El Molcajete
Big Flavors, Bigger Portions, and a Party Vibe
by Sarah Reith
El Molcajete is back, and it’s busier than ever. At 11:00 on a Tuesday morning, tables were already filling up at the latest arrival to what’s been called “the gateway to Ukiah.” Tucked in between Rainbow Ag and the old Dragon’s Lair building, this used to be where visitors could get Romi’s Wild West Brew and BBQ. Locals remember fragrant smoke rising from the outdoor grill, stars and horseshoes on the sign, and the red-barn vibe. You could get live chickens next door, and drop by Romi’s for wings before leaving town.
Now, after standing empty for years, it’s bustling again. As of April 29, 225 East Perkins Street is the new home of El Molcajete, named for its signature dish: a lavish spicy stew with chicken, beef, and chorizo, served in a large bowl made from volcanic rock, its rough rim festooned with shrimp. A Molcajete is a traditional Mexican mortar and pestle. It’s used to grind spices and prepare foods like salsa and guacamole. Because it has so much texture, it allows nuanced flavors to develop. Because it’s made of rock, it holds the heat for a long time. Dishes continue to sizzle as diners enjoy a leisurely meal with friends. “Here our lunch is very long,” observes Montserrat Ruiz. After almost six years at El Molcajete, she’s taken on a lot of responsibility, but eschews a title, declaring that “nobody is more, and nobody is less” in this workplace. She’s been with the business through good times and pandemic times. Now she’s on hand for what may be boom times. “Dinners are long, too,” she adds. That may be because breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served from 10:00am to 9:00pm, seven days a week, making it one of the few places in town that does business on Sunday. There’s enough business to keep five wait staff on the run.
Before 2020, El Molcajete did a steady enough business at the south end of town. Three wait staff was plenty to handle brief rushes at lunch and dinner. They built up a loyal clientele.
Then the pandemic hit. El Molcajete, along with so many other restaurants, closed. After the lockdowns, it reopened briefly on South State Street. But traffic was sparse, and competition was tight. El Molcajete was not part of any post-pandemic revival. Owners Maribel Sahagún and Juan Guerrero took a chance on upcoming developments in town. Why not position themselves in the midst of empty storefronts, between the heart of the business district and a massive construction site?
Work on the long-awaited new courthouse, just a few blocks to the east, is well underway. Across the street, the Curry’s Furniture building is slated for demolition, though the owners have not revealed their plans for it yet. A banner on the empty retail building next door promises that it will soon be the site of student housing. “I’m down,” Ruiz says, contemplating a constant supply of hungry college students. “I think I was one of those.”
High school graduation night was a prime example of young people in the mood to eat a lot food until well past closing time. “We had such a good night,” Ruiz recalls. “The kitchen was still taking orders at 9:00. We clocked out at almost midnight.”
Adding to the party atmosphere, there’s also regular live music at El Molcajete. From 6:30 until closing time on most Friday nights, the local Mariachi Hernandez starts taking requests, serenading individual tables with traditional Mexican music. They are visible from the street, on the patio under the oak trees in their gleaming charro suits, playing so energetically it’s hard to imagine how anyone could sit still.
There are other festive details, too. Large vibrant artworks adorn the wall. One colorful image shows a woman with flowers and a skull painted onto her face, to celebrate Day of the Dead. The low wall around the bar is decorated with Talaveras tiles in different patterns, some floral, some geometric.
The bar is not purely decorational, though. In addition to sangria, wine, beer, and homemade non-alcoholic aguas frescas, patrons can order margaritas in a variety of flavors: strawberry, lime, mango, and even sangria and Coronarita. (Yes, that is a margarita containing an overturned bottle of Corona, in case you couldn’t decide which you prefer.) Just eight weeks after throwing open the doors at the new location, a new and expanded menu was already in the works, set to include cocktails (including mixed drinks with red and white wine), filet mignon, and other specialties from the grill. The kitchen is equipped with an indoor grill, and the outdoor BBQ pit is unlikely to sit idle for long.
Portions at El Molcajete are a serious commitment. Huge burritos, thicker than a middle-aged woman’s forearm, emerge from the kitchen drenched in red sauce. A special plate called the “Gringa” consists of half a pineapple with melted cheese and pastor, salsa, and onions. Of course, it also has the rice, beans, and tortillas that make it a proper meal. All the plates, bowls, and cups are made in Mexico, painted with brightly colored flowers. The mugs fit snugly in the palms of your hands, so you have something to hold onto as you gaze off into space, stunned by the amount of food you’ve just consumed. The chairs are handmade in Mexico, too, with backrests made of dried grapevines and padded with red leather covered in hand-painted flowers.
Everyone remembers how during the pandemic, schools and businesses shuttered. Ruiz recalls that when she came to Ukiah from Mexico, she dreamed about her high school graduation. She would walk across the stage in front of hundreds of people. Maybe there would be a party afterwards, like the one she saw this year in the restaurant. But in 2020, her graduation was a subdued affair. “This is our event?” she thought. It was one of many heartbreaks during covid. But even though she was disappointed, she resolved that “you have to keep going forward.”
Now a young adult, she’s determined to be part of the recovery. Construction is going on all around her. Old buildings are coming down. New ones are going up. Mendocino Community College has made an arrangement with Sonoma State to offer four-year degrees at the Ukiah campus. Hungry young people will be moving in, right next door to a thriving local business.
El Molcajete is positioned to take part in what comes next.
El Molcajete
225 East Perkins St, Ukiah
(707) 468-8989
Open weekdays 10am - 9pm, weekends 9am - 9pm
Sarah Reith enjoys wildlife, gardening, and lounging around in her wild garden in inland Mendocino County.
Photos courtesy of El Molcajete