BelAir Cantina’s Old Favorites and New Delights

by

BelAir Cantina has won accolades and a loyal following for breaking away from traditional Mexican fare and featuring a California-inspired menu and an expansive tequila selection. After a recent ownership shuffle, Kristyn Eitel and Chef Noe Zamora, now the sole owners, promise fan favorites from the menu will remain, with some exciting surprises on the way.

“Since we started, we wanted to do something different,” affirms Zamora, who has been a chef with BelAir Cantina since the first location opened at 1935 N. Water Street in 2010. “There are Mexican tacos and food everywhere, and I feel like we are the ones that are changing and evolving with times.”

Eitel adds that a benefit of having six locations, each in a different community, gives them opportunities to experiment and find out what people enjoy.

BelAir Cantina was founded by Eitel, along with long-time Milwaukee restauranteurs Leslie Montemurro and Scott Johnson. For more than two decades, Montemurro and Johnson were behind some of Milwaukee’s most well-known bars and restaurants including Fuel Café, which they opened in Riverwest in 1993, and Palomino, Honeypie, Comet Café, Hi-Hat Lounge/Garage, Balzac wine bar and Finks tavern.

In addition to BelAir Cantina, Eitel also purchased stock in Finks, Balzac and Hi-Hat, which are still majority owned by Montemurro and Johnson.

Zamora, from Heroica Veracruz, Mexico, had worked in kitchens for almost 20 years. He was head chef at Café Hollander from 2006 until joining the BelAir Cantina team in 2010.

Eitel’s career in the restaurant industry spans three decades. She started washing dishes in a restaurant when she was 12 years old. BelAir Cantina was her first ownership role. She’s a graduate of the UW-Milwaukee Lubar School of Business.

California-inspired Salsas, Tacos and Tequilas

Having an approachable takeout menu was a force in weathering the COVID storm, Eitel notes. “We’d like to get back to a new normal and just try to do new things with the menu. Food trends are always changing, and we want to keep the menu interesting and different.”

New items crafted by Zamora include the hot chicken taco, and a vegetarian tempura shishito taco. Shishito is a savory green pepper that is overall mild but can pack some heat. The birra (beer) burrito combines birra-cooked beef, BBQ sauce, Fritos chips, salsa, crema, cilantro, beans, rice and pickled onions, packed into a charred cheese tortilla.

Two more new tacos are on the way, Zamora says, including a falafel taco. “Vegetarians always asking for more kinds of food. Every time we bring something new to them, they love it.”

Also new is a brunch program with specialties like margarita mimosas, churro pancakes and chicken waffle tacos. The recently launched Cinco Happy Hour, from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, boasts select drinks and appetizers for $5.

What constants can BelAir Cantina fans reply on? The three signature salsas, including the popular orange salsa with chile de Árbol, will remain. “We cannot change those!” Eitel affirms. The bar, with a carefully curated tequila selection, offers signature drinks and new favorites like the blueberry lavender margarita.

Eitel says they’re coming up with new ideas for Taco Tuesdays and Thursdays, and they’re bring back the catering program, which was always a very successful part of the business.

The Powered by Tacos philanthropic program, which was on hold during COVID, is being revived. “We’re really looking forward to that, but we’re taking some time to brainstorm and put the program back together in a way that makes sense now,” Eitel explains.

In the past, representatives from nonprofits including Ronald McDonald House and the Urban Ecology Center would work side-by-side with Zamora in the kitchen to create a taco. Proceeds from that taco went back to the nonprofits. Eitel hopes to work with more groups in the communities in which their restaurants are located.

“We’re really excited. This is a huge opportunity for Noe and me. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but we’re both very motivated and want to get back to operating fun, exciting restaurants, and Bel Air is just that,” Eitel enthuses.

For more information, visit belaircantina.com.