Come early fall, local diners will have the chance to sample Mexican food such as seared pork belly with salsa, short ribs with quinoa and pork loin with manchamanteles when a new Mexican restaurant opens on Madison Street.
In September, Axcan will be opening at 7404 W. Madison St. after more than a year of anticipation. The location was formerly occupied by Italian restaurant Fiorenza, which was closed last June after an eviction dispute.
Sylvia Xim’enez is the current owner of Aztec-inspired Aguamiel Restaurante, which has been located in Claredon Hills for two years. Xim’enez brings over 25 years of experience in the restaurant business.
Xim’enez decided to open a new restaurant in Forest Park after learning about Madison Street’s booming restaurant reputation from a friend.
“I didn’t know much about Forest Park,” she said. “I did research for about two months and I just think that Forest Park is a great place to be able to bring the concept that we have in mind.”
Axcan, which comes from the Aztec dialect and means ‘new beginning,’ will feature traditional, authentic Mexican food with ingredients used by the ancient Aztec people and native Mexicans dating back to more than 400 years ago.
Her other restaurant is named after the sap of the Mexican maguey plant, agua miel – or “honey water” believed by the Aztecs to have mystical properties and fermented into a beer known as “pulque.”
“The recipes are going to be coming from all-natural ingredients, including our organic tequilas and margarita mix,” Xim’enez added.
Xim’enez is travelling to Mexico this week to custom order tables and chairs for the completely remodeled 4,325 square foot space.
The lease was arranged by David King & Associates, a commercial real estate firm located in Oak Park.
“I couldn’t be more excited to bring this high quality restaurant operator to my hometown,” Forest Parker David King said.
