While driving home today from Purdue, my parents and I passed through the town I grew up in that we have since moved away from. It was around lunch time, so they decided we should stop in Springfield, MO and eat at their favorite Mexican restaurant that they had discovered after I began college at Purdue. I had been here once before when visiting my best friend, and even though I was not specifically trying to analyze it at that time, I could tell that Cesar’s Old Mexico was the real deal. My best friend also supported this notion, having grown up eating authentic Mexican food made by her mother who’s family is from there. Fortunately, I have spent many a dinner at her house, so I have had my fair share of home-cooked Mexican dishes as well, giving me something to compare my dining experience to when at Cesar’s.
At Cesar’s there is always a line, it does not matter what time of day it is. In my case, we went around 2pm and there was still a wait as all the tables were in use and the bar was completely full. Taking this opportunity to look around, I was able to appreciate the interior more than during my prior visit. The previous restaurant there had been a pizza place, so when Cesar’s moved in after outgrowing their former space, they redid the entire interior. Elaborate murals decorate some of the walls and the area surrounding the skylight and a display with calaca (Mexican skeletons often used during Day of the Dead) in the middle of the main area. One wall holds the bar, where there is mainly alcohol all with Spanish labels and a TV showing wrestling in Spanish. Apparently the apple berry sangria is a house specialty, but since I am not 21 I was unable to try it. Along the adjacent wall is the kitchen where one can watch the food being cooked if they are seated on stools overlooking the area. The previous time I came, I was able to watch them cook and it was a very unique experience. I, of course, could not understand a word being spoken since the restaurant is owned and operated by a Mexican family, but it was clear they put a lot of care into their cooking.
This time, once we were seated the owner came up and took our orders. His name is Cesar, the namesake of the restaurant, and he calls every patron his “amigo.” This creates a relationship between the owner and the patron, and he and his wife are undoubtedly part of the reason people are drawn back. Although he was born in Mexico, Cesar’s wife, Sandra is from El Salvador and her influence can be found on the menu as well.
Cesar brought us chips and salsa, which might be the only Americanized thing about the restaurant. After talking to my friend, I learned that tortilla chips are more of an American thing that many Mexican restaurants have adopted. Nevertheless, the chips and salsa are all homemade and absolutely amazing. This gives the patrons a never-ending precursor to their main course while they are waiting for the cooks to prepare the dishes.
Once the food arrives at the table, delivered by Cesar himself, I took in the large dish that was placed before me. I ordered the Viva Mexico, made up of three enchiladas, one beef, one chicken and one cheese that are each covered with green, white and red queso to represent the Mexican flag. On top of that was sour cream, lettuce, pico de gallo and guacamole, and rice was served as a side. All in all, it was a very filling dish that I was personally unable to finish.
The experience of the restaurant itself was varied depending on your purpose for going there. Many American families simply went to enjoy good food, getting in and getting out rather quickly. This was not discouraged by the staff because the restaurant consistently had a wait and more hungry guests to serve. However, there were some Mexican patrons that came and seemed to socialize more than their American counterparts. Some seemed to personally know Cesar and his family, truly deserving of the title “amigo,” so there was an equal amount of English and Spanish spoken throughout the restaurant. The Mexican patrons seemed less concerned with getting their food and freeing up their table, and more focused on enjoying their meal together.
I feel like if the restaurant was larger still, despite their just having re-opened, then more people would appreciate the experience Cesar was trying to create with the welcoming atmosphere. However, I can guess that he is trying to find that balance of family-owned and satisfying his large customer-base, so another expansion is unlikely to occur anytime soon. Nevertheless, based on the constant wait line, I do not think the people of Springfield would be at all apposed to another Cesar’s opening in town.
All in all, it is easy to see why everyone loves Cesar’s Old Mexico, it is about as authentic Mexican as you can get, especially for Missouri. My best friend and her mother also support this idea, having much more experience with traditional Mexican cuisine than myself. I feel like every town has its special hidden gems where people of other cultures try to create an experience that is culturally unique and sometimes unappreciated by those who visit it, and Cesar’s Old Mexico is definitely one of those places in a sense. While I do think Mexican patrons appreciate having something so authentic where they are living, I feel like American patrons could learn to appreciate the atmosphere Cesar and his family have tried to create a little more, and that their experience would be all the better for it.
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