RESTAURANT CUISINE: Mexican

Owner:  Stan Venecek 

HEAD CHEF: Gustavo

HOMEBASE: Czech Republic

EDUCATION: Stan attended a hospitality and restaurant training school in Switzerland.

 How long have you worked at Margaritas?

I opened Margaritas 14 years ago and have been working here ever since.

Did you always want to be a chef/ work in the hospitality industry?

I guess you could say that the hospitality industry chose me, it’s what I know and what I was trained in so it’s something I have been involved with most of my life.  As soon as I finished school I moved to Canada and from there I have worked in various restaurants and hotels throughout the country.

 What other styles of restaurants have you worked for before opening Margaritas?

I have worked a lot of various types of restaurants including steak houses, Italian restaurants, French restaurants, hotels and now a Mexican restaurant.  When I first moved to Canada I came to Toronto, my first job was at the Expo. From there I started working at the 4 Seasons hotel in the restaurant and service department. Following that I took some time off for about 4 years and when I returned to work I worked at a Steak House on St. George St. After my time at the steak house I took a contract job working at Canadian Club in Vancouver, which was a very high end restaurant/club. When my contract was up I returned to Toronto and began working at a French restaurant on Martin St. that is no longer open at this time. From there I opened Margaritas on Carlton St. and have been there for the past 14 years.

 Tell us an interesting fact about your restaurant

 We have a very interesting clientele; the people that usually dine here are a younger crowd, between the ages of 18-27. The crowd makes for a fun and inviting atmosphere that everyone seems to enjoy. Also it’s great because we have a lot of space for our guests. Out main floor dining room has a seating capacity of 60 people, we also have a private party lounge that hosts 44 people and in addition to that we have a beautiful patio that seats 90.

What is your favorite menu item?

 My favorite menu item is the Chicken Morelia. It’s a chicken breast sautéed in a light cream sauce with chipotle, sour cream and a variety of carefully chosen spices. Its served with rice and salad.

If you were to recommend 3 menu items to someone that was trying your restaurant for the first time what would they be?

I would recommend the grilled calamari as an appetizer, and either the chicken morelia or the grilled fresh snapper with shrimp as main courses.

What menu items would you recommend for health conscious consumers? 

For anyone that was trying to stick to a healthy eating regimen I would definitely recommend our seafood options. We offer shrimp, snapper, and salmon for example; they are all high in omega 3 fatty acids and are great to incorporate into your diet. Also I would recommend the grilled calamari as it is prepared with the use of minimal oil, only a light marinade. In addition to that we also offer salads and vegetarian burritos, and for vegetarians any of our tortillas can be modified to be vegetarian as well.

What is something unique about your restaurant that sets it apart from the competition?

What makes us unique is that we offer authentic Mexican cuisine and we offer it a great price. The average bill for a couple comes to about $40 …and that includes margaritas!

If someone was to order a menu item for delivery what would be the best option?

I would recommend that people try our Quesadillas, enchiladas, and burritos, as they are always a great option for takeout. Additionally I would recommend the chicken morelia as it seems to be one of our most popular takeout items.

Thank you to Mr. Venecek for taking the time to answer our questions! With the summer months approaching, what better way to celebrate the warm weather than on a patio! The margaritas and burritos are just a great bonus! Hit up Margarita's, or have them delivered and be sure to try out these great menu recommendations from the owner himself!