Salsa Verde hosts grand opening in new Yorkville location

For more than a decade, the family-oriented Salsa Verde restaurant has brought generational specialty recipes from the sun-drenched region of Guadalajara, Mexico, to the Yorkville community.

From the mountains of Mexico, to the banks of the Fox River, the Yorkville community helped owner Carlos Arechiga and his family expand from Yorkville to 15 restaurants across Illinois and Indiana, including in St. Charles.

Having lived in Yorkville since around opening of the first restaurant here in 2012, Arechiga said the family has been waiting for the right space to expand within town. After years of waiting they finally found a place.

The new locale includes larger indoor and outdoor seating areas and a drive-in to help make their food more accessible for their customers.

Salsa Verde is inviting the community to their grand opening at their new location at 1508 N. Bridge St. at 11 a.m. on Aug. 13. To celebrate the special occasion, the first 100 customers are receiving $20 gift cards.

“Yorkville is a very community-based town. There’s something so organic in how they support helping everyone succeed,” Arechiga said. “When our business first started, it was run by my brother, my parents and I. You would see my mom and dad cooking, my little brother cleaning tables, my brother being the chef, and I was taking orders. People resonated with that because they wanted to support a family business.”

While the strong embrace of the community surprised Arechiga, he said what didn’t surprise him was how quickly people took to his mother’s Mexican recipes.

“My mother has been a chef her whole life, the mole and tortas are especially delicious, some of her specialties have been a lot of people’s favorites,” Arechiga said.

“Her mother was a cook as well and was a successful business woman in our town down in Mexico. It starts as a way of life that’s been passed on with passion,” he said.

Arechiga said he loves hearing when people say they have never tasted recipes like the traditional ones from Guadalajara. He sees the expansion as a way to help keep that tradition alive.

Salsa Verde also sells popular tacos and burritos, but it’s the tortas that carry the most family flair.

“People want more than just a product, they really want the heart and the feeling that goes with it,” Arechiga said. “We’re excited to continue what we love to do, especially in a town that has not only welcomed us but helped us start everything.”

To see Salsa Verde’s full menu, visit salsaverderestaurant.com/.