Mexican Restaurant Opens Near Downtown

Allende Cocina Mexicana, 170 S. 1st St. Photo taken Feb. 13, 2026 by Sophie Bolich.

Many love stories start at restaurants. Allende Cocina Mexicana is the result of one.

The Mexican restaurant opened Monday at 170 S. 1st St., the former site of Stack’d Burger Bar, and will end its first week with Valentine’s Day service featuring a beet- and white chocolate-infused mole to honor the holiday.

When owners Cesar Lopez and Yolanda Herrera Montes welcome couples for the occasion, they’ll also quietly celebrate their own relationship. The pair were married in San Miguel de Allende, a Mexican city that inspired the restaurant’s name.

A wedding photo in the entryway shows the couple in front of Parroquia San Miguel Arcángel, the city’s iconic pink church where they exchanged vows. Beside it hangs a later image, taken when the couple returned to the site with their baby.

Working through holidays is nothing new for Lopez and Herrera Montes, who now have three children and, as of this week, their own restaurant. Both are industry veterans: Lopez grew up in his family’s restaurant, Cielito Lindo, still operating about a half-mile south.

Lopez continues the family tradition at Allende, serving familiar favorites like tacos, burritos and enchiladas. But in a city with dozens of similar concepts, he strives to stand out.

“There are a lot of Mexican restaurants in Milwaukee,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with the traditional Mexican food — it’s great, right? But, you know, we’ve got to find somewhere to stand out from the competition and do our own thing.”

For that, the couple looks to seasonal specials, scratch cooking and elusive ingredients like flor de calabaza, or squash blossom.

“In Mexico, the squash blossom is very popular, but here it’s more of a delicacy,” said Lopez. Allende’s produce vendor sources them fresh year-round, allowing the restaurant to make its flor de calabaza quesadilla — a handmade corn tortilla filled with mushrooms, onion, tomato and the delicate, orange flowers — a core menu item.

Tacos come with grilled steak, al pastor, chicken, shrimp, birria or cactus salad, elevated with simple additions like caramelized onions, mango salsa or a dusting of queso fresco. Burritos — classic, seafood-stuffed or “drowned” in chile verde — are also a staple, alongside fresh salads and starters such as queso dip, esquites and papas bravas with nutty salsa macha.

Enchiladas verdes poblanas have emerged as an early favorite, Lopez said, featuring chicken cooked with poblano peppers, roasted corn and creamy poblano sauce, topped with melted Chihuahua cheese and pickled red onion.

Always-available entrees include pollo en mole, fajitas and steak tampiqueña: a New York strip plated alongside a cheese enchilada, charro beans, grilled onions, guacamole and pico de gallo.

Allende will keep things fresh with a rotating specials menu, available on weekends only for now. “That’s kind of where we’re trying to play around with the flavors, spice things up and always have something different,” Lopez said. The restaurant also serves dessert, with featured items changing frequently. This weekend, it’s housemade churros and tres leches cake.

The bar program includes imported and domestic beers, Hayes Ranch wines and craft cocktails like the house margarita, mangonada and michelada — all made with real fruit purees, Lopez said. “They’re simple, but we’re trying to execute them really well.”

Nonalcoholic options include aguas frescas, Jarritos, Mexican Coke, coffee and fountain soda.

The restaurant space, empty since Stack’d closed in early 2025, has been reimagined with handmade furniture, star-shaped chandeliers, emerald green tiling and live plants. Exposed brick and beams remain, with updates to the bar top and new flooring.

Current hours of operation are Sunday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Lopez hopes to launch a brunch menu and expanded hours around Easter and plans to open the spacious sidewalk patio for summer dining.

Photos

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