Live, from Peoria, Illinois, it’s Saturday Night, starring this week’s host, Los Jimadores, featuring special guest stars, Eduardo and Gisel! And now, all the way out in Pioneer Park, please welcome this week’s host, Los Jimadores!
it’s Saturday night and here we are at Los Jimadores on University Street near Pioneer Park. This building used to house one of Peoria’s first and beloved Mexican restaurants, Pepe Taco! I love it that Los Jimadores has kept this tradition alive in Peoria and if you miss Pepe Taco, you should come out and stop in here. The restaurant has been remodeled, but it still brings back nice memories and I think that the food here is even better than Pepe Taco!
Right after I took that first photo, Eduardo, who’s the owner of Los Jimadores came out to say hello and he showed me a new addition they’ve put on over here on the side of the restaurant, it’s a porch area for outside seating when the weather warms up! Very nice and I see some torches there on the posts, so this looks like it’s going to have a nice tiki feel to it! I’ll definitely be back when it warms up! It’s still a little chilly out here now, so...
Let’s get inside! Here’s the main dining room and even though it’s a little late for dinner, there’s still a nice crowd in here for dinner! Los Jimadores has a very loyal following and it’s getting bigger every week!
Eduardo told me they’ve remodeled the bar, so I thought I’d sit up there and give it a test run! I love the changing lights behind the bar and that keg of tequila on the bar can mean only one thing...
It’s margarita time! Here’s Eduardo and his pretty wife, Gisele with a margarita and a beer chaser! They have a ton of margarita flavors and styles to choose from here and as you can see, they are a work of art unto themselves! What a beautiful drink! Salud!
Every meal starts out with fresh tortilla chips and homemade salsa. I like how they bring the bottle to refill the bowl if you empty it out, that’s a nice touch! Check out the new wooden-covered menu! How deluxe is that? I ordered my meal and we’ll take a little look around in here while it’s being prepared.
Two margarita machines are over there whipping up some green frozen goodness and the glasses hang overhead at the bar. There’s a quartet of draft beers available and check out two of these food orders waiting to be delivered to a lucky table! They look fantastic and smell even better!
Directly behind the bar is a marble communal table and there's a shot of the dining room from back by the bar. A side room is situated over here with more tables and booths. I love the hand-painted murals and artwork adorning the walls.
The artwork isn’t limited to the walls either, the table-tops are all custom-made, Spanish-influenced art as well, beautiful!
Meanwhile, back at the bar...
Dinner is served! Areeba!
I got the Steak Texano, which is a 14 ounce T-bone steak and it comes with shrimp, french fries and broccoli! What a feast!
The steak is thinly cut and it’s cooked perfectly with just a touch of Mexican flavor to it! It was delicious!
The shrimp were juicy and plump and they balanced out the steak perfectly! The french fries and broccoli were nice side items to the meal and it was really a tasty and satisfying Saturday night dinner!
But now it’s all gone! Adios, Saturday night dinner! You were wonderful while you lasted!
And speaking of wonderful, mucho thanks to Eduardo, Gisel and the whole crew at Los Jimadores! This place not only serves up delicious meals and tasty treats, it’s one of the friendliest restaurants in Peoria!
Los Jimadores has a full menu of Mexican appetizers and entrees including: Tacos, burritos, quesadillas, fajitas and a whole assortment of combination meals to choose from. One unique thing on their menu for a Mexican restaurant is a T-Bone steak section! They have five different variations of T-Bone steaks to choose from, so I thought I’d try one of those.
I got the Steak Texano, which is a 14 ounce T-bone steak served with shrimp, broccoli and a side order of french fries. The steak is a generous portion and it’s a thin sliced cut of meat cooked ranchero style. It was really tender and savory and had just the right seasonings added to it to remind you that this is a steak cooked up Mexican style! The shrimp were plump, juicy and plentiful—I counted nine of them on the plate—and it made for a wonderful surf and turf Mexican-style dinner! The french fries and broccoli were tasty side dishes and they complimented the steak and shrimp perfectly!
SN Rating
Three and a half stars—If you love Mexican food and south of the border specialty foods, you need to try the authentic Mexican cuisine at Los Jimadores! The food is delcious and the atmosphere is always friendly, if it’s your birthday you’ll get a song and a special treat from the wonderful staff at Los Jimadores!
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7723 N. University Street
Peoria
309-689-9930
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Related Posts: Saturday Night @ Whitey’s Tip Top Inn, Alexander’s Steakhouse and Seven On Prospect.
Sleeping on the roof of a mexican restaurant, Sleeping on the roof of a mexican restaurant...
Surprise link...click on it, I dare you!
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Bonus Photos—Happy 87th Birthday To My Mom!
Last night my sister Terry and her husband Phil had a very nice dinner for my mom’s 87th birthday celebration. I didn’t want to bug everyone by taking pictures all night, but here’s a few highlights from the party!
We got the birthday cake from Trefzger’s and it looks so good! Here’s Terry presenting my mom with the cake and Anne blew out all of the candles without spitting on the cake! Wonderful job, mom!
Everyone got her some nice presents and two people that weren’t there even had a present for her! My friends Amber and Joe sent over this package and it’s a bottle of San Miguel Sentiment Fragrance complete with a wish on it! My mom wished I would quit taking pictures and she’ll get that wish soon! Thanks for the nice and thoughtful present, Amber and Joe, she loved it!
Here’s a card and my present to my mom. She quit smoking about twenty years ago and still talks about it, so I figure since she’s 87-years-old now, it’s time to start up again, so I got her a pack of Dorals! Happy birthday, mom and smoke ‘em if you got ‘em!
Here’s the whole party, clockwise from left: Dad, Tom, Phil, Mary Beth (hidden by Irish hat), Tupac (holding hat), Matt, Greg, Caylin, The Birthday Girl and Terry. Happy Birthday Mom! And thanks to Terry and Phil for having a wonderful dinner and a great party! (Okay mom, your wish comes true now, the pictures are all over and we’ll see you all tomorrow!)