New restaurant brings a little piece of Mexico to Moline

“When people come here, they say they will never go to another Mexican restaurant because the food is so good.” That’s the word from Gerardo Garcia, the general manager and son of the owners at the new Las Salsas Dona Mary Cocina Mexicana restaurant at 1534 Sixth Ave. in downtown Moline. The restaurant, owned by […]

“When people come here, they say they will never go to another Mexican restaurant because the food is so good.” That’s the word from Gerardo Garcia, the general manager and son of the owners at the new Las Salsas Dona Mary Cocina Mexicana restaurant at 1534 Sixth Ave. in downtown Moline. The restaurant, owned by Alejandro and Maria Garcia, has been open for business for about a week. It was the center of attention Wednesday morning, Dec. 21, during a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony conducted by Renew Moline and the City of Moline. During that ceremony, Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati praised the Garcia family for opening the new business in downtown Moline. “I’ve already tried the food. It’s amazing,” the mayor said before the ribbon-cutting inside the cozy restaurant.

Even during the Wednesday ceremony, it was all about the food. The restaurant was already filling up with an early lunch crowd as business and community leaders cut the ribbon to welcome the restaurant. Gerardo Garcia said the idea of the restaurant began when numerous people would constantly praise his mother’s cooking. “They always said it’s the best food they ever had, and ‘Can you make food for my party?’” he added. That praise led the Garcias to dream, plan and work on opening the new restaurant. It took them about three and a half years before Las Salsas Dona Mary finally opened for business. But all that work is paying off. The new restaurant, which has four employees, is already attracting a customer base with locals who want to taste quality homemade Mexican food, said Gerardo Garcia. Some of the menu items include carne asada (chopped steak), al pastor (marinated pork), milaneza res o pollo (breaded ribeye steak or chicken), bistec huasteco (beef tenderloin strips in extra hot sauce) and pollo desebrado (shredded chicken in mild tomato sauce).

“The food will make you feel like you’re back in Mexico, at your mom’s house,” he added. Las Salsas Dona Mary Cocina Mexicana is open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays, and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays. It is closed on Sundays. It can be reached at (309) 517-3107.