Exclusive | This little-known restaurant in NJ broke a world record – for tequila: ‘It’s very surreal’

There is nothing to be salty about here.

When Saurabh Abrol first came up with the concept for his Meximodo restaurant, he knew it was worth a shot – but breaking a world record wasn’t in his bingo card.

“It’s very surreal,” Abrol told The Post of his Metuchen, New Jersey, restaurant. “It just feels good that we were able to achieve such a feat that only one in a million restaurants can achieve.”

In late July, Meximodo Cocina Mexicana & Tequila Bar in downtown Metuchen — population 15,000 — was awarded the Guinness World Records title for “most varieties of agave liquor available on the market” at a restaurant with over 1,000 bottles in its collection – 1,033 to be exact.

But they never thought this would be the rating they received – especially so soon after opening in November 2023.

“Even before opening, we knew we wanted to have the largest collection of tequilas and mezcals in New Jersey. It really started with that,” said Abrol, CEO and founder of the restaurant’s parent company Le Malt Hospitality Group.

“We wanted a huge collection of bottles, but I had no idea that the Guinness Book would take notice and come and certify and give us such an honor.”

Ever since Meximodo broke the world record, people from all over the country have traveled to this lesser-known New Jersey town in Middlesex County to enjoy themselves.

“As soon as we got this noise, people are pouring in from all over, different states. We’re getting people from New York, Connecticut, Virginia, Maryland,” said Abrol, adding that they even had a customer from Canada come with their family to visit Meximodo and see the entire Tequila library.

Abrol and his team—including Puerto Vallarta native and chef Antonio Carballo and mixologist Carlos Ruiz—traveled to Mexico to source tequilas and mezcals that weren’t readily available, reaching out to all kinds of local purveyors and distilleries to buy unique bottles.

“It was important to me to really understand what’s really out there other than what’s only available at local liquor stores or local restaurants and bars,” he said.

As a lover of agave spirits himself, Abrol has tried “hundreds” of tequilas during his 25 years in the restaurant industry. And with the tremendous growth of the tequila category over the past few years, he wanted to provide his customers with something different.

Luckily for Meximodo customers, all 1,033 bottles in the record-breaking collection are available, with the cheapest bottle starting at $10 and going all the way up to a $4,000 bottle of tequila: the Clase Azul Tequila Día de Muertos Limited Edition bottle , which the restaurant receives once a year.

Their most expensive offering by the glass is the Clase Azul Ultra Tequila, which costs the customer $575.

Meximodo officials said only about two customers a month order the coveted spirit — which is probably for the best, since according to Surface magazine, each batch of this tequila takes more than 11 years to make.

According to Hard to Find Whiskey, only 100 bottles of this tequila are released each year – making it one of the most exclusive in the world – let alone a rarity in New Jersey.

And the road to a world record was not easy for the Meximodo team. Only in February of this year did they realize that they were on the verge of making history.

“It really grew into the thought process, ‘We’re really trying to do our best to get these tequilas and mezcals from around the world, especially from Mexico. Why don’t we try to break the world record?’ “

The collection of agave spirits, which ranges from small, family-owned and locally-sourced brands to bigger name brands, took about 10 to 11 months to assemble, Abrol said — and the process to officially becoming a Guinness World Record holder lasted almost as long as

For about six to eight months, the Meximodo team had to create video and photo evidence of their collection and provide Guinness with their entire list of spirits for cross-reference. A few weeks later, they received confirmation that they had achieved the title.

“Out of 1.1 million bars in the world, it was great to bring home a world record like this and capture the No. 1 spot for Metuchen and NJ,” said TJ Pingitore, senior vice president of growth and development at Le Malt. Post office.

While the exterior of the 8,000-square-foot restaurant is nondescript, visitors entering are met with an array of colors, a beautiful ambiance, and a La Catrina Day of the Dead mural behind the bar.

The spirits at Meximodo are organized like a restaurant library, categorized by brand, expression, region and taste.

Customers can order any bottle of tequila, mezcal or sotol on the shelf—or they can browse Meximodo’s “Tequila Bible” for their perfect match. Patrons can also choose one of five tequila flight offerings that will give them “a delightful insight into the different flavors and different regions of Mexico.”

Abrol revealed that Meximodo’s second Jersey City location is currently in the works and will be twice the size of the current location — which is great news for NJ residents, as New Jersey Monthly named Meximodo one of the restaurants of best new in the state. try it.

They also hope to expand outside the Garden State, specifically New York, Florida and the West Coast.

After the public celebration where they won the world record title, the “working team” at Meximodo hosted a private dinner to celebrate their success.

“To really run an authentic Mexican restaurant with a great collection of tequilas was a crowning achievement,” said Abrol.