TECALITLAN MEXICAN KITCHEN & MARGARITA BAR
Mexican restaurant · Goose Island ·
Large portions of traditional Mexican fare & expanded tequila selection
Large portions of traditional Mexican fare & expanded tequila selection
"The NEWCITY development — on the former site of a YMCA — attracts a lot of heat from city dwellers due to its suburban-style architecture. It was a misstep on the part of the developers to open it with chain restaurants that had no connection to Chicago. The pandemic forced NEWCITY to re-examine its model, and a popular West Town Mexican restaurant has benefitted. Tecalitlan had been pushed out of its previous home by its landlord and landed in a space near Clybourn and Halsted. The same classic tacos, enchiladas, and more are still available, but the owners have expanded their drink program to offer more tequila and margaritas to appeal to a new audience. And for those who bash an immigrant family for moving their business toward opportunity — the restaurant still delivers to West Town." - Ashok Selvam
"After nearly 50 years near the corner of Chicago Avenue and Wood Street, the family-owned Tecalitlan was forced to relocate in May when its lease expired and the landlord sought to sell the building; second-generation owners Karla Garcia and Juan Carlos Garcia Jr. have since started a new chapter in Lincoln Park." - Naomi Waxman
"I've watched the cherished Mexican restaurant relocate from its nearly 50-year West Town home into a more modern space at 1538 N. Clybourn Avenue in the New City development, where second-generation owners siblings Karla Garcia and chef Juan Carlos Garcia Jr. reopened in July 2021 after their father, Carlos Garcia Sr., founded it in 1973. To adapt they added a bar and cocktails and launched Sabores de Mexico, a monthly ticketed series that features a rotating three- to four-course menu spotlighting a different Mexican state with cocktail and beer pairings; the series debuted with Oaxaca, and Garcia Jr.'s Oaxacan lineup included three moles — including a mole rojo that required thirty ingredients — gilding salmon and chicken, alongside crisp tlayudas, mini tamales steamed in banana leaves, and beer from Mexican American brewery Casa Humilde. The move followed an arduous search (a temporary virtual kitchen in Humboldt Park and touring more than two dozen storefronts) and has faced setbacks such as a removed banner, the omicron surge and shifting mandates, and a pandemic-era winter lull, though AMC's planned takeover and reopening of the nearby theater could help; tickets for upcoming Michoacan (April) and Puebla (May) dinners are available via Tock." - Naomi Waxman
"A 47-year-old, family-run Mexican restaurant was forced to relocate after a landlord dispute and reopened in Lincoln Park inside the NEW CITY development in a newer space with more reasonable lease terms. Although some locals criticized the move as a loss of authenticity for moving to a shinier neighborhood, the tacos and enchiladas are reported to taste the same as before." - Ashok Selvam
"Tecalitlan, the Mexican restaurant that spent 47 years in West Town before closing and transitioning into a ghost kitchen, has an opening date for its new location inside the NEWCITY development near Lincoln Park and Clybourn and Halsted." - Naomi Waxman
