Mi Pueblo es su pueblo

North Mankato’s Mi Pueblo Mexican Bar & Grill, the third in Minnesota, stays busy

Moises Diaz speaks with pride of the authentic Mexican food at Mi Pueblo in North Mankato, which he manages and has joined as partner.

Mi Pueblo has two other Minnesota restaurants, in Lakeville and Eden Prairie. The North Mankato site opened in October 2021 at 1754 Commerce Drive, formerly Vero’s Tacos.

The rest of the ownership team includes Guillermo Valdivia, who also works the front end in the North Mankato restaurant, Jorge Gomez and Simeon Cuellar. And it’s a family-run business enterprise.

“All the owners' wives are sisters,” Diaz said.

In the ever-changing and competitive regional scene for authentic Mexican food in the Greater Mankato area, Diaz said the North Mankato community has provided a strong customer base. And the Commerce Drive location is a busy spot.

Diaz has been in the United States for three years, most recently coming up from Oklahoma. But nearly all of the 10 employees at Mi Pueblo’s North Mankato restaurant hail from the Guanajuato region, a city and state in central Mexico with the city about 340 miles northwest of Mexico City.

“It’s about the opportunity to do better things with your life,” 24-yearold Diaz said of the move to the U.S.

He credits the early success of Mi Pueblo’s North Mankato location to a dedicated staff, “good marketing” and authentic Mexican food that keeps bringing customers back for more.

“You don’t need many people to run a place if they do it right.”

That doesn’t mean it’s easy. The bar-restaurant business is competitive, the landscape often changing, and customers’ tastes everevolving. And the industry can be tough on startups.

“It’s really hard to start,” Diaz said. “But so far, it’s been pretty good.”

Mi Pueblo’s 2021 opening was actually only for take-out and delivery as the North Mankato site geared up its inside look. When the doors opened, Diaz said the place was packed. Today, the restaurant’s business has moved into a more predictable pace, one Diaz likes.

“Now, you pretty much know what it’s going to be like. The first couple months, it was super crazy. Now, it’s stable. Now, it’s like the real numbers.”

The Parrillada Mi Pueblo dish is a specialty and popular menu item:

“Cooked different from other fajitas, this new fajita contains grilled chicken, grilled carne asada, shrimp, carnitas, grilled squash, nopal, mushrooms, onion, chiles toreados, all marinated in homemade sauce and covered with queso fresco…”

While this one is prepped for two, Diaz said it can easily feed three or four. But he also acknowledges that the locals have other favorites.

“People here love burritos and tortillas.”

Taco Tuesday also is a popular attraction, with offerings from street tacos to mango tacos, best with shrimp.

Customer comments love Mi Pueblo, too. Natasha Frost, who owns and operates the Wooden Spoon in Old Town Mankato and the Southern Minnesota Food Recovery nonprofit, said this on the restaurant’s Facebook page:

“Mi Pueblo has been an excellent supporter of My Place (the Mankato Youth Place). Thank you for all you do for our community.”

Customer Pam Soma of Mankato kept it simple: “This place is really good!”

By James Figy