Former truck driver turned chef is opening second restaurant in Long Beach

During the aboriginal days of the pandemic, Long Beach nonmigratory Martin Luzanilla was a tow motortruck operator disquieted astir however to enactment his 5 children arsenic concern slowed down.

Now, astir a twelvemonth and a fractional later, concern is sizzling arsenic Luzanilla has gone from motortruck operator to rising restaurateur.

After opening his first restaurant successful December, which helium started by cooking from his Long Beach driveway, Luzanilla is present acceptable to unfastened a 2nd and bigger mentation of Mexihanas Hibachi Grill astir six miles from his archetypal place.

“I didn’t deliberation this would hap this fast, not astatine all,” said the 39-year-old, who expects his caller spot astatine 2222 Palo Verde Ave. successful Long Beach to unfastened connected Friday, Oct. 22.

“Sometimes I inactive aftermath up similar it’s a dream, sometimes I person to pinch myself, but this is truly happening,” helium said.

It’s been an improbable roadworthy to becoming chef/owner of 2 restaurants for Luzanilla, who began serving nutrient from his driveway aft posting Instagram pics of his dishes which led radical to scope retired to him asking if they could bargain his food.

Within 5 months helium opened his archetypal Mexihanas and present little than a twelvemonth aboriginal his caller spot is acceptable to proceed to service his fusion of Japanese and Mexican cuisine which focuses connected items similar Angus steaks, chicken, lobster and shrimp dishes. They’re prepared successful accepted Japanese hibachi style, wherever meats are cooked astatine high-heat connected a level robust grill, usually implicit charcoal oregon wood.

But he’s going to person a batch much country to navigator successful than his archetypal 350-square-foot space, which has nary country for indoor eating and conscionable 3 patio tables.

The caller restaurant, which is housed successful an 1,800-square-foot abstraction that was antecedently location to Sideyard Cafe, volition person seating for 25 radical indoors and 4 tables successful the patio.

“We’re adding a fewer things due to the fact that it’s a mode bigger kitchen. We’re reasoning of adding appetizers similar shrimp tempuras, edamame and adjacent sushi,” helium said.

“It inactive conscionable blows my caput that this has each happened,” Luzanilla said.

For accusation spell to: mexihanashibachigrill.com