New Mexican restaurant coming to former Fuji Cajun building in Loves Park

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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LOVES PARK — A new locally owned restaurant focused on authentic Mexican cuisine including seafood options is set to fill the former Fuji Cajun space on Riverside Boulevard.

Tacos El Jefe Mexican Grill will provide dine-in and drive-thru service at 6566 E. Riverside Blvd., which is two blocks west of Perryville Road. Owners Ricardo Garcia and Jose Jaramillo hope to open the restaurant by May after completing renovations to the space.

“I think it’s going to be a good location for us to introduce our flavors to Loves Park,” Jaramillo said.

The restaurant will feature a variety of dishes including Chile relleno burritos, California style burritos, tacos and wet burritos with a variety of salsas and cheese. There will also be ceviche, fish tacos, shrimp tacos and octopus tacos, to name a few of the seafood options.

“We’re going to be a little different to attract attention of the people here, and deliver really, really good flavor,” said Jaramillo, who has owned Chilangos in Rockford for 11 years. That restaurant is at 5621 Wansford Way, which is south of Harrison Avenue across from Illinois Bank & Trust. He said his son, Jason, will run Tacos El Jefe.

Jaramillo was born in Mexico City, where he grew up around the restaurant industry with his parents running taquerias. He’s been in Rockford now for more than a quarter century.

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The restaurant will run seven days a week with plans for late hours until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Jaramillo said the draw of soccer tournaments at Mercyhealth Sportscore Two, which is about 2 miles down the road, keeps restaurants on that stretch of Riverside busy. But he said that stretch needed an authentic Mexican option.

“People are looking for something to eat in that area,” he said. “We were always looking for an authentic Mexican restaurant, but there is nothing in that area right now. You have to drive maybe 5 miles away to find something.”

There have been several new restaurants added to Riverside in the past six months, including Capri Restaurant, Lino’s second location, Buona Beef and The Original Rainbow Cone and Panera Bread.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas