New Mexican restaurant opens north of Hastings Road

There’s Tex-Mex, and then there’s authentic Mexican food. If people want the real thing, they can look at Camino Real. It’s one of the newest restaurants in the area, on Spokane’s North Side.

Owner Roberto Perez opened his restaurant in mid-February, but he’s no stranger to food service. Years ago, while living in California, he began his career as a cook in a steak house. After moving to Seattle, he worked in a variety of Mexican restaurants.

Coming to Spokane also involved cooking, but with a family twist. “In the mid-‘70s my brother owned Casa de Oro on North Division,” Perez said. “I came over here to help him with the restaurant.” Since then, the brothers opened a second Casa de Oro, in Spokane Valley.

But that wasn’t the end of it. Perez decided to establish yet another Mexican restaurant – this time in the northernmost part of Spokane. When the property became available just north of Hastings Road, he jumped at the chance. He enrolled Camino Real in the Washington Restaurant Association and planned a grand opening.

“We’re excited to bring this new partnership to North Division Street,” he said.

One of the challenges of starting a new restaurant is finding cooks who understand authentic Mexican food, according to Perez. “I had to look around everywhere, and I had to ask friends to tell their friends.” He finally assembled a crew that could handle the challenge.

Patrons stepping into Camino Real are greeted in Spanish, and Latino music plays in the background. Mexican-style artwork adorns the walls. Visitors should feel at home in the comfortable atmosphere and find prices reasonable enough for family dining.

In fact, Perez encourages families to gather at his restaurant for lunch or dinner. On a recent Saturday, an extended family of multiple generations occupied several tables, which had been pushed together to accommodate them. It’s Perez’s dream to see groups like this become regular patrons. “We hope customers will fall in love with our family atmosphere and our friendly staff,” Perez said.

When asked how Camino Real differs from other authentic Mexican restaurants in the area, Perez stopped to consider. “That’s a hard question,” he said, “but each place has its own flavor, like a salsa or a particular drink.” He went on to describe some of the house specialties, such as mole verde, a sauce made with nuts, vegetables, seeds, spices and chocolate. At Camino Real, Perez uses green chilies instead of the traditional red ones in his mole. He also serves a shrimp dish combined with cheese, ham and bacon, which he said is unlike any other in town.

“We hope our service is special, too,” Perez added. “We want people to come in here and be happy.”

He said Camino Real offers enough variety to meet everyone’s taste. Besides house specialties, patrons will find a menu full of family favorites like burritos, enchiladas and nachos.

Perez invites area residents to see for themselves. “I look forward to greeting our new guests at Camino Real,” he said. “Everyone loves a warm and inviting Mexican meal, and we can’t wait to be a new family favorite in the neighborhood.”