Diners should not expect to find typical Tex-Mex cuisine when visiting Bien Salsa in downtown McKinney. Instead, guests will taste authentic flavors from different regions of Mexico.

Owner and Executive Chef Mirella Velazquez said she prides herself on the freshness and authenticity of her restaurant’s Mexican food.

“We wanted to present food from the different regions of Mexico,” she said. “Food in Mexico is very different even from the north to the south. Our idea was to bring it all into one place.”

But Mirella is quick to point out her favorite cuisine is from her native area of Michoacán in the western coastal region of Mexico.

“The food at Bien Salsa is my version of dishes they have been preparing in Mexico for hundreds of years,” she said. “We consider it heritage because of the way it’s prepared and transferred from generation to generation. The mole here has 42 ingredients, and I’m the fifth generation to make it. Everything here is authentic and from scratch.

“People who have traveled to or from Mexico will be so happy to find we make it exactly the way they remember it,” Velazquez said. “It may be presented differently, but the flavor is the same.”

Velazquez’s focus on her food’s quality and the philosophy surrounding Bien Salsa is part of the inspiration behind the restaurant’s name.

“Bien Salsa is an expression used in Mexico,” Velazquez said. “It refers to when someone is very good at something. But it translates to ‘very sauce,’ so it makes no sense in English.”

Although the food is the restaurant’s main focus, it is not the only thing from Mexico: Guests at Bien Salsa are surrounded by art handcrafted in Mexico.

“I think people might be surprised to see we don’t have ponchos and sombreros, but we have handcrafted pieces and sculptures created especially for us,” Velazquez said.

Velazquez said one challenge at Bien Salsa is to maintain consistency.

“Everything is done from scratch with several steps,” she said. “You could always miss something. We work toward making sure that the dishes are always consistent with the quality I demand and that my loyal customers have come to expect.”

According to Velazquez, the growth of the number of restaurants on the square has improved the quality of food in McKinney.

“People don’t have to travel to find upscale restaurants,” she said. “They can have the same quality of food you’d find in Highland Park or near the Shops at Legacy.”



119 W. Virginia St., McKinney
214-548-4258
www.biensalsa.com
Hours: Tue.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-3 p.m., closed Mon.