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Mexique brings French cuisine with Mexican techniques to Park Slope

New restaurant, Mexique in Park Slope
A new French restaurant by Mexican entrepreneurs, Mexique, opened in Park Slope on Sunday.
Photo by Ximena Del Cerro

Former Bay Ridge restauranteurs are making a comeback in Park Slope with a mix of the most acclaimed culinary cultures of the world. Mexique, a spot with French cuisine made by Mexican restaurant industry experts, opened at the corner of 6th Avenue and 18th Street on June 4.

Back in 2010, Angelica Medina worked at the restaurant Los Pollitos, in Bay Ridge, where she met Julio Campos, an entrepreneur with a vision for a new restaurant. They both shared a passion for French culture and joined forces to design the menu of an eatery that would quickly become a neighborhood hit, Bistro 72. 

That interest in everything-French led Medina to dive deeper into the wine and dessert-rich cookery. In 2012, she became part of the team at the ex-Metrotech staple, La Defense. Campos, who had become a mentor for her, had new plans for another restaurant. They have gathered a team of compatriots with extensive experience in the restaurant industry, construction and design to create a new concept, French food made by Mexicans. 

mexique food on plate
The eatery serves breakfast with French ingredients all day, with burgers, crème brûlée and crêpes at lunch. Photo by Ximena Del Cerro

“For sure, people love Mexican food, but we’ve always known that we have a lot of potential to experiment with other dishes,” said Medina. “Hispanics are in every kitchen of this city, no matter what type of food is made there. Why wouldn’t we use our experience to make other food we love?”

For the last two years, with the help of family and friends, Sofia Morales, Gersain Calderon, Wendy Mercado and Daniel Velez, they completely transformed what used to be a daycare, into a space with a mix of modern and vintage French decoration, high ceilings they carved out themselves, a french fireplace over Brookly’s typical exposed brick and hot pink accents that serve as a reminder of Mexican vividness. 

Mexique also has a back patio where they plan to host events and activities for kids on the weekends.

“We wanted a relaxing vibe for people to come get coffee and breakfast with their dogs after dropping off their kids at school since this neighborhood is full of young families,” said Medina. “We want to evolve into a neighborhood favorite for wine and dinner.”

mexique interior
Mexique is decorated in a modern French style with antiques and vintage finishes. Photo by Ximena Del Cerro

Knowing how to please their patrons, they put together an extensive brunch menu that is available all day with caramelized onions and mushroom omelettes, french toast, avocado tartines and their own creation, a taco pancake filled with fresh fruity. At lunchtime, burgers, crème brûlèe and crêpes are the stars. 

“Finding our chef, Ilario Zalazar, was one of the biggest challenges,” said Medina. “We needed someone bold who wanted to experiment with us, who wanted to do new stuff but who knew how to make both French and Mexican food.”

Medina wants the Mexique team to keep growing, and is looking to hire more staff.

“We don’t need people with a lot of experience because that we already have,” she said. “We need people who want to learn, work and who would do it with passion.”

They chose to bring their business to Park Slope for many reasons, including the implications of the stroller traffic that is so common down 6th Avenue.

“We want to become part of the Park Slope community and to be considered extended family,” Medina added.