Roger Mendez’s growing menudo business, aptly dubbed Mr. Menudo, will open its fourth outpost this November at 12215 Paramount Boulevard in Downey, according to a recently filed liquor license confirmed by Mendez. Presently, the freestanding space set to become Mr. Menudo Downey is home to 7 Mares Family Restaurant.
Mr. Menudo opened in 2019 as a Compton food truck before gaining a second mobile menudo wagon in Whittier and bringing a brick-and-mortar to Bellflower. The eatery, of course, serves menudo — the tried and true soup cure for even the most nightmarish hangovers. Traditionally, menudo consists of a cow’s stomach (tripe) in broth with a red chili pepper base. Hominy, lime, onions, and oregano are then used to season the soup.
At Mr. Menudo, Mendez’s team cleans and trims the tripe before adding cow’s foot and beef tendon to the mixture. After that, blended chiles rojos and sun-dried guajillos imported from Zacatecas are included, and the soup is left to marinate overnight. Mendez’s recipe yields steaming bowls of vibrant red-orange broth loaded with tender, deeply flavored meats. Those hungry for more than menudo can also try Mendez’s burritos, tacos, tortas, tamales, gorditas, and quesadillas.
