Super Mercado Las Americas is the go-to spot for authentic Mexican food in Columbus

Located on Hamilton Road, Super Mercado Las Americas is a Mexican supermarket with a surprise in the back. Walk past the aisles filled with food, ingredients, boots and everything else a supermarket would have and you’ll find a restaurant in the back serving everything your heart could desire for Mexican cuisine.

When I walked to the back I attempted to translate the menu which was entirely in Spanish. Employing what I could remember from the Spanish classes I took throughout high school and college, I was able to comprehend about half the menu.

I settled on the chicken empanadas, Mexican rice and refried beans with an Orange Fanta to drink. The empanadas were covered in a mountain of lettuce, carrots, crumbled cheese, jalapenos and a mayo-like substance that had a little kick to it.

The empanadas themselves were golden brown with a tiny bit of steam escaping them as I cut into the first one. Inside I found flavorful chicken that was still moist and had an earthy flavor with a little bit of spice. As I bit down into the golden pocket there was the lightest crunch which was immensely pleasing.

I topped each bite with the surrounding fresh tasting vegetables which made me feel slightly healthy despite how much food I ordered. I also used their spicy red sauce and milder green sauce. The red sauce seemed to be more tomato based with a stronger acidic flavor with an immediate kick most likely due to the visible pepper seeds in the sauce.

The green sauce seemed to be more tomatillo-based with less of an acidic note and a very well-rounded flavor with a tiny bit of spice. However, you could easily eat this sauce all day with a variety of different things and never once blow air out and say, “this is hot,” while wiping tears from your eyes.

The Mexican rice and refried beans were the perfect accompaniment to the main course of empanadas and occupied what little space I had left in my stomach after eating three empanadas. The beans were especially wonderful in that they already had the perfect amount of salt in them to my liking.

After eating I sat and drank the rest of my orange Fanta, paid my bill and proceeded to walk through the store to see what I could find that piqued my interest. I bought a Jumex mango juice I used to buy when I was in college, a bottle of jalapeno hot sauce and a glass Coke made in Mexico.

I will be back time and again and will definitely be back soon to try their chorizo.

Editor’s note: Ledger-Enquirer breaking news reporter Kelby Hutchison is our staff foodie and will occasionally write reviews of local restaurants. If you have a suggestion, e-mail him a khutchison@ledger-enquirer.com

This story was originally published January 3, 2023 at 5:00 AM.