Jolman Nunez vividly remembers being the new kid in town when he and his brothers, Jesus and Ever, arrived in St. Louis back in 2007. Just nine years old, Jolman had moved here with his siblings from their native Honduras to join their mother, who had already been here for a few years. It wasn't easy. He spoke no English and spent his first few months at school with a dizzy head from trying to figure out what his classmates were saying to him. It was so tough, Jolman recalls coming home from school on his first day crying out of frustration and exhaustion.
Fast forward two and a half decades, and the Nunez brothers are officially bona fide restaurateurs, having just opened the second location of their Honduran eatery Sueño Latino (Two locations including 2818 Cherokee Street, 314-899-0777). The name, which translates to "Latin Dream," is especially poignant to the men, as it represents the culmination of their experiences since moving to St. Louis. From those early days of struggling to acclimate to a new culture and learn a second language to their decades-long careers working their way up in the city's restaurant scene, every bit of effort has been leading up to this moment. For the Nunezes, Sueño Latino is not merely the realization of a personal dream; it is the Honduran American dream itself.
All the Nunez brothers began working in kitchens as soon as they were old enough to do so legally, balancing school and jobs so they were successful at both. Though they started out at entry-level back-of-house positions — which they got through their mother, who was also employed by restaurants — all worked their way up to leadership roles, including kitchen manager positions at such popular spots as Charlie Gitto's, Peacemaker Lobster & Crab and Mission Taco Joint.
As much as they were dedicated to their jobs, Jolman, Jesus and Ever always dreamed of opening a place of their own where they could prepare traditional Honduran cuisine for their adopted hometown. They had a deep well of experience to draw from; in addition to working full-time restaurant jobs, their mother ran a catering operation out of their garage that centered around her family's recipes — in particular, Honduran-style tamales. The boys helped their mother and picked up how to prepare her traditional dishes in the process, hoping that one day, they would be able to build a restaurant around them.
That chance came with Sueño Latino. Located in the former Mariscos El Gato space on Cherokee Street, the Nunez brothers opened their debut restaurant in February of 2020 with the goal of serving the Honduran food they grew up on to the area's Central American community, as well as American diners looking to learn more about the cuisine. For three weeks they achieved that goal, and were on their way to building a regular customer base, until the pandemic ground all their momentum to a halt. They made the difficult decision to close their doors for a brief period, then reopened for carryout only, their business barely surviving despite their best efforts.
The brothers persevered and gradually built a loyal following from all over the metro area, prompting them to open a second Sueño Latino in Maryland Heights on March 17. For this review I considered only the Cherokee Street restaurant, which, unlike during those first years of the pandemic, has the happy hum of a busy restaurant in Central America, with families tucking into plates of food as international soccer plays on the TV. There's also a full bar, complemented by an array of fresh juices.
The Nunezes credit their success to their "never give up" spirit, but to truly understand why they made it, you just need to taste their Honduran tamale, an absolute revelation of texture based on their grandmother's recipe. To call their masa creamy is to call a Bugatti a car with some pickup. The nixtamalized corn is positively custard-like, a warm, jiggly concoction generously stuffed with hefty hunks of fork-tender pork that has a whisper of heat to warm — not burn — the back of the palate. Their grandmother would be proud.
Sueño Latino's tacos Hondurenos, an appetizer, are the taquitos of dreams. Here, corn tortillas are stuffed with seasoned pulled chicken, rolled into a cigar shape and deep fried. Alone, they are a delightful finger food, but the Nunezes top the dish with a zesty slaw made from crisp cabbage, pico de gallo and julienne bell peppers. The veggies are tossed in a mildly spiced creamy condiment akin to the popular Caribbean and Latin American mayo-ketchup condiment, which acts as a sauce for the taquitos. The juxtaposition of cool, tangy sauce with rich, fresh-from-the-fryer taco roulades offers a stunning contrast.
The brothers offer a selection of baleadas, a quesadilla-adjacent tortilla foldover filled with funky refried beans and cream cheese. At my server's suggestion, I opted for the version that paired the creamy bean concoction with a soft-scrambled egg, which made the dish even more decadent.
Main courses are no less exceptional. The pescado frito features a whole fried fish (on my visit, snapper) dusted in a well-seasoned flour coating; combined with the skin, it formed a beautifully crisp counter to the fish's tender flesh. Instead of sauce, the Nunezes smother the fish in a mix of bell peppers, white onion and tomatoes that have been broken down to form a juicy concoction in that sweet spot between solid and liquid.
Sueño Latino's grilled meats rival those of any area barbecue spot. Hefty strips of carne asada are gilded in mouthwatering chimichurri. Juicy rotisserie chicken, served on the bone, benefits from significant char that gives the meat an outstanding earthly flavor. The bitterness of the grill pairs wonderfully with an accompanying sweet-vinegary house sauce. That same char utterly transforms the restaurant's grilled pork chop. Here, the tender meat is cut into thick strips, each one edged in fat and char crispies you wish you could bag up and snack on like popcorn. If you are dining with a group, you can sample all of these on the restaurant's parrillada familiar, a stunning array of meats, vegetables, plantains and accoutrements served family style on a lazy susan. It's a feast every St. Louisan should experience.
As proud as the Nunezes are of their meats, they suggest everyone who comes in try the pollo con tajadas, a traditional fried chicken dish that is wildly popular in Honduras. The brothers butcher the bird into hefty hunks, then coat each piece in a crunchy, warmly seasoned breading before dunking it in the fryer. They cover the searing hot, deep-fried meat in the same cooling, mayo-ketchup-dressed cabbage and julienne vegetable salad as the tacos Hondurenos; its zest cuts through the richness of the fried meat, offering refreshment in what would otherwise be a heavy dish.
Jolman, Jesus and Ever are adamant that, when you eat the pollo con tajadas at either Sueño Latin location, you are tasting the dish as if you were enjoying it in their hometown in Honduras. What makes it so wonderful, however, is not simply the fact that you can taste such a traditional dish outside of Central America, but that it gives you a window into the journey the Nunez brothers took to deliver it to us here in St. Louis — and a true taste of the Honduran American dream.
Sueño Latino is open Sun.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.Coming soon: Riverfront Times Daily newsletter. We’ll send you a handful of interesting St. Louis stories every morning. Subscribe now to not miss a thing.
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