Vochos Urban Mexican Kitchen

Vochos Urban Mexican Kitchen promises an experience beyond traditional Tex-Mex

By Judy Royal  »  Photos by G. Frank Hart

1138 Military Cutoff Road, Wilmington
910-239-9343
vochosurbankitchen.com

Before he was serving quesabirria and mezcal sour cocktails, Alex Zaragoza dreamed of becoming an architect and even studied the profession for a couple of years. However, the pull of his family’s culinary legacy proved stronger than any blueprint, leading him to a career of crafting flavors rather than designing buildings.

The longtime local restaurateur’s latest venture is Vochos Urban Mexican Kitchen, a vibrant homage to Mexico City’s bold flavors and bustling street food culture. With a menu that’s as colorful as the city that inspires it, Zaragoza is offering Wilmington diners a fresh, distinctive taste of Mexico, one plate at a time.

After three years of planning and some unexpected delays, Vochos opened in January at 1138 Military Cutoff Road in the old Mayfaire Ruby Tuesday building. Diners should not expect a cookie-cutter experience but instead something new and unexpected, Zaragoza says.

“The whole concept was to create an upscale atmosphere to show the community that we have different options other than Tex-Mex,” he says. “The Tex-Mex concept is amazing, and people love it, but I just wanted to focus on creating something unique.”

Sure, you’ll find a few familiar items on the menu, such as traditional guacamole, but some versions blend the avocado concoction with bites of crispy smoked pork belly or ribeye bites. Another highlight is the birria, a brothy braised meat dish served on bao buns with Chihuahua cheese and pickled red onions. Several varieties of tacos round out the lineup of street food favorites.

Vochos also offers more elevated options, including multiple ceviches and tiraditos featuring fresh seafood, and main dishes of slow-cooked pork shank and enchiladas with homemade mole. Zaragoza shakes things up a bit with fusion items that blend the flavors of Mexico with Peruvian and Asian cuisine, such as four types of “Mexican sushi,” including Independencia, a mix of shrimp tempura, cucumber, cream cheese, Mexican street corn confetti, spicy mayonnaise, and microgreens.

“Creating dishes and seeing people enjoy them – it’s like gasoline for a car,” he says. “It keeps me going. It makes me happy and pushes me to be better.”

Zaragoza, who has been working in restaurants since his family moved to the United States in 2001, strives for the cocktail menu at Vochos to impress guests just as much as the food with libations such as the Passion Fruit Pisco Sour, Zona Rosa Negroni, and Kahlua Colada.

“It’s not just mixing juices,” he says. “We make every single syrup in-house.”

Currently, Vochos is open for dinner daily and has lunch hours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Zaragoza is working on a Friday through Sunday brunch menu to be released during the second week of September, featuring dishes such as birria quiche, chilaquiles rellenos, and sope Benedict, as well as a mimosa bar. He says he relies heavily on feedback from family, friends, and other guests when introducing new offerings.

“That’s just music to my ears to listen to people and give them an opportunity to try new menu items and leave the restaurant with a big smile on their face,” Zaragoza says. “That makes me so happy.”

The 5,200-square-foot Vochos space is the biggest restaurant Zaragoza has ever owned, but he has plans to expand the 207-seat dining room with a patio that can accommodate 100 additional people by next summer.

Zaragoza is quick to credit his staff with making Vochos the best it can be. He said his philosophy is simple – the way you treat your employees reflects in the way they treat customers.

“I’m so proud of every single team member at Vochos because they are so dedicated and they just love what they do, and it shows in how they treat the guests,” Zaragoza says. “It’s not just about having delicious food or a nice ambiance. It’s also important to enjoy what we do.”

So why the name Vochos? In Zaragoza’s native Mexico, Vocho is a nickname for a Volkswagen Beetle, the iconic curvy car that swept the nation in the mid-20th century. The cars were particularly popular in Mexico City, where green-and-white Vochos served as the city’s taxis for decades. As a child, Zaragoza fell in love with his uncle’s 1964 red Vocho, and he found and restored a similar vehicle that he proudly displays outside the restaurant.

“I always dreamed of having a restaurant like this,” he says. “It’s like my baby, and Vochos is a one-of-a-kind concept. I’m not trying to compete with anybody. I’m just focused on what I love, and what Vochos is.”