Mas Salud, a Latin fusion restaurant and bar, opened its doors in downtown Evanston for the first time last Friday.

Located across Oldberg Park on Clark Street, the restaurant is a six-minute walk from The Arch.

Two hours before their grand opening, co-Owners Ryan Aitelhadj and Jovanni Viveros were ready to see their long awaited vision come to life.

“We’ve had a lot of setbacks on this journey, and we completely remodeled this place,” Aitelhadj said “We’re very excited since we’ve been waiting for a year.”

The story of how Mas Salud came about is a long one, Aitelhadj said.

With a background in finance, Aitelhadj started a catering company out of his house after losing his job. He then opened a brick and mortar restaurant called Salud Kitchen with co-owner Michael Melnick, in 2021. Mas Salud, where Melnick is also a co-owner, is an off-shoot of Salud Kitchen, located in Portage Park, Chicago.

When Aitelhadj and Melnick announced the new restaurant on Instagram, they were looking for a chef –– and Viveros reached out.

Viveros, who grew up in Veracruz, Mexico, learned many of the culinary skills he brings to the restaurant from his family members. He said he has been learning how to make food from scratch since he was a child.

“My mom and grandma taught me a lot about Mexican cuisine … and the kitchen always caught my attention,” explained Viveros.

The Mas Salud menu is largely Viveros’ creation.

Served tapas style, it features an extensive drinks selection and dishes inspired by several Latin American cuisines including dishes like empanadas and albondigas. Viveros said the flautas is one of his favorites.

“Everything we’re serving is [Viveros’] dreams, his ideas, his blood, sweat and tears,” Aitelhadj said.

Aitelhadj said he is grateful to their interior designer Jessica Rivera for incorporating elements of her own Latine background into the space. Rivera hails from Puerto Rico.

Rivera’s vision is behind the restaurant’s colorful murals, ceiling hanging chairs and umbrellas inspired by Fortaleza Street in Puerto Rico.

“The umbrellas, for example, are a touch of what she would see when going back home to San Juan,” Aitelhadj said. “The interior is made up of things she naturally gravitates to.”

Last week, the restaurant provided food to Northwestern’s multicultural sketch comedy and improv group Out Da Box for their spring show.

Weinberg freshman Thomas Alemu is part of ODB and he said he loved the food.

“It was really good. I really liked their tacos especially,” Alemu said.

Aitelhadj said the restaurant is more than happy to partner with more Northwestern clubs in the future. Mas Salud offers a 20% discount for Northwestern students and a 15% discount for faculty upon verification of a university ID.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused staffing and financial difficulties for Salud Kitchen in its original Chicago location. Now, the owners are more confident in the future success of their new location.

“With time, work, and a lot of effort, we were able to get this place going,” Aitelhadj said. “We went through hell in the first location, so we’re built to take this on.”

Email: [email protected]

Related Stories: 

— Mensch’s pop-up deli opens in Evanston

— Hartigan’s Ice Cream Shoppe celebrates grand reopening, owner reflects on more than four decades at the store

— Famous Taco Burger brings Mexican, American cuisine to Central Street