Campton Hills eatery owner expands to 2nd restaurant in Carol Stream

Luis Maldonado opened Ikal Y Sanse – which means unique spirit – in Campton Hills last August.

Formerly Lupita’s Cucina at 40W222 LaFox Road, it features scratch-made elevated Mexican fare.

As of May 1, Maldonado added a second restaurant, Barrio Taqueria & Cocina, at 1057 Fountain View Drive, Carol Stream.

The restaurant had been open about a year when he bought it, Maldonado said. He decided to keep the name, but change up the menu.

“We are going to pretty much bring the idea of Ikal to Barrio, with a little more focus on street cuisine,” Maldonado said. “Everything at Barrio is made fresh. We make things you would find in street markets. Compared to Ikal, which is food you find in people’s homes, street market food is a little more casual.”

Maldonado grew up in St. Charles but now lives in Naperville.

It’s a small place with six tables, but with the same dedication to everything made fresh to order, he said.

“We have more traditional tacos, tortas and huaraches,” Maldonado said.

Just so you don’t get the idea that the restaurant serves a leather sandal for lunch or dinner, Maldonado explained that it’s an oval-shaped corn masa dough in the shape of the huarache sandal common in Mexico.

“It’s sandal-shaped corn masa,” Maldonado said. “It’s not a tortilla, it’s thick with a more crisp exterior and a soft interior. ... It comes with toppings – beans, salsa, your choice of protein – beef, chicken, chorizo – lettuce, cheese.”

When Maldonado bought this restaurant, he didn’t close it. He just updated the menu and relies on family members to help run things. His parents, Enrique and Josefina Maldonado, recently helped out with cooking in the kitchen.

More information is available at barrio-taqueria-cocina.com.