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El Caminito, "The Little Trail," is a little restaurant on a big street. It's located on El Camino Real near S. Fair Oaks Avenue in Sunnyvale. It's quaint and festive, decorated with sombreros, posters, wooden puppets and papier mâché toucans, all of which reflect its owner's origins.
An immigrant from Mazatlan, Mexico, Julian Rios bought El Caminito 13 years ago. He ended up in Sunnyvale, he says, because he was looking for a restaurant to buy and El Caminito was for sale. He says it was the most affordable.
Since Rios has worked all his life in the restaurant business, the menu consists of recipes he's picked up over the years. There are the usual array of burritos, chimichangas, tostadas and tacos, but Rios adds his own twist. For example, enchiladas El Caminito wraps tortillas around chicken, cheese and a secret sauce that includes the long, spicy haujillo chile.
The motto here is "Authentic Fresh Daily," so the mango chutney and chicken appetizer is also a crowd pleaser.
El Caminito is open daily, but Rios manages to take Sundays off.
"When I first started, it was really hard. I struggled for 21/2 years," he says. "Right now it's making money, so I don't have to work as hard. Basically, I just manage the restaurant. The only thing I have to take care of is the staff."
Rios employs 10 people, including his brother, two nieces and two nephews. When they all arrive at work, they get marching orders from Rios: keep the food good and the service fast.
"I'm working on fast, especially at lunch," he says. "We have to get people in and out."
As with any good business, El Caminito keeps evolving. Last fall, Rios tried a happy hour, with inexpensive appetizers, drinks and a live band. But it started interfering with his regular dinner crowd, so Rios cancelled it. Now he's focused on keeping the regulars happy and catering to the myriad companies that are located nearby.
"I've been doing a lot of catering lately, especially to high-tech companies," he says and adds that this may be a sign that Silicon Valley is really on the comeback.
That's one reason, even though El Caminito has a full bar and a big screen TV, Rios doesn't try to attract a sporting crowd.
"We're a family restaurant," he says.
To attract both little and light eaters, he's included a "platillos de niños" on the menu. It's $3.75 and comes with a choice of a burrito, taco, enchilada or quesadilla with rice and beans. While it's called a "children's plate," Rios will let anyone order it. Also, for those with a lighter appetite, El Caminito offers a variety of salads, plus a low carb grilled catfish or chicken dish paired with vegetables, sliced tomatoes and avocado.
El Caminito, 510 East El Camino Real, in Sunnyvale. For takeout or catering, call 408.739.1191 or visit www.elcaminito.com. The hours are Monday--Thursday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
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Photograph by Robert Meggers