Victor Conrique is one of the owners and Executive Chef at Monarca. He aims to bring upscale Mexican Cuisine to the community and use his food to put a smile on customers’ faces.
MEDINA – The Medina Square welcomed Monarca in the square. Monarca provides ambiance and upscale Mexican food to residents.
The restaurant was opened by Juan Bravo, who is also involved with Tres Portrillos and also with Executive Chef Victor Conrique.
Bravo and family friend Maria Maria Dumitru-Brito described Conrique as the mastermind behind the restaurant.
Monarca was an opportunity for Conrique to bring upscale Mexican cuisine to Medina and allow people to taste what Mexican cuisine is supposed to taste like.
Monarca offers a basic menu as well as a special menu that contains dishes from 15 of the Mexican states and special creations that you will not find at other restaurants.
“The long-term goal is to actually have and incorporate dishes from all the states,” Bravo said. “We will deal with every Mexican state and represent that.”
Conrique studied gastronomy, the study between culture and food and the cooking styles of particular regions. He shared that he visited people from different places who trained chefs, but they were passionate about food and cooking and that these people helped him learn about what authenticity is.
“Seeing the look on a customer’s face when they finish a meal and for them to say it was amazing. That makes it all worthwhile,” Conrique said of his favorite part of owning and running a restaurant.
The couple decided to open the restaurant in Medina on the square because of the history of the area and because there are no other upscale Mexican restaurants in the area.
“What better place than Medina’s historic district,” Bravo said. “The people here are very kind, very warm and very hospitable.”
Bravo and Conrique shared that customer feedback has exceeded their expectations and can see Monarca expanding in the future.
“It was an absolute joy to work with the city representatives. They were very helpful, very knowledgeable and they served as a guide because we are in the historic district and there are many rules and regulations,” said Dumitru-Brito.
Bravo and Conrique expressed their gratitude to the City of Medina, to the customers who supported the restaurant, to the city officials and to the friends and family who supported them through this process.
They shared that while the building itself is great for business, it’s the people and passion involved that make it better.
“Monarca is just a name, but the name itself is actually composed of all the people who work here and they are very dedicated, as soon as they walk through those doors, they are dedicated to bringing a unique experience to the city,” Conrique.
Monarca is located at 108 Public Square. For more information about the restaurant, call (330) 723-0100 or visit https://www.monarca.co.
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