See inside downtown Perry’s newest restaurant that offers Mexican cuisine

Stepping inside the newest restaurant in downtown Perry, diners can enjoy dishes one would expect to find at a Mexican restaurant, as well as more traditional fare.

Fuego Fresco Mexican Restaurant at 1013 Northside Drive, Suite 100, offers comfortable seating for about 80 people inside. The space has a clean modern look.

The restaurant also offers fenced-in patio seating for about 40 people with colorful green umbrellas for shade.

The new spot opened a week ago Tuesday on Aug. 26, with owners Norma Thomas and Lourdes Gutierrez asking restaurant goers to be patient as their new staff learns the ropes.

Both Thomas and Gutierrez, close friends and now business partners, have restaurant experience.

Thomas is a past owner of Casa Mexico in Byron, which she left in 2018, and Gutierrez previously worked 14 years at Tapatio in Fort Valley, which she left to join Thomas in the new restaurant venture.

The two take turns greeting customers and helping the kitchen staff with cooking.

Gutierrez’s 23-year-old son, Brandon Cervantes, came up with the name of the restaurant.

Translated from Spanish, fuego means “fire” and fresco means “fresh.”

“He said, ‘Fuego Fresco sounds beautiful for a Mexican restaurant because it’s hot and at the same time it’s fresh,’“ Thomas said.

Julissa Decker, one of Thomas’s three daughters, painted all the paintings and a large mirror hanging on the walls of the restaurant.

Another daughter, Vanessa Rodriguez, helps out at the restaurant, while her third daughter, Paola Rodriguez, is responsible for the bookkeeping.

A look at the extensive menu

The five-page menu includes a variety of appetizers, quesadillas, soups and salads, nachos, combination plates, enchiladas, specialities, burritos and seafood dishes.

Among the specialties is the Fuego special, which starts with a bed of rice topped with a choice of grilled chicken, steak or shrimp, or all three meats, with grilled onions, bell peppers, mushrooms and melted white cheese.

Another specialty is the spicy dish bistec a la Mexicana, thin cut ribeye steak grilled with onions, tomatoes, bell peppers with a spicy sauce on top, according to the menu. The dish is served with rice, beans, salad and tortillas.

Among the authentic Mexican dishes is menudo, which is only served on Saturdays and Sundays. The menu describes the dish as beef tripe cooked in a chile-based broth seasoned with herbs and served with tortillas, lime, cilantro, onions, dry oregano and toasted hot peppers.

Another entree among the authentic Mexican dishes are the deep-fried sopes filled with beans, choice of meat, lettuce, sour cream, pico de gallo and shredded cheese. Meat choices include ground beef, shredded chicken, grilled chicken, steak or adobada.

Fuego Fresco’s authentic Mexican tacos are all served on a corn tortilla, topped with cilantro and onion and served with rice, beans, a slice of lime and spicy salsa. Diners can find birria tacos among the choices.

Tacos dorados are also found among the authentic Mexican dishes. These are three deep-fried corn tacos filled with potato or refried beans topped with lettuce, sour cream, shredded cheese and served with rice, beans and tomatillo sauce on the side.

All the sauces are housemade.

Among the appetizers is the must-try street corn: a large corn on the cob coated with cotija cheese, mayo and Tajin.

The restaurant also has a lunch menu that offers 10 combination plate choices for $9.99 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays only. The lunch menu also includes grilled chicken fajitas for $10.99 and steak fajitas for $12.99.

There’s also a kid’s menu for children under 12.

Don’t forget dessert. Choices include flan, xango, churros, sopapila, a banana burrito and a side of ice cream. Add ice cream to any dessert for an extra $1.

Beverages include Coca-Cola products, bottled Mexican soft drinks, bottled water and seasonal fresh waters such as horchata.

With so many choices, diners may want to review the menu ahead of time. The menu is included in a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page.

Coming soon

Having received an alcohol license on the eve of opening, the owners are waiting on deliveries to fully stock the bar.

Once fully stocked, a wealth of alcoholic beverages are expected to be offered. As of Tuesday, the restaurant was serving beer, margaritas and had what was needed for most of the mixed drinks.

A separate one-page menu for the alcoholic drinks includes a variety of bottled, draft and imported beer, cocktails, margaritas, wine, and shots of tequila and other liquor.

Among the margarita offerings is the Fuego Fresco margarita, made with 1800 cucumber and jalapeno tequila, lime juice, grapefruit soda and sliced jalapenos.

The menu also includes non-alcoholic mocktails, including a sparkling sangria with oranges, limes and grapefruit garnished with a cherry.

The new restaurant is on the first floor of The Chalet Lofts at 1013 Northside Drive, Suite 102, in downtown Perry. The Chalet Lofts building features restaurant and retail space on the first floor and 12 luxury lofts on the second floor.

The Ciao Bella Market, a locally-owned authentic Italian market, is expected to open this fall on the first floor of The Chalet Lofts in Suite 102

Fuego Fresco Mexican Restaurant offers dine-in and takeout. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. The number is 478-224-2245.