Gustavo Soto never aspired to become a restaurateur. It just kind of happened.
He was working as a construction supervisor in the early 1980s when he mentioned to his in-laws, Kurt and Margita Steinmaier, that their Dog n Suds restaurant in Carpentersville would make a good location for something different.
“I told my father-in-law we could convert it into a Mexican restaurant. He went along with it,” Soto said.
In the mid-1980s, “there weren’t that many Mexican restaurants, especially out here,” Soto said. “We took a chance because there was nothing here.”
El Molino opened at 2112 Elgin Road in March 1984, a time when the only well-known restaurant in the suburbs was Pepe’s Tacos and the first Taco Bell in Illinois wouldn’t open for another two years.
Soto didn’t think his new career would last long. But 40 years later, “here we are,” he said.
El Molino in Carpentersville opened as a sit-down, full-menu Mexican restaurant serving made-from-scratch food, and hasn’t that approach in the 40 years it’s been in business, owner Gustavo Soto says. (El Molino)
Now, Mexican restaurants are everywhere, he said. He counts four in Carpentersville alone.
“Mexican food is addictive,” he said. “It’s like when you eat hot sauce. You start eating hot sauce and start craving it.”
The Mexican restaurants opening today are targeting millennials, and they’ve been successful although maybe not as authentic, he said. And there are lots of taquerias in the area, the fast-food version of Mexican cuisine, but their menus can be limited, he said.
What cuts them from the pack, Soto said, is El Molino’s has a full menu and bar.
A successful restaurant also needs ambiance, good service and quality food, he said. “In the old days, one in 100 restaurants would really make it,” he said. “It’s a tough business.”
While most Mexican restaurants usually offer the same dishes — tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, chile rellenos — Soto’s restaurant features a menu from central Mexico.
“Every state has its own way of cooking and using spices. We cook similar to Jalisco and central Puebla,” he said.
El Molino’s skirt steak is carne oaxaquena, served with cheese and chicken chilaquiles — a customer favorite, he said. They serve enchiladas withboth red and green sauces, and their chile rellenos, a poblano chili stuffed and deep-fried with cheese and a red sauce, is another favorite. Their poblano mole is homemade, he said.
“It doesn’t matter how long it’s been since you were here, (your favorite dish will not have changed),” Soto said. “I think that’s one of the things we have, a lot of consistency.”
El Molino’s food has remained the same because their chef, Paulino Maldonado, has been with them since they opened 40 years ago, he said.
“We cook everything from scratch. The tamales, the chile rellenos. We even make the tortilla chips here,” Soto said.
That’s not to say they don’t feel heat from the competition, he said. There are dozens of taquerias around the area, and new Mexican restaurants in East Dundee and West Dundee are in the works.
“Every time a new restaurant opens up, people want to go and see it,” Soto said. “It will be competition, so we’ll see if we can survive.”
There have been lots of changes in the restaurant business, with the most challenging being the COVID-19 pandemic. El Molino ended up “closing for nine months. It hurt. After that, the business has not been the same,” Soto said.
Many of the recipes used at El Molino in Carpentersville are from the Jalisco and central Puebla areas of Mexico. The restaurant has had the same chef, Paulino Maldonado, since the day it opened 40 years ago. (El Molino)
“We used to have an hour wait (to be seated). In the old days, we would turn the tables three or four times. It’s not there now,” Soto said.
Following COVID, El Molino changed its hours. It’s now open from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
“It’s hard to give up, especially since I’ve been here for so long,” Soto said. “I wanted to make sure we could bring the restaurant back. If not the way it was, at least close to it.”
He also stays in the restaurant business, in part, for his son, Elliot. The younger Soto is a Triple-A ballplayer with the Los Angeles Angels. He signed a one-year contract in April.
“I was thinking, hopefully, my son will take over, and it will be something for him. It’s why we stayed open, so I can pass it along to my son,” Soto said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
