Xelas has been open in Stillwater for a while so when my sister suggested it for dinner I was pumped to finally get to try it out.

The original restaurant, El Sazon, is located inside a BP Gas Station in Eagan and I have been hearing about how great it is for years, so I was very excited when they opened this larger location; Xelas by El Sazon in Stillwater. As far as I can remember, I haven’t had Mayan cuisine before, and not to ruin the review but you should just know up front it was delicious.

Food:

Queso Fondue: Poblano cheese fondue with sautéed mushrooms, served with sourdough bread and tostadas

This queso fondue was delicious. I loved the mushroom addition. My only critique is that I’d rather they lose the bread and add another 1-2 tostadas. We had queso left over with nothing left to dip and the bread just wasn’t the vibe.

Tamal de Bison: Tamal filled with bison meat, topped with recado negro made from chrimol and bison broth and fresh herbs

This tamal (aka tamale – corn dough filled with various ingredients, wrapped in a corn husk or banana leaf, and steamed) was served sans wrap and was listed on the menu as a nod to Minnesota with Mayan roots. The flavors were really good and my sister and I split all the dishes so we both got a pretty decent portion also!

Tlacoyo de Chicarron: Oval-shaped masa cake filled with chicharron prensado, seasoned with ranchera salsa and topped with crema, avocado salsa, and fresh herbs

A masa cake is made from ground corn dough and chicarron presnado is pressed pork cracklings or pressed pork belly.

This was my favorite main dish of the two, and again, this was definitely enough to share between two if you want to taste test some of the menu!

Drinks:

As shocking as it may be, I just wasn’t feeling the cocktail menu so I stuck with a diet cola.

They have a good mix of margaritas that you can change to mezcal as well as other alcoholic options, though!

Atmosphere/Service:

I will admit that a few times I’ve driven by during the afternoon and were worried that they had completely shut down due to looking closed, but luckily, it is simply because they generally open for brunch and then close under dinner, so I would definitely check the hours before you try to go or better yet, make a reservation – link below.

Our server was great and the inside felt upscale casual. 10/10 I’d go again.

Xelas by El Sazon
1180 Frontage Rd W.
Stillwater, MN 55082
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