The Loop will be fifth site for popular Mexican bar & grill where freshness & authenticity are priorities

El Potro has expanded the Margarita’s bar and added an interior frame of stunning Mexican tile.

 

For Methuen’s Interiano family, opening a fifth location of their popular and growing El Potro Mexican Bar & Grill is literally a homecoming!
Parents and city residents Elias and Juana, along with adult sons Danny and Jason, are thrilled to bring their authentic fresh food, inviting culture and colorful artwork to The Loop, in the space previously held by Margarita’s. A mid-July opening is the goal.
“We’ve been lucky and blessed that, despite this being our fifth location, we’re really still a family restaurant at heart. Our owners are in every single restaurant if not every day, pretty much every day,” noted Business Manager Joe Carreiro, a former Methuen resident himself. “It was always in the back of our minds to come back to a location where they call home.”
El Potro (which means “the pony”) first opened in Somerville (2006), followed by Lowell (2013), Malden (2015), Chelsea (2018) and now Methuen. What makes this restaurant special is its commitment to authentic food that you’d enjoy if you visited a Mexican home.
“The family roots are in Mexico – but like many Central American communities, the family had migrant roots that kind of go where the work was. The current generation grew up in El Salvador, but their parents and grandparents are really from Mexico,” Carreiro explained.

Nothing is from bottles or cans at El Potro. Even the margaritas skip the mix and instead use fruit puree! Courtesy photo

“The recipes are authentic Mexican recipes – the recipes on our menu are what you’d eat if going to a family member’s house for dinner.”
Everything is made from scratch every day.

With the goal of a mid-July opening, El Potro Business Manager Joe Carreiro is shown in the new Loop location which is utilizing much of the former Margarita’s authentic furniture. Over time, they’ll incorporate their own chairs and artwork which the Interiano family gets from a Mexican art collaborative and is similar looking. ML photos by Melissa Fili

“We bring in fresh ingredients 6 days a week to all our kitchens. We make our salsa, guacamole, even our sour cream and chips are made every single day in the kitchen. We don’t bring in cans or bottles,” Carreiro said. “Our tortillas are hand-baked and hand-packed from a bakery in upstate New York. Anything over a couple days old gets turned into our chips. For us, the freshness of the food matters. Our food prices are based on bringing in food fresh every day. We don’t keep things in storage.”
Even the drinks are made fresh. Their fruit margaritas are created with fruit puree rather than a mix.
What are some of El Potro’s fan faves?
“Our most common favorite is the carne asada – a very thin cut of steak that we marinate for 12-14 hours and we serve it with rice and beans,” Carreiro said. “We’re also known for our fajitas – our trio which is shrimp, chicken and steak together. That’s really popular – you get a little taste of everything.”

Assistant General Manager Jason Interiano shared his family’s story in a video for The Immigrant Learning Center (ilctr.org) of Malden.

Born in El Salvador, Elias Interiano literally worked his way up in the restaurant biz.
“It was very difficult in the beginning,” Jason explained of his dad’s jobs. “He did everything from picking tomatoes to cleaning bathrooms. But what always got his attention was the kitchen because he always liked creating things. … He managed to reach chef status … knowing the whole kitchen and running the restaurant before he even decided in the future to run his own place.”
At age 11, Jason (who graduated from CGS and Greater Lawrence Tech) would go to the restaurant after school and wash dishes for a few hours. (A third brother, Anderson, graduated from CGS and Methuen High, but doesn’t work at the restaurant.) As Jason grew older, he learned about prep work and memorized recipes and became detail-oriented like his dad. And now he’s helping this family business thrive.

This area near the fireplace can accommodate small or large groups of customers.

“El Potro’s arrival at The Loop is a great win for Methuen,” said Mayor DJ Beauregard. “It represents the kind of locally rooted, small business investment we want to see more of. This is a Methuen family bringing new energy, new jobs, and new flavor to our local economy, and we’re proud to support them as they grow right here in our city.”
“Our core management are family members or extended family members,” Carreiro explained. “We’ve been able to take that family philosophy and build on it. It’s not just a catch phrase – it’s really the way we live. We’re really a family restaurant at our heart. We want folks to come in and feel like part of the family.”

By getting creative with seating and extending the large bar, the restaurant offers nearly 200 seats inside plus a patio area. The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner from noon to midnight 7 days a week. They welcome private events and offer large portions for those seeking catering. El Porto does not believe in having a third party handle their food, so they do not offer online delivery service. Learn more and check out the menu at elpotromexicangrill.com.