WATERVILLE — A restaurant touting authentic Mexican food and drink in a classy atmosphere is scheduled to open in June at Elm Plaza off Main Street.

El Tequila will be located next to Bath & Body Works and is a stone’s throw from Bull Moose Music and the new R.H. Reny store in the plaza. The 4,500-square-foot restaurant will have about 30 tables and each will seat five or six people. A bar will serve a variety of drinks, including popular margaritas.

Felipe Diaz owns El Tequila restaurants in Auburn, Waterboro, Saco and Guilford, New Hampshire, and said he has a large family that owns restaurants in North Carolina, Ohio and Florida.

“Many people said, ‘Open a Mexican restaurant,'” Diaz said, noting that food lovers urged him to expand to Waterville, where the former Cancun Mexican Restaurant on Silver Street closed a few years ago.

The extensive menu will feature quesadillas, tacos, chile relleno, chicken wings, fresh guacamole and other favorites, and promises generous portions and quick service.

Kimberly Lindlof, president and CEO of the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, said Friday the organization loves the idea of welcoming El Tequila to the north end of the city.

“No doubt it will benefit from the lodging, Interstate 95 traffic and proximity to smaller surrounding communities,” Lindlof said in an email. “The chamber looks forward to hosting its ribbon cutting in mid-June when we formally shine a light upon El Tequila. Bienvenido, El Tequila!”

The restaurant will be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Diaz said the entire space had to be remodeled. The work started about four months ago, he said.

Diaz expects to hire five or six people to work in the eatery and already has six employees ready to dive in, he said. He is looking for waiters and bartenders, he said.

Waterville has another longtime Mexican restaurant, Buen Appetito, which formerly was located for about 20 years ago at the Railroad Square complex off Chaplin Street but moved to 99 West River Road in 2023.