By SYDNEY SCHMITT
For The Reporter
Angela knows three things: bien means “good,” mexicana means “woman born in Mexico,” and that she’s a good cook when it comes to Mexican cuisine. What she didn’t know was when her new restaurant Bien Mexicana, 150 S. Peru St., Cicero, would call her home.
Now that it has, there’s no looking back.
Growing up, Angela began baking at age 11 and hasn’t stopped since. While her kids were growing up, she often would make authentic Mexican cuisine with her children’s grandmother and her great-aunts. She always loved cooking the food of her heritage at home and realized she was decent at it – or maybe more than decent.
“For over 25 years, I would make a recipe, then make it again, and again,” Angela said, “and each time I would try to perfect it and make it better than the time before.” She has stayed true to finding the right tweaking of ingredients that make her recipes stand out from the crowd.
Bien Mexicana came about after she lost clientele for her built-from-nothing recruiting business during COVID. She had the time and was homebound, so she decided to write a post on her local neighborhood Facebook page asking if any of her neighbors would have an interest in eating her made-from-scratch Mexican cuisine. Before she knew it, cars were lined up on her street to grab homemade tamales, chips and salsa, margarita mixes, and other dishes made with love. That was the moment Angela knew her food would be her next venture.
Bien Mexicana made its way from a food truck in 2020 to a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Cicero in February 2023.
“I wanted the restaurant to feel like you’re in Cicero, but once you step inside, you transition to Mexican culture by the way the inside feels and with how the food tastes,” Angela said. “The food is authentic to Mexico, but with a Cicero twist.”
Once inside, one of the first things customers notice is the beautifully textured mural and the La Catrina painting that hangs proudly on the wall. The more you look at the painting, the more you realize … yes, that actually is Angela herself painted as a Catrina.
The restaurant features a mural painted by a local artist. (Reporter photo by Sydney Schmitt)
“When I look at myself as a Catrina, I feel inspired,” she said. “I knew I wanted a Catrina painting, and I thought, why not make the Catrina me? After all, I am Bien Mexicana.”
Since opening, the painting has meant more to her each waking day.
“I walk in and see it and know that I’ve worked really, really hard, and rebuilt from nothing countless times to get here,” Angela said. “The business didn’t fall into my lap, so seeing myself on the wall as a brand is something that I am proud of and hope that my children are proud of as well. Brett Morrow, my friend, partnered with me and helped provide me the opportunity to have this space, and I can’t leave out how grateful I am for him.”
The mural also pays homage to her Hispanic heritage, and customers can use it as an opportunity for picture-taking if they wish.
“I just wanted to make sure that our culture is shown, and the mural and Catrina painting were perfect,” she said. “My friend painted both of them using free-hand style and they were done in no time, and both represent Bien Mexicana and Mexico well.”
The menu is a whole adventure in itself, and with that first bite, put on some sunscreen and a straw hat, because away to Mexico you’ll go. The bonus is that you don’t need to buy an expensive plane ticket to enjoy it.
“All of our menu items are made fresh from scratch each morning,” Angela said.
By everything, she means everything: the meat, tortillas, sauces, salsa, chips, and even simple syrups for the margaritas too.
Currently, the menu offers chips and salsa, guacamole, queso, tacos, nachos, quesadillas, salads, tortas, and of course, margaritas and other drinks.
If it’s your first time eating at Bien Mexicana, the recommended dish to try is the Birria Tacos. Bien Mexicana sells 75 to 100 pounds of birria each day, so any item with birria is available until they sell out – and they sell out often, so you know it has to be good.
If you want to try birria but maybe not in the form of tacos, try the Birria Torta.
“The torta is one of our menu items that aren’t as popular as the others because people might not know what a torta is.”
The Birria Tora with a side of consomé. (Reporter photo by Sydney Schmitt)
The best way to describe the torta is a mouth-watering sandwich made with telera (a staple bread used for Mexican sandwiches), beans (frijoles), cheese (queso chihuahua), lettuce, tomato, red onion, and mayonesa (mayonnaise with lime juice). Each torta is served with a side of consomé.
“We don’t let things go to waste, so the consomé is a broth made from the birria.”
Angela’s favorite drink is Don Pilar, a type of tequila. (Reporter photo by Sydney Schmitt)
Angela says her favorite menu item is the nachos, and she is sure to add a heavy drizzle of chile de árbol sauce to her plate. You have been warned, though: this sauce is spiced with spit from the devil, so try at your own risk. She laughed and said, “I had to put a flame on the sauce label because some customers said it needed a warning sign.”
One of her absolute favorite drinks is a glass of Don Pilar with extra Añejo, which is a tequila aged in two different whiskey barrels for seven months and has a similar taste to bourbon. A runner-up (if she had to choose) is a Mezcal with Topo Chico and lime.
“Both drinks might not be everyone’s favorite since the flavors are a little different, especially with the smoky taste that Mezcal has, but they are worth a try,” she said.
One of Angela’s top drinks is the Mezcal with Topo Chico and lime. (Reporter photo by Sydney Schmitt)
The future of Bien Mexicana is filled with hope and good food to boot.
“I had customers ask if I had any shirts to sell with the Catrina painting, so I’m working on getting shirts made, Angela said. “Also, I would love to add more authentic Mexican cuisine to the menu if we had the clientele to do so. I’d love to add Amolè to the menu and other items. I’d like to be able to run more specials, too.”
Sometimes it does take certain taste buds to enjoy the authenticity of particular foods, but Angela says she is willing to try new menu items as long as taste buds allow it because, after all, she is Bien Mexicana.
For more information about Bien Mexicana, check out the restaurant on social media and see a full menu at BienMexicana.com. It’s open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Bien Mexicana is located at 150 S. Peru St., Cicero.