Restaurant has seen 3 generations of families come through doors

By Staff Report
Alfredo Rodriquez knows Mexican cuisine. The owner of Morgan Hill’s Las Palmas Restaurant is a native of the Chihuahua region of Mexico and has worked in the food industry in the Bay Area for 45 years as both a distributor and a Mexican restaurant owner. He well understands that creating a quality dining experience keeps bringing back customers — and also brings in new customers through word-of-mouth praise.
Las Palmas caters to a variety of diners. Located near the East Dunne Avenue exit on U.S. 101, it brings in travelers looking for a convenient place to get a good Mexican meal. “Sometimes people say that they’ve seen the place from the road, and they decided to stop by. And they get a pleasant surprise,” he said. Many travelers eat their lunches on the restaurant’s upstairs balcony and enjoy views of the mountain ranges surrounding Morgan Hill.
Music also brings in customers. South Valley residents have made a tradition of joining their friends at Las Palmas on Thursday nights to enjoy the Motown tunes of the Jones Project, the band that entertains at the restaurant. Las Palmas is also a favorite place for local families or out-of-town people visiting the nearby Outdoor Sports Center. Many who come to enjoy a meal stay to play a round of miniature golf on the small course adjacent to the restaurant.
Serving Morgan Hill with Mexican meals since he opened the original Las Palmas at the Vineyard Shopping Center on July 1, 1985, Rodriquez said that he’s seen children grow up during the years they’ve sat down at his restaurant. “It’s family-friendly place,” he said. “We are on our third generations of families who come here. So we’ve had the grandparents, the moms and the dads, and the kids come here for their lunches and dinners.”
Rodriquez chose to start Las Palmas in Morgan Hill because the town provides a good quality of life. He and his wife Maria raised their three sons Alfredo, Aaron and Armando here. Their son Alfredo Rodriquez Jr. works with his father in developing the menu items.
“He has extensive food training at a CordeValle resort in San Martin,” Rodriquez said proudly. “He’s well trained.”
The menu Las Palmas offers is extensive, with a wide selection of authentic Mexican pork, beef, chicken and seafood dishes to tempt the diner. “We serve fresh-cooked meals,” Rodriquez said. “We don’t rely on our freezer too much to hold foods. Everything is cooked for the customer for that day. Our salsas are always freshly made. We make our own salad dressing. We do our own chips. We make fresh chips every day.”
Among the many dishes served at Las Palmas, the home-style chile verdes are a real favorite with customers, he said. So are the margaritas. On Mondays, they are $3.95 all day. Las Palmas stocks a full bar of imported Mexican beers. “And we have all the tequila you might wish to sample,” Rodriquez said.

LAS PALMAS RESTAURANT

Location: 16825 Condit Road
Open: 11a.m. to 9 p.m. Sun. – Thurs.; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fri. and Sat.
Call: (408) 779-7400
Visit: www.laspalmasmexdining.com