Dine-In: Milly’s Restaurant Serves Up Original South of Border Dishes
Outside Milly's Restaurant in Vineland. Photo by Meredith Winner/Mer-Made Photography
BY CLYDE HUGHES | AC JosepH Media
VINELAND – Milagro “Milly” Juarez lived in her native El Salvado and Mexico before moving to the United States with her family.
Her lifetime worth of authentic Latin skills and knowledge accompanied her as she opened her first location after having worked for different restaurants south of the border.
Her establishment, Milly’s Restaurant, has been a hit along the major Vineland corridor at 602 East Chestnut Avenue for 15 years. Our Front Runner New Jersey.com Dine-In team of reviewers left immensely satisfied and impressed with her culinary skills and generously sized portions.
It is clear why family and friends came running when it was known Milly was cooking. We experienced the appreciation of why her establishment is so popular. It is obvious she knows her kitchen with plates served bubbling with flavor and aroma.
During our recent visit to the restaurant, we found the treasure hiding behind the tree-lined avenue as we nearly missed the restaurant sign, but once inside, we felt welcome. The servers approached our table ready to assist us in English or Spanish.
Victor Cruz, Juarez’s son, sat down with us as if we were family and shared how Milly got her start. Cruz spoke of the story and experiences behind Millys Restaurant. He explained that the size of the restaurant, which they have been in for 10 years, is a step up from their first location down the street and “perfectly” fits the needs of Milly’s and their clientele.
The large portions and dishes bursting with flavor is just the way Juarez learned how to cook back home in El Salvador and Mexico, he said. He is now spending time in the kitchen with his mother, as he wants to keep the tradition alive as she teaches him her tricks of the trade.
Front Runner New Jersey.com Dine-In indulged in Milly’s Sopa Azteca, the House made tortilla soup with chicken, avocado, cheese and sour cream. The amazingly flavorful, sharable, homemade “cup” of soup was so impressive, it was believed to be the large serving.
There is no doubt why this piping hot popular choice along with its artful presentation is one of the top choices at Milly’s.
Although arriving later in the day, breakfast is always available and so it was ordered. Huevos con chorizo, consisting of scrambled eggs and Mexican chorizo with re-fried beans, sour cream, cheese, and avocado was superb.
The Chilaquiles con huevo was delicious and included the most perfectly cooked eggs ever, corn tortillas cut into quarters and topped with green and red sauce. Variations are available to add steak, chicken, or Cecina to the dish.
Yes, customers are almost guaranteed that Juarez will have a personal hand in every dish at Milly’s, assuring that the quality and authenticity of each dish fits her vision and quality.
“Yes, she doesn’t want to leave the kitchen,” said Cruz, who is a member of the CompleteCare Health Network board of directors. “She cooks everything. I’m learning. Before the restaurant opened, she used to cook for other people. She worked at different restaurants and people used to tell her that she should open her own restaurant.”
Being the oldest of 19 brothers and sisters, Juarez became used to cooking for big groups. Cruz said she had been cooking for families and others since she was 10. Cruz said when the family settled in Vineland, his mother’s cooking attracted crowds of people at her home, thus the idea of the restaurant seemed to be an obvious choice.
When family and friends would get wind that Milly was at it, cooking up her specialties, they would make it a priority to high tail it over to enjoy his mom’s cooking Cruz added.
When it comes to finding the best of the best of a cultural cuisine, Cruz agreed to follow where the ethnicity goes. Here at Millys one can see her years immersed in the culinary intricacies of her cuisine, from such a young age, without the foresight of entrepreneurship. It is convincingly inevitable that she was destined to bless so many with her long earned talent.
It’s no surprise Milly’s Restaurant includes a bustling take-out service, attracting many in the local farmworker community. Cruz said the meals became so popular that local farm employees have seen their bosses become regulars to the restaurant and now frequent Milly’s, bringing their families with them.
“We have a lot of people who work in landscaping and on the farms come by and they want something quickly,” Cruz said. “They don’t have time to sit down and eat but we want to make sure that they get something really good.”
Millys menu has all the traditional Latin staples — burritos, nachos and tacos — along with unique fares such as pupusas from El Salvador, Milly’s Mocajete, Juarez’s special Mexican-themed dish and other Puerto Rican and Dominican-style meals.
What is Cruz’s favorite? “I eat everything,” he said.
While Juarez is rarely seen in front of the restaurant, no one leaves without having experienced Milly putting her own personal touch on Milly’s delicious food — and that’s a very good thing.
Front Runner New Jersey.com Dine-In highly recommends that you stop by and give a shout out to Milly and tell her that we sent you.
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