Añejos, the family-owned Mexican restaurant on Pine Cone Road South in Sartell, reopened its doors on Aug. 1 after closing in May for a three-month stretch. Owners Ramon and Martha Navarro brought the restaurant back under its original name, deciding against a rebrand even after weighing the idea while the doors were shut.
According to sctimes.com, the restaurant closed in May 2026 and reopened on Aug. 1 at its longtime address, 1733 Pine Cone Road South. Añejos first opened in January 2014, meaning this year's reopening marked a return for a restaurant that has been part of the Sartell dining scene for more than a decade. The Navarros thought about changing the name when they reopened but ultimately continued the Añejos branding, the outlet reports.
That decision to stick with the name wasn't made lightly. Separate reporting from river967.com indicates the family weighed a rebrand during the closure but landed on keeping Añejos after input from customers, family and staff, concluding that “AÑEJOS is here to stay.”
A Family Operation Behind the Counter
Martha Navarro doesn't just co-own Añejos with her husband Ramon — she waits tables, works behind the bar and handles the business side as well, per the same sctimes.com report. Ramon has credited her with doing more for the restaurant than he does. The couple's children are part of the operation too: daughter Jackie Navarro, 28, works as a waitress and has been with the restaurant since she was 16, while her younger brother Raymond Navarro, 24, and sister Maria Navarro, 31, also work there as staff.
Jackie has described working alongside her family as both rewarding and challenging, according to the outlet's account. Ramon and Martha have owned the restaurant for more than 10 years, and Ramon said the community's support after the reopening moved him to tears, while Jackie said the family was happy to see that support show up again.
What's on the Menu
Añejos serves traditional and family recipes alongside fresh-made margaritas the restaurant makes without concentrate, the report notes. A margarita flight lets diners sample three flavors — lime, strawberry and mango — in one order.
The best-selling item is the Burritos Añejo, loaded with grilled chicken, Mexican chorizo sausage, cheese dip and pico de gallo and served with rice and beans, per the reopening coverage. Ramon personally recommends the chori-pollo, built around grilled chicken breast, Mexican chorizo and cheese and served with rice, beans and flour tortillas. Jackie points diners toward the Añejos Molcajete, a shareable dish of pork, steak, chicken, Mexican chorizo, mushrooms, squash and Mexican onion marinated in green sauce, covered in Chihuahua cheese and served sizzling in a traditional stone molcajete bowl alongside rice, beans, tortillas and crema salad. Her personal favorite, though, is the Burrito San Jose — one of the restaurant's most popular dishes, filled with grilled chicken, Mexican chorizo, rice, beans, cheese dip and pico de gallo.
Looking Ahead to the Next Generation
Añejos is open seven days a week: Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., according to the sctimes.com report. The restaurant describes itself on its own site as a family-owned, family-oriented Mexican restaurant offering made-from-scratch entrees, a description that lines up with how Añejos' website presents the business, including its listed reservation line.
The family's roots at Añejos go back further than this year's reopening. Earlier coverage from thenewsleaders.com described the restaurant's insistence that margaritas be made only with fresh-squeezed lime and orange, part of an identity the Navarros have carried from Añejos' earliest years through its return this summer.
Looking further ahead, Jackie has said she hopes she and her siblings can eventually take over the restaurant so their parents can retire, according to reporting from the Bradenton Herald. She wants her parents to be able to step back after owning a restaurant together for more than 10 years — a succession plan that, for now, keeps the same family name on the door in Sartell.
