The mixed alambre platter ($20.99)—a dish made with marinated chicken breast, garlic shrimp and Angus beef, mixed with poblano peppers, onions, bell peppers, bacon and cheese, and served with rice and beans. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
The mixed alambre platter ($20.99)—a dish made with marinated chicken breast, garlic shrimp and Angus beef, mixed with poblano peppers, onions, bell peppers, bacon and cheese, and served with rice and beans. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
Luchador Micheladas y Botanas offers chips and salsa made in-house to pair with its dishes. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
Birthed from his Sonora, Mexico, roots and his passion for lucha libre, a style of professional wrestling originating in Mexico, Francisco Rios opened Luchador Micheladas y Botanas in January 2024.
“I love Mexican food. I'm from Sonora, and you don't find a lot of Mexican food from Sonora here at all,” Rios said.
What's on the menu
Rios said Sonora is known for its beef and shrimp dishes made with fresh ingredients sourced from local farmers markets and spices from Granel Spice Market, a Houston market that offers unique spices.
The restaurant menu, made up of recipes from Rios and chef Marcos Torres, focuses on replicating what Rios knows Sonora cuisine to be with dishes such as pork with chile verde, a seared and slowly stewed pork made with tomato and a spicy tomatillo sauce.
At Luchador Micheladas y Botanas, customers can enjoy street tacos made with tortillas made in-house. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
Since its opening, the menu has expanded to offer dishes including chilaquiles, street tacos and its mixed alambre platter—a dish made with marinated chicken breast, garlic shrimp and Angus beef, mixed with poblano peppers, onions, bell peppers, bacon and cheese, and served with rice and beans.
Luchador Micheladas y Botanas is known for its chilaquiles ($14.98). (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
The restaurant also offers handmade tortilla chips, handmade tortillas and homemade salsas. Salsas offered ranked from hottest to mild include:
Habanero salsa
Green creamy salsa
Marco salsa
Tomatillo spicy
Tomatillo mild
The backstory
Growing up, Rios said he spent several years working in the restaurant service industry, however, his path led him into the automobile industry where he wore several hats for 30 years.
His passion for lucha libre started as a young kid and evolved into his adult years when he met Blue Demon, a professional luchador and Mexican film actor.
Francisco Rios opened Luchador Micheladas y Botanas in January 2024 to offer Mexican cuisine from Sonora, Mexico. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
With Luchador Micheladas y Botanas, Rios had the opportunity to fulfill his longtime dream of becoming a restaurant owner. The restaurant was originally intended to be a snack eatery with Mexican delights and drinks, however, the eatery's offerings quickly grew in demand leading Rios to establish the business as a restaurant with a full menu.
The restaurant offers happy hour Monday-Friday from 2-6 p.m. with $5.99 margaritas and 10% off appetizers as well as Taco Tuesdays with $2.99 street tacos and $5.99 margaritas all day.
Jovanna joined Community Impact as a reporter in July 2023. As a features reporter, she covers the North Houston area, including Cy-Fair, Tomball, The Woodlands, Conroe, Spring-Klein and the Lake Houston area. She graduated from Sam Houston State University in December 2021 where she majored in mass communication with a focus in multiplatform journalism and a minor in creative writing, and served as a writer for the campus newspaper, The Houstonian. When she is not writing, Jovanna enjoys spending time outdoors, traveling and fitness.
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