Though he’s Guatemalan, chef Guillermo Estrada has been cooking up Mexican meals across Nassau for years. Now, he’s developed such a passion for the cuisine that he’s opened a Mexican spot of his own on Old Country Road in Mineola.
“I want to provide my flavors to people. I put all the recipes together to see people enjoy the food,” said Estrada, the owner of the newly opened El Sol GL. “I like to share Mexican cuisine with everybody.”
Estrada, who’s worked in Mexican restaurants like Margaritas Cafe in East Meadow and Besito in Roslyn for roughly 20 years, said opening a place of his own has always been a dream.
“I started working in the restaurant industry when I was 17 years old, working as a dishwasher,” Estrada said. “I worked my way up to become a barback server. Then I became a manager. I really started from the bottom.”
He said he’s been cooking professionally in local Mexican restaurants since he was 21.
Now 38, he’s honed his craft to develop a menu of his own, which includes homemade guacamole, empanadas, quesadillas, taquitos, tacos, salads, fajitas and burritos, alongside other classics like enchiladas, chuleta de puerco, steak ala jalisco, yuca fries and refried beans. Many dishes can be made with steak, shrimp, pork, fish or chicken.
Estrada is also serving up a slew of drinks, like mojitos, margaritas, sangrita and cervezas.
He emphasized that his dishes are always authentic and made from scratch, a form of cooking he’s passionate about.
“It’s very authentic. We make everything fresh. Everything is made to order. We don’t have any frozen stuff,” Estrada said. “My favorite things to cook are our Mexican burritos, our fajitas, our tacos, but most likely, our birra tacos.”
He said he hopes to welcome more new guests to his restaurant, something he has found incredibly rewarding.
“I love the fact that people come into the restaurant and enjoy my food, and see the pleasure on their face when they try my food,” Estrada said. “The way they talk about my food makes me passionate and makes me try to do it better and better every day.”
Those looking to give Estrada’s cooking a try can visit El Sol GL at 234 Old Country Road from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
