A restaurant called El Churro Loco has opened within the Pacific Pearl compound at Togafuafua and is offering Mexican dishes.

Assorted Mexican dishes will be offered at the new eatery and include food with enchilada sauce and sauces to the meats, seasonings, chili, churros and much more.

Restaurant owner Benjamin Toilolo told the Samoa Observer in an interview that he and his wife Tasha was sceptical at first as they were not sure if Samoans are familiar with Mexican food.

“I’ve known and seen Samoans where a lot of them don’t really like spicy, so we’ve kind of made things a little bit mild to tone it down a bit but the flavor is still there,” he said.

The restaurant opened on Wednesday and he said the idea of establishing such an eatery was borne out of their love for Mexican food, especially churros.

Churros is a Spanish snack made from a strip of fried dough coated with sugar or cinnamon.

Mr. Toilolo said he and Tasha's love for Mexican food started when they were living in America and since their opening a lot of people, such as expats and those whom were familiar with Mexican food, have turned up. 

Initially he and his wife started off small by making churros for their children as a take away and even shared it with the community.

“They loved and gravitated to it so I started doing churros by itself in different functions such as the Food and Wine Festival, Teuila Festival and Pacific Games,” he added.

Mr. Toilolo said their fan base grew, compelling him and Tasha to open up their own eatery. Consequently, the couple resigned from their jobs at Coral Reef Academy to venture out and do their own thing.

He said his wife and their four children moved to Samoa six years as they wanted to raise them in Samoa. 

“Figured that it’s a lot safer here than in the States,” he said.

And while there are more income generation opportunities in America, Mr. Toilolo said they would rather have their children grow up in Samoa to get a good upbringing before they are older, when they can move overseas.

And going back to his family's Mexican restaurant, he said: “Here in Samoa, for the word to just be out there, is the key so we’ll see how it goes."