Restaurant will feature fine Mexican cuisine through its new pop-up “Mexico Ancestral @ Junction”
PASO ROBLES — Junction Tapas and Winebar in the historic train depot at 710 Pine St. is now hosting a new pop-upexperience for diners.
“Junction has always been about bringing people together over fabulous food,” said Ingrid Holguin, co-owner and general manager. “In celebration of our two-year anniversary, we are ready for exciting new things including our new Fall Specials for dinner and an expanded lunch and brunch menu, Thursday through Monday. We are even more excited to launch our first pop-up restaurant — Mexico Ancestral @ Junction.”
This is a deep dive into the world of authentic Mexican cuisine that is integral to Junction’s culinary footprint: Spanish-inspired cuisine with Mediterranean flavors and Latin American Flair.
“As a first pop-up theme, Mexico just made sense to me since I lived and worked in Mexico City in the ’90s when international recognition of Mexican food as one of the great cuisines of the world was just starting to explode,” Ingrid Holguin said. “So, just as our Spanish Tapas focus remains personal for me because of my family’s Spanish-Cuban heritage and my growing-up years spent in Spain, this pop-up is an opportunity to re-experience and share the magic of Mexico’s unique regional foods with our customers.”
The cuisine of Mexico was among the first to be designated by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, gaining this designation in 2010 alongside French cuisine. This designation came as many Mexican chefs with professional training looked back to their roots, drawing on the unique ingredients and history from the many regions of Mexico and adding techniques to create “Alta Cocina Mexicana” as haute cuisine.
“Mexican cuisine goes back thousands of years,” notes Junction co-owner and Executive Chef Nick Holguin. “And while I love a good plate of nachos or some tacos as much as the next guy, those delicious Mexican street foods are not what we want to feature. Instead, what you will experience at the pop-up are ancient recipes and traditions handed down over centuries, fusing indigenous ingredients and cooking methods with chef-inspired culinary techniques.”
The entrees on the Mexico Ancestral @Junction menu feature house-made-from-scratch vegetarian and meat dishes such as Mixiote de Pollo, Mulli Mexicano, and Chile en Nogada, showcasing a few of Mexico’s truly exceptional sauces: Oaxacan black Mole, Rose Mole from Taxco and Puebla’s famous Nogada creamy walnut sauce. Starters include fresh house-made tamales, Mexican squash soup and prickly pear cactus salad. Delicious and healthy house-made artisanal beverages — Tepache and Atol — are also available.
The menu offers two must-try desserts: Todos Santos, a medley of butternut squash, piloncillo ice cream and shaved pumpkin chips, or Nicuatole — any flan-lover’s new favorite — made from white corn masa and cochinilla powder.
Junction’s co-owners note that this new pop-up brings to life an aspiration they had for the restaurant from the outset: that it becomes a space for staff to be creative and bring their best to the table.
“Two of our cooks have demonstrated their deep knowledge and respect for their county’s vast and varied cuisine, backing this up with dishes that can go toe-to-toe with what some of Mexico’s best-known chefs are putting out today,” Nick Holguin said. “We are thrilled to feature the menu selections and recipes of Chefs Fernando and Diego, who take lead in the Mexico Ancestral @ Junction kitchen on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 5 to 9 p.m.”
“True to the mystery of pop-ups, the question of how long Mexico Ancestral @ Junction will be operating remains open,” Ingrid Holguin added with a smile. “We have a talented team in the kitchen and a wonderful restaurant space that was just waiting for the right pop-up experience to share with our customers.”
Junction Tapas and Winebar is a local Paso Robles restaurant opened in 2022. The menu features Spanish tapas favorites, as well as shareables including paella, fideuá and parrillada, a barbeque feast of grilled meats and sides. Junction Tapas & Winebar is open five days a week, Thursday through Monday for dinner (5 to 9 p.m.), Saturdays and Sundays for brunch (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), and Monday, Thursday and Friday for lunch (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.).
