The family-owned Mexican restaurant on South Broadway finally has a liquor license to hang on the wall after experiencing a slow start without it last spring.

Gabino Vazquez owns El Mexicano restaurants at 208 S. Broadway in Saratoga Springs and 3011 State Route 4 in Hudson Falls with his brothers, Senaido and Esteban. (Note to readers: The Web site will bring you to a warning page about it being a virus attack site, but just click "ignore warning" and you will see the (totally harmless) homepage.)

He said while the 3-year-old Hudson Falls restaurant has been serving alcoholic beverages virtually since its opening, it took about seven months to obtain a liquor license for the new eatery.

“Why? It’s New York state,” Vazquez scoffed. “It was hard starting out when people find that we don’t have cerveza, margarita, sangria,” he added. “We hope we can increase our business. I know we have good food and good service and good atmosphere.”

The restaurant offers lunch and dinner menus plus a variety of Mexican cocktails, homemade sangria, beer and liquor. Diners can take in the sweeping, colorful portrayals of Mexican culture and personalities — painted by Vazquez himself — that cover the walls.

For more information, call 226-0105.