Pulque was the first alcohol invented by the Aztecs in what is now Mexico. Next Monday, it will become the newest Mexican Restaurant as the owners of the Pulque Mexican Restaurant in Washington are expanding into the old Ruiz Castillo building. 

The owners, Saul and Elizabeth Oceguera, have been involved in the restaurant business in one capacity or another for over a decade. Saul was working at a restaurant in Chesterfield when he made the decision to move forward with his own restaurant in 2017. 

“Pulque is like the great grandfather of tequila,” Saul said. 

He credits a relationship with local baseball legend Albert Pujols with inspiring him to move forward and open the Pulque Mexican Restaurant in Washington. 

“The restaurant closed its doors in Chesterfield and we decided we could work hard enough to run this business in Washington,” Saul said. 

While the Washington location has been performing well, the Ocegueras have lived in Wentzville while operating the restaurant and wanted to be able to work closer to home. 

Saul said they saw an opportunity in Wright City as the Ruiz Castillo building laid vacant just off the highway. Since it was near home and in a community the family was familiar with they decided to move forward with opening a second location. 

He continued saying they were excited to bring a Mexican restaurant back to Wright City and provide citizens with additional job opportunities as they prepared to open their doors. The Ocegueras also emphasized that they are running a family business, and other family members will be just as involved as they are. 

“We’re not a bigger company, we are a family owned business,” Saul said. “You’re probably going to see our kids working here or in another location because we like our kids to learn from the beginning.”

The restaurant’s options include a menu of traditional Mexican fare as well as a full bar where Saul has also stocked his own personal collection of tequila. 

Their menu keeps the options simple with choices like quesadillas and nachos although there are also some more uncommon choices like sopas that are available as well. 

In preparation for their opening they have already taken care of plenty of the work necessary to get the restaurant up and running. The sign outside already carries the Pulque name that is also adorned, along with the blue agave plant, around the interior of the restaurant. 

They recently received their liquor license from the state as well after obtaining a positive recommendation from the Wright City Board of Aldermen. 

Saul said there are still some fixes to infrastructure in the restaurant that will need to be taken care of as the building has been there for some time. 

He also thought the building’s legacy as a Mexican restaurant was important. 

“I believe that legacy’s gotta continue one way or another, no matter if there’s a name change, that it still continues as a Mexican restaurant,” Saul said.