“Let’s eat Mexican food tonight,” must be a pretty common phrase heard around Columbus, as there are a lot of Mexican restaurants in town. But are they truly authentic? One telltale sign of genuine, ethnic cuisine is approval by the culture from which the food originated, and at Super Mercado Las Americas Restaurant, there is no shortage of Hispanic approval.

“Most of the people who come in here are part of the Hispanic community in town,” said owner Plutarco Telles. “They come in and tell us the food is very authentic to Central American style.” Telles and his son Christian, a CSU student, have been operating the restaurant on Hamilton Road, which also doubles as an ethnic grocery store, for over three years. “I am from El Salvador originally, and the style of food there is very close to the style in Mexico,” Telles said. “Other places [in town] you don’t see Hispanics eating there, so they must not get it right.”

The store is easy enough to find, but the restaurant part is not advertised and is well hidden in the back. Remarkably, the tables are usually packed. Dining here feels a bit like eating in a small cafeteria due to the row-and-columns look of the odd yellow booths. You certainly won’t need a suit to eat like in some restaurants, but a little Spanish and a big appetite may come in handy, as the portions are quite large and the wait staff knows only enough English to get by.

Some dishes, like the many variations of tacos and tostados, come on their own, and other dishes like the Camarones a la Plancha and the quesadillas come with healthy portions of fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, yellow rice, and refried beans with fresh mozzarella. The enormous burritos have gained the approval of Californians according to the owner, and the soups are also said to be quite popular.

Surprisingly, there are no chips and salsa, but diners would be missing out on other tasty opportunities by filling up on tortilla chips. Each dish is bursting with flavor and freshness, and of course, homemade hot sauce is provided for each dish. Stifling the heat from the sauces comes easy, as there are refreshing Jarritos sodas and tasty pineapple and vanilla horchatas to quench the thirst.

Exploring the store can be just as fun as dining, as many of the items around the store are used to create the dishes on the menu. The market has everything from assorted colorful habaneros and Serrano peppers to spicy chorizo sausage and marinated meats. They have stone guacamole bowls, tortilla presses, and can even filet a fresh snapper at the deli. “This is a good way to run a restaurant,” said Christian. “The food is always fresh, because we have the produce here, and people can see that when they walk around the store.”

Dinners may find Super Mercado Las Americas at 4101 Hamilton Road. They are open seven days a week, and students may receive a five percent discount with proper identification. Military and police discounts are also available.