Cantina Taco Grill Brings Elevated Modern Mexican Cuisine to Naperville

Naperville is getting a taste of something new. Cantina Taco Grill, 15 W. Jefferson Ave., Suite 101, will soon bring a bold, modern take on Mexican cuisine from the family behind the beloved Taco Grill and Salsa Bar in Westmont, as they are proud to announce they will be opening for breakfast, lunch and dinner this Fall. The concept is led by local restaurateurs Jose Oliver, owner and executive chef, and his wife, Ivonne Oliver, who opened Taco Grill and Salsa Bar together in 2001, joined in the kitchen by Chef Francisco García. The new restaurant will focus on serving up elevated proteins leveraging unique flavors, creating a new experience for diners built on the traditions and techniques of Mexican cuisine they know and love.

Chef Jose Oliver has decades of culinary experience, including cooking for restaurants, hotels and conference centers, and, most importantly, for his own family and friends. It has long been his passion to serve the finest and freshest food using the recipes he remembers from growing up in Mexico. That same philosophy will carry into Cantina Taco Grill, reimagined through a modern, upscale lens.

Cantina Taco Grill's kitchen will also be led by Chef Francisco García, who brings years of international training and mentorship to the restaurant. Francisco began his culinary career as a pastry chef at Atelier Belge in Spain, building a foundation in technique and precision that has carried through his career. He has since worked alongside notable chefs across fine dining, contemporary Mexican cuisine and Japanese gastronomy, including Gerardo Corona Alarcón at El Viñedo, now Executive Chef with Habitas Hotels, and sushi chef Carmelo Ortiz, whose résumé spans Nobu Los Cabos and Nobu Bahamas. His pastry and baking training was further shaped by Alejandro Lechuga Acosta, a French pastry specialist and Cacao Barry brand ambassador. That range of experience informs Francisco's approach at Cantina Taco Grill, where he aims to create food that feels both sophisticated and approachable, rooted in tradition while looking toward what comes next.

The menu will center on elevated proteins for its tacos, including bone marrow, picanha and New York strip, each prepared in a Josper oven, a Spanish charcoal oven that combines a grill and an oven to sear proteins at high heat, sealing in juiciness while giving each dish a distinctive smoky char. Breakfast offerings will include inventive dishes such as a poblano pepper omelet and a shrimp and mascarpone omelet, alongside a dinner menu drawing on traditional Mexican cooking reimagined through a modern lens. For dessert, guests will be able to order a flan flight featuring several traditional Mexican style flans.

The bar program will highlight an extensive tequila and mezcal selection alongside made from scratch margaritas, including housemade syrups and unique flavor combinations.

The restaurant's interior will bring a bright, modern feel, with seating for 70 to 85 guests in the dining room and up to 150 guests on the spacious outdoor patio. Cantina Taco Grill will be open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Cantina Taco Grill is located at 15 W. Jefferson Ave., Suite 101, in Naperville, and opens this Fall. The restaurant will be open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner.