. The truck arrives with a grill and cooks food on site, he said.
Ninety-five percent of the truck’s business comes from private parties, such as graduations, birthdays and some smaller wedding groups, Andino said.
The restaurant’s specialties are its smoked brisket, slow-roasted pork and marinated ribeye steak tacos, he said.
“We’re mostly known for tacos because we started as the taco truck,” Andino said. “We’re known for our quarter-pound tacos. They’re big.”
The favorite among customers is “llapingachos,” or potato cakes stuffed with cheese and served with peanut sauce and a fried egg, he said.
Andino said Riobamba does good business despite its location, which is tucked behind another building in a strip mall.
Riobamba’s liquor license marks the 56th Class A license in Glenview, according to a written report to the board from Maggie Bosley, deputy village manager, and Chris Clark, special project manager.
