Esquite Restaurant Opens on Shirley Avenue

A new Mexican restaurant, Esquite Restaurant, held its grand opening celebration last Wednesday at 198 Shirley Ave.

Valentina Moreno, daughter of restaurant owner Abel Moreno and Alicia Moreno, said the restaurant features Mexican street food and other specials.

“We have tortas, which is a Mexican sandwich on a specific bread,” said Valentina. “The most popular torta right now is the Cubana. But we do have many other options for the tortas. We also have quesadillas, soups, salads, and our famous corn on the cob which has been available in our food trucks.”

Local residents will recognize the Esquite food trucks that have been selling corn-on-the-cob and corn-in-a-cup on Fridays at the Revere Food Market on the American Legion Lawn. The food trucks also sold the popular food items at past Revere Sand Sculpting Festivals.

What has been the response to the new restaurant that continues the amazing resurgence of the Shirley Avenue neighborhood under Mayor Brian Arrigo?

“The response to the restaurant has been great,” said Valentina. “We’re excited but we’re definitely thinking of hiring more people because so far we don’t have delivery and already the demand is high. The people have been so kind to us and we’re going to keep working.”

The Moreno family is of Mexican descent and moved to Revere from Texas a decade ago. Valentina is a 2015 graduate of Revere High School and a 2019 graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, receiving a degree in Public Health. She is currently working for the City of Revere as a census outreach organizer.

Her brother, Emiliano, is a 2016 graduate of Revere High and a senior at Bentley University. The Moreno family resides in Revere.

Esquite Restaurant, which has a social media presence on Facebook and Instagram, is open Monday through Saturday, from 2 to 8 p.m.