An Olathe restaurant space that once served pizza now offers Mexican cuisine.
Emiliano’s, a local family-owned Mexican restaurant, opened its doors this month to what owner Emilio Romero said is already an enthusiastic crowd.
Emiliano’s is at 2137 E. 151st St.
- The restaurant is just off of East 151st Street and South Mur-Len Road, near Austins Bar & Grill and 7-Eleven.
- Pizza Hut occupied that space before it closed in 2022.
- Emiliano’s is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Emiliano’s serves traditional Tex-Mex favorites
The menu at Emiliano’s features items like steak enchiladas, chicken flautas, cantina shrimp tacos, and “tres amigos” burritos filled with pork, ground beef, and shredded chicken.
The restaurant also serves appetizers like chile con queso, guacamole and nachos, as well as sweet treats like churros and sopapillas.
So far, Romero said some of the menu’s most popular items have been the pollo Ixtapa (chicken topped with onions, jalapeños, tomatoes, mushrooms, shrimp and a butter sauce) and the pineapple blueberry margarita.
“It’s Tex-Mex, for sure, with some authentic stuff in there as well,” Romero said.
Emiliano’s is Romero’s first restaurant of his own
Though the Olathe restaurant is Romero’s, he isn’t the first restaurateur in the family. His uncle owns and operates K-Macho’s Restaurant & Cantina, which has locations in Olathe and Overland Park.
Romero’s parents helped him open his new Olathe concept. The colorful decor of the space, Romero said, can be attributed to his mother’s vision.
“We just (wanted) to have something just for us,” Romero said. “Just to kind of branch out.”
That’s not the restaurant’s only familial tie either. The name Emiliano’s is a nod to Emiliano Romero, Emilio’s grandfather, who is pictured in a photo near the front door.
In the next couple of years, Romero said he’s considering growing Emiliano’s with a few more locations. In the meantime, he’s focused on starting off this new chapter on the right foot.
“It’s been a good start, for sure,” he said. “It’s been a lot of learning.”
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