Acapulco Restaurant and Cantina Mexican Rice Recipe
Acapulco Restaurant and Cantina’s Mexican Rice is a fluffy, flavor-packed classic, rich with tomato, garlic and warm spices that soak up the sunshine and soul of coastal California-style Mexican cuisine.
Make our Acapulco Restaurant and Cantina Mexican Rice Recipe at home. With our Secret Restaurant Recipe your Mexican Rice will taste just like Acapulco Restaurant and Cantina.
Photo by theturquoisetable
Acapulco Restaurant and Cantina Mexican Rice
An Acapulco Restaurant and Cantina Copycat Recipe
To See ALL of Our Acapulco Restaurant and Cantina Copycat Recipes – Click HERE
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Acapulco Restaurant and Cantina
Acapulco Restaurant and Cantina, a Southern California staple since 1960, was founded in Pasadena by Ray Marshall with a vision to blend the vibrant flavors of the Mexican Riviera with the freshness of California cuisine. Over the decades, it has evolved into a cherished neighborhood destination, offering guests a culinary escape reminiscent of a coastal Mexican getaway.
The restaurant’s ambiance captures the essence of a festive Mexican street-front cantina, complete with handcrafted dishes made from scratch daily. Signature offerings include sizzling Combination Fajitas, fresh tableside Guacamole, and the indulgent Fajitas Gigante. The menu also features innovative dishes like Chimichurri Poke Tacos and Crab and Shrimp Enchiladas, reflecting a commitment to both tradition and innovation.
Acapulco’s popularity is further bolstered by its vibrant cantina, where mixologists craft cocktails using premium ingredients. Guests can enjoy daily specials such as Margarita Mondays and Taco Tuesdays, enhancing the lively dining experience.
The Downey location, a flagship since 1989, underwent a significant remodel in 2016, unveiling a dramatic new look inspired by Mexican resorts. The redesign introduced a beautiful cantina, updated dining areas, and outdoor patios, reinforcing Acapulco’s commitment to providing an everyday escape for its patrons.
Today, under the ownership of Xperience Restaurant Group, Acapulco continues to serve as a beloved gathering place for locals and visitors alike, celebrating the rich culinary traditions of Mexico infused with the innovative spirit of Southern California.
Mexican Rice
Mexican Rice — sometimes lovingly called Arroz Rojo — is the heart and soul of countless meals across Mexico and the American Southwest, a dish so humble and essential that it’s almost invisible in its ubiquity. Yet behind its vibrant orange hue lies a rich history and centuries-old tradition. Unlike Spanish rice, which it’s often confused with, true Mexican rice is sautéed in oil before simmering, coaxing out a nutty depth from every grain. The transformation begins with long-grain white rice toasted until golden, then cooked in a fragrant blend of tomato purée, garlic, onion, and chicken broth, sometimes joined by peas, carrots, or even corn.
Its origins trace back to colonial times, when the Spanish brought rice to the New World and it took root in Mexico’s fertile valleys, mingling with native ingredients and flavors. It soon became a staple of the everyday table and the centerpiece of celebratory feasts. Today, it’s most beloved in central Mexico, where it’s served beside everything from chile rellenos to carnitas and mole. In Tex-Mex and Cal-Mex cuisine, it’s a loyal companion to refried beans, tamales, and sizzling fajitas.
The best versions are fluffy, never mushy, kissed with the sweet acidity of ripe tomatoes and the depth of slow-cooked aromatics. Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina, for example, is known for its perfectly seasoned, deeply satisfying rendition that feels like a sunset on a plate. Mexican rice is more than a side dish — it’s comfort, heritage, and home, one spoonful at a time.
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Acapulco Restaurant and Cantina Mexican Rice Recipe
Acapulco Restaurant and Cantina’s Mexican Rice is a fluffy, flavor-packed classic, rich with tomato, garlic and warm spices that soak up the sunshine and soul of coastal California-style Mexican cuisine. Make our Acapulco Restaurant and Cantina Mexican Rice Recipe at home. With our Secret Restaurant Recipe your Mexican Rice will taste just like Acapulco Restaurant and Cantina. A savory, tomato-rich rice with golden onions, garlic, and a whisper of cumin, baked to perfection in a fragrant broth.
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Lard or Neutral Oil
- 1 large Yellow Onion finely chopped
- 2 cups Long Grain White Rice rinsed and drained
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon White Pepper
- 2 cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
- 1 cup Tomato Juice
- 1 cup canned Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes drained
- 2 tablespoons fresh Cilantro or Parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place lard or oil in a large skillet. Place over medium heat.
- When lard or oil is hot, add onion and rice. Sauté 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until rice is golden and onions are soft.
- Stir in garlic, cumin, salt and white pepper. Cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- In a separate saucepan, bring chicken broth, tomato juice and fire-roasted tomatoes to a gentle boil.
- Transfer rice mixture to a greased baking dish.
- Pour hot broth mixture evenly over the rice.
- Cover baking dish tightly with foil.
- Place dish in preheated oven and bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and rice is fluffy.
- Remove from oven. Fluff with fork.
- Taste. Add more salt and pepper, to taste, if needed.
- Sprinkle with chopped cilantro or parsley and serve hot.
Acapulco Restaurant and Cantina Mexican Rice
An Acapulco Restaurant and Cantina Copycat Recipe
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Photo of “Santa Fe Baking Company and Cafe” is by theturquoisetable and is used by permission under the Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License. Read the Full License Here – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode.en. Photo of “Acapulco Mexican Restaurant Cantina” is by David Seibold and is used by permission under the Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License. Read the Full License Here – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/deed.en. Thank you, TTT and David. Great Pictures. Photos may be “representative” of the recipe and not the actual finished dish. All photo licenses listed were correct at the time of the posting of the page. Recipe is original to Secret Copycat Restaurant Recipes. Recipe created by Secret Copycat Restaurant Recipes based on information from the restaurant and other sources on the internet – many courtesy of the Wayback Machine. Additional Information is from original research done by Secret Copycat Restaurant Recipes and/or courtesy of Wikipedia and is used by permission.
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