In January 2019, Adrian Samaniego’s lifelong dream came true when he and his wife opened Adrian’s Cuisine on South Mission Avenue. The brightly painted cheery interior to Wenatchee’s newest Mexican restaurant is the culmination of Adrian and his wife Bianca’s hard work in a number of jobs throughout Mexico and the U.S., learning skills that ultimately helped them create a restaurant full of delicious food that’s clearly made with a lot of care and love.

“I arrived, separated from my {first} husband, with three kids, in November 2010,” says Bianca, who is originally from Nayarit, a Mexican state on the Pacific Coast. “I worked nights at the clinic cleaning, went to school during the day to learn English, and sold tamales to orchard workers to earn extra money.”

Five years later, Bianca met Adrian. Adrian had also arrived in Wenatchee in 2010. He had dreamed of owning a restaurant since he was a child. Adrian had come most recently from Utah, but had also lived in Texas and a number of different states in Mexico, where he built on the knowledge he’d learned from cooking with his mother (whose knowledge came from her mother and grandmother) starting at 10 years old. When he met Bianca, Adrian was working as a butcher in a local Mexican grocery store. The couple married in 2016.

Adrian’s Cuisine got its name because its owners wanted to make it clear that the food was made fresh and with soul.

“It’s more than a restaurant,” said Bianca. “It’s a kitchen where food is prepared.”

“I think other restaurants cook to sell their food,” says Adrian. “We cook like we’re at home and then sell what we’ve made.” 

The restaurant is a family affair. Bianca’s son helps with cleaning and bussing; her daughter is one of the waitstaff and helps with making the tamales several times a week. Bianca’s mother makes the homemade tortillas, which are hot and thick and served steaming with many of their dishes and as the vehicle for their tacos.

All their sauces are homemade – nothing coming from a can or a jar. Although some of their more complicated dishes have ingredients made beforehand – such as the tamales – most of their food is made to order. They even make their refried beans from scratch. The care they put into their food is obvious. 

Adrian, the head cook, draws on his vast experience to cook both traditional food and new combinations. They contract with some of the most reputable companies to bring in fresh shrimp from Seattle for their shrimp dishes, prepared in several styles with roots from various Mexican states. He orders the meat and prepares it himself for his carnitas – one of their most popular dishes – plus a chicken carnitas option you won’t find in many other restaurants.

Adrian’s Cuisine sets itself apart by offering several vegan and vegetarian options for its guests. Customers can order tamales – made with oil instead of lard – with asparagus and green beans, carrots, potatoes, and a mild chile, or jalapeños and cheese for vegetarians. They also make separate batches of beans and rice without chicken stock or other animal-based ingredients. Their vegan chimichangas start with a homemade tortilla filled with sautéed in season vegetables, tofu and a homemade adobo sauce.

“We thought, ‘Why don’t we experiment with making something vegan?’” says Bianca. “That’s really how it all started.”

Bianca points out that they have Mexican clients who are married to Americans. The Americans may not want heavy, traditional-style Mexican food, so they come here to get the best of both worlds. 

“They can feel that they’re eating something fresh and healthy,” says Bianca.

Currently, 60-70 percent of the Samaniego’s clientele are Mexican. Weekends are busiest, when hungry visitors come for the birria (a spicy Mexican stew originally from the state of Jalisco) and menudo (tripe in soup, cooked in a red chili pepper base) or one of the many other dishes on their extensive menu. Customers eat their fill then sit and chat. 

“My favorite part is to see the satisfaction from the people when they eat and when they leave, says Adrian. “It fills me up.”

The restaurant is still relatively new and working out some of the details as they go. They’re still working on completing some of the interior décor, but their food doesn’t suffer for the lack of paintings on the walls. They’re working hard to get the word out that they’re open for business. 

“I want to invite more American clients so they try the flavor and the experience we’re offering,” says Bianca. 

“People are going to find healthy, fresh food here,” says Adrian. “They’re coming to a family-friendly place.”

Adrian’s Cuisine is located at 845 South Mission St. in Wenatchee. Their hours are Tuesday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.