After years working in and running kitchens at such Las Vegas luminaries as Marche Bacchus, the Eiffel Tower Restaurant, Sushi Roku, Boa Steakhouse and Simon Kitchen & Bar, Jose Aleman decided to open his own neighborhood restaurant almost four years ago. But the resulting authentic Mexican food at Sin Fronteras wasn’t part of the chef’s original plan.
“To be honest, I never thought about Mexican food at all. My background is French cuisine,” Aleman says. “But when you’re starting a small business, you don’t have room to fail, and there’s not a lot of good Mexican food in this town. Now here we are, and we’re getting really good feedback from our guests.”
The family-run northwest eatery started as a takeout spot with nine seats, no restrooms and no beer or wine. It quickly doubled in size and now seats more than 70 for dining in. And although the pandemic stalled business for a few weeks during springtime, Aleman says Sin Fronteras is busier now than ever.
The comfortable menu is stocked with favorites, from appetizers like “super nachos” ($8) and queso fundido with chorizo and poblano peppers ($9) to a variety of tacos, burritos and fajitas. A massive plate of carne asada fries ($12) and the Black Angus-beef “fire burger” ($9) with Oaxacan cheese and morita chili pepper barbecue sauce offer innovations on familiar flavors.
The most popular item is likely the enchiladas, a dish that doesn’t see a lot of variation in the local restaurant scene. “In Tex-Mex cuisine, enchiladas are always swimming in a pool of sauce, just tortillas rolled around some chicken, and traditional enchiladas are not that way,” Aleman says. “Ours are different. We add vegetables and breakfast potatoes, and of course you can do any meat. Sometimes folks who have never been into the middle of Mexico or even out of the [United States] will say, ‘This isn’t enchiladas,’ and we just say, well, try it, and after that, it’s ‘Wow, amazing! They’re the best we’ve ever had.’”
If you want the Sin Fronteras red mojo rojo sauce on yours, it’s best to get them with housemade chorizo ($10). If you prefer the spicy green tomatillo sauce, opt for carnitas ($10).
SIN FRONTERAS 4016 N. Tenaya Way, 702-866-0080. Daily, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
