Competing for customers in a market crowded with competitors isn’t anything new for Horacio Leon, one of the co-founders, along with his business partner Donavan Ayala, of Azul Cantina, Sterling’s newest Mexican restaurant.

“We thought, let’s give it a shot. Let’s open something modern and see how the market reacts,” Leon said.

Leon is the third generation in his family in the restaurant business. Growing up in Lawrenceville, Georgia, he learned from a young age how to stand out in the business.

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Azul Cantina is open for business Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Sterling. The Mexican style restaurant moved into the former Applebee’s building. (Alex T. Paschal)

“There are a lot of Mexican restaurants in Georgia. When you are around that much competition, you have to be more on point with your menu items, with your presentation and with your atmosphere,” he said.

The restaurant, at the corner of East Lincolnway and Polo Road in Sterling, has been open for two weeks. It was a 15-month journey for Leon and Ayala to get to their opening day. They operate Jalapeno’s Mexican restaurant in Peru, and when they saw the vacant property on East Lincolnway, they decided to bring their extensive margarita and modern food menus to the Sauk Valley.

“I don’t want this to be just any restaurant,” Leon said.

After the lease on the property was secured, they went to work on the building itself.

“We had to upgrade the entire building,” he said.

The interior was next.

Leon flew in Maker Garcia, a street artist from Guerrero, Mexico, to craft two paintings and to paint art on the outside of the building. Garcia already had decorated the Peru restaurant for them.

“Azul Cantina has our roots built into it. We didn’t want something from Google. We wanted our culture on a canvas by a Mexican artist,” he said.

The food is the canvas that counts and Leon and his team are putting their own spin on the traditional favorites.

“I was born in Michoacan and we are known for our pork carnitas. We have to have amazing carnitas. We marinate the pork traditionally in tequila and beer,” he said.

Another common menu item is tacos - but with a variety that gives a nod to different regions and traditions.

“There are many different taco variations, depending on the region of Mexico. The process of how you cook the tortilla is one thing. Some people like to cook it in oil to give it a more crispy texture or they cook them in salsa so you get a nice flavorful bite every time. There are many ways to build a taco, depending on the region you’re from,” he said.

One of the biggest selling dishes has been birria, the slow-cooked beef that is stewed in peppers, garlic and spices until tender.

“Our most popular item has been our birria. We are going through so much of that,” he said.

Even the appetizers have a unique spin.

“You have to start with homemade guacamole with chicharrones, pork rinds, instead of chips, that is our No. 1 go-to appetizer,” he said.

At the bar, diners can choose from 25 variations of margaritas, from the traditional blended, frozen margarita to handcrafted specialties like lavender blueberry and watermelon tamarind. Leon adds special touches like dehydrated fruit. The dehydrated fruit is made in house, with a dehydrator in the kitchen.

“Dehydrating fruit like oranges and limes takes out the water and concentrates the sugars and the flavor,” Leon said.

Filtered water is used for food and drinks.

“We use filtered water because water changes the flavor of food and drinks, so we use filtered water to make sure our food and drinks taste how we want them to taste. It’s worth it to take that extra step for our customers,” Leon said.

A lighted showcase holds tall ceramic bottles, with hand-painted tops, which hold specialty tequilas from different regions in Mexico, including Guerrero and San Luis Potosi. Leon wants to offer diners a range of tequilas at different price points.

“I want luxury brands and single-state brands. We have tequila and mezcal that can range anywhere from a couple of bucks to a couple hundred dollars,” he said.

Azul Cantina is open for brunch, lunch and dinner, seven days a week. Right now, Leon said the restaurant is not taking reservations and seatings are on a first-come, first-served basis.

Despite some opening-day hiccups, Leon said he is optimistic that Azul Cantina’s approach to modern Mexican cuisine and an imaginative margarita menu will keep customers coming back.

“We are getting a positive response from the community and from our staff and we are pretty happy with the outcome,” he said.