Mama Loca’s Cafe and Cantina

Delicious Mexican food and more are on the menu in an inviting historical building

photos by Paul Newton  |  pnewton@ruralmissouri.coop

What do you get when you combine a Missouri farm girl with Mexican heritage and fine-dining experience, a former police officer who can mix the perfect margarita and a pristine building built in 1894? The memorable and worth-the-drive dining experience of Mama Loca’s Cafe & Cantina. The menu at this funky restaurant offers something for everyone who visits the 14-year mainstay on Main Street in Ash Grove.

“Our goal is to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations when they walk in the door,” says owner Dolores Coble. “Food preparation is very important to me. We start with whole food products and serve it as clean and fresh as possible.”

In 2010, Dolores and her husband, Marc Schwenn, opened Mama Loca’s, which was the first Mexican restaurant in Ash Grove. But don’t let the name fool you. The menu goes far beyond your favorite or soon-to-be favorite dishes from south of the border. “We’ve always had tacos, burritos, cheeseburgers and chicken strips,” Dolores says. “That way, if someone says, ‘My husband does not like Mexican food’ — and we hear that a lot — then we can say that’s OK, we have really great cheeseburgers.”

In 2010, Dolores and her husband, Marc Schwenn, opened Mama Loca’s, which was the first Mexican restaurant in Ash Grove.

“Dolores is very modest,” Marc says. “She has worked in the restaurant industry all her life. She is a chef, and she grew up on a working dairy farm and hog operation. She tells people owning a restaurant is just like being a dairy farmer — it’s nonstop.”

You can tell the restaurant is a labor of love for the couple when you walk in the door — from the matador paintings that line the walls to the chandeliers to the inviting back patio and garden. Throughout its long history, the building that houses the restaurant served as a dry goods store, tearoom and antique shop. “I think it’s one of the best-preserved and all-original buildings in the Midwest,” she says.

Then there’s the food. Many of the dishes were inspired by family recipes. Dolores’ mother owned a traditional Mexican restaurant in Cabool for 48 years. While she didn’t share her recipes with Dolores, she instilled a love for food, fresh ingredients and hard work — all of which are evident on the menu.

The Mexican entrees are the stars of the menu. One of the best sellers is the Carne Asada Street Tacos. “What makes it so special is that I use very tender meat,” Dolores says. “You don’t have to chew or gnaw on it. I think that’s the most important aspect of a good steak taco. It is probably the most authentic thing we have on the menu; it is very similar to what you would get if you were visiting the streets of Mexico.”

The tacos are garnished with cilantro and onions and served with a side of guacamole, limes, rice and beans. While the tacos are very flavorful, they are not spicy.

Another customer favorite is the Smothered Burrito, which is a 10-inch flour tortilla filled with beans and seasoned ground beef. The burrito is topped with either queso (the most popular) or enchilada sauce (Dolores’ favorite). It’s smothered with cheddar cheese the team grates in-house. The dish is garnished of lettuce and sour cream and served with rice and beans.

“The Smothered Burrito is a comfort food,” she says. “It’s like eating Grandma’s chicken and dumplings, but it’s not chicken and dumplings; it’s a big Smothered Burrito.”

The Smothered Burrito can be topped with queso (pictured here) or enchilada sauce.

A new item on the menu is the Trainwreck, which was inspired by some of the restaurant’s customers who had lived in New Mexico. The customers described a dish to Dolores, and she headed to the kitchen. Named in honor of the train track that runs 30 feet out the back door of the restaurant, the Trainwreck is a stacked enchilada.

“We stack the enchiladas in a cast-iron skillet, starting with enchilada sauce, a tortilla, seasoned ground beef, onions and cheese,” she says. “Then we do another tortilla, seasoned ground beef, onions and cheese. Then it is covered with enchilada sauce and cheese. It is served with a fried jalapeno, crispy potatoes and a side of beans.”

The menu is rounded out by gourmet pizzas, cheeseburgers and hand-crafted salads. Good food served in a special building creates an inviting atmosphere that keeps customers returning over and over. Marc says they have regulars from as far away as St. Louis, Kansas City and Branson. They also have customers from other states and countries, who find Mama Loca’s as they bike along the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail, which passes Ash Grove on a coast-to-coast route along mostly rural highways.

The Hobby Farm Pizza features a hand-stretched crust, Alfredo sauce, spinach, mozzarella cheese, chicken and bacon.

“We just had a family from France visit,” Dolores says. “It is really exciting for us that we can be right here in rural Missouri and meet and greet people from all over the world. But at the same time, we can sit and have coffee or an adult beverage with our friends right here in town.”

For Dolores, Mama Loca’s has been a place of healing. In 2006, she sustained a traumatic brain injury in a car wreck. She had to relearn how to speak, and her doctors didn’t expect her to ever work again. Dolores didn’t believe them and exceeded everyone’s expectations. “The restaurant has been part of my healing and recovery,” she says. “Being in service to others is what helped bring me out of my darkness. We love serving. It’s what fulfills us.”

“I am not bragging — I’m just repeating what customers say. Our margaritas are the best you will have,” Marc says. “We don’t use mixes in our drinks, they’re all made with real ingredients.”