You don’t hear his name shouted from headlines. Antonio Chi Su wasn’t chasing fame. He was building something quieter—a restaurant, a marriage, a life that blended two cultures into one warm, welcoming space on Mexico City’s Avenida Bucareli.
His story matters because it shows how real influence works. Not through viral moments or flashy campaigns, but through showing up daily, serving good food, and treating people with respect. When he died in 2008, he left behind more than a business—he left a model for how to live with intention and grace.
Who Was Antonio Chi Su?
Antonio Chi Su was a Mexican-Chinese entrepreneur best known for his restaurant on Avenida Bucareli and his marriage to actress Lyn May. Born in Mexico City to Chinese immigrant parents, he grew up navigating two worlds. His family instilled discipline and hard work. The Mexican streets around him taught warmth and adaptability.
He didn’t chase the spotlight. Antonio preferred the kitchen, the dining room, the quiet satisfaction of regulars returning week after week. His restaurant became a cultural meeting point where office workers, performers, and families gathered. It wasn’t just Chinese food—it was Chinese flavors adjusted for Mexican tastes, creating something new and familiar at once.
This approach defined his life. Blend traditions without losing authenticity. Build bridges through everyday gestures. Let the work speak louder than words. He married vedette Lyn May in the late 1980s, and together they ran a business that felt personal, not corporate.
| Quick Bio | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Antonio Chi Su (also written as Chi-Xuo) |
| Heritage | Mexican-Chinese |
| Known For | Restaurant owner on Avenida Bucareli; husband of Lyn May |
| Marriage | Late 1980s (lasted until 2008) |
| Illness | Prostate cancer (diagnosed 2004) |
| Death | 2008, age 59 |
| Legacy | Cultural fusion through food and community |
The Bucareli Restaurant: Where Two Worlds Met
Avenida Bucareli isn’t just any street. It’s a corridor with history—press buildings, historic cafés, and the Chinese Clock, a monument celebrating Mexico-China friendship. Opening a Chinese restaurant there placed Antonio directly in the city’s cultural conversation.
The menu was smart. Authentic Chinese dishes met Mexican ingredients and expectations. This wasn’t fusion for the sake of novelty—it was practical hospitality. Customers wanted flavors that felt both exotic and comfortable. Antonio delivered without overthinking it.
The dining room became a daily ritual for many. Bureaucrats grabbed lunch between meetings. Reporters stopped by after deadlines. Performers dropped in after shows. The space worked because it welcomed everyone without pretense. You didn’t need reservations or a dress code—just an appetite.
This is how cultural exchange actually happens. Not through festivals or official declarations, but through shared tables and repeat visits. Antonio understood that food is a language anyone can speak. His restaurant proved that Chinese and Mexican traditions could coexist without conflict or compromise.
Partnership With Lyn May: A Love Built on Respect
Lyn May was already famous when she married Antonio Chi Su. The vedette and actress had built a career on stage and screen during Mexico’s cabaret golden age. She was bold, charismatic, and used to attention. Antonio was her opposite—reserved, steady, grounded.
Their partnership worked because they balanced each other. Lyn brought visibility and star power. Antonio brought calm and business sense. Together, they managed the Bucarelli restaurant, blending her public presence with his operational focus. It wasn’t a celebrity vanity project—it was a working business that happened to have a famous co-owner.
Friends described Antonio as respectful and kind. Lyn called him her greatest love, someone who treated her with care even as she navigated the pressures of fame. Their marriage lasted nearly twenty years, a rare achievement in entertainment circles.
When Antonio became ill in 2004, Lyn stepped into a caretaker role. She stayed by his side through treatments and difficult days. After he died in 2008, she spoke openly about grief that felt unbearable. Her public mourning—including controversial admissions—shocked some observers but revealed the depth of their bond.
Business Legacy: More Than Just a Restaurant
Antonio Chi Su didn’t just run one spot. Some reports connect him to the Siete Mares seafood restaurant chain, a well-known brand across Mexico. While English-language sources focus mainly on the Bucareli location, Spanish-language coverage often mentions broader business holdings. This suggests Antonio operated with more scale than casual observers realized.
What made his approach special was consistency. The food stayed good. The service stayed attentive. The prices stayed fair. These sound like basic business principles, but executing them daily for years is rare. Many restaurants chase trends or cut corners. Antonio stuck to his model.
He also mentored younger staff. No formal program existed, but a busy restaurant is its own classroom. Cooks learned to balance Chinese techniques with local palates. Servers figured out how to make first-timers feel comfortable. These are skills you can’t teach in lectures—only through repetition and example.
His community impact went beyond paychecks. The restaurant became a third place—not home, not work, but somewhere people could breathe. In a crowded, fast-moving city like Mexico City, that kind of space matters. Antonio created one without fanfare or mission statements.
Fighting Cancer: Four Years of Courage
In 2004, doctors diagnosed Antonio Chi Su with prostate cancer. The news changed everything. Treatments demanded time and energy. Pain became a daily reality. Yet he kept working, kept showing up, kept managing the restaurant alongside Lyn May.
This wasn’t heroic in a movie sense. It was stubborn, quiet persistence—the kind that doesn’t make headlines but earns respect from everyone watching. Staff saw him push through difficult days. Customers noticed his presence even when he looked tired. He didn’t complain or seek sympathy.
By 2008, the illness had progressed too far. Antonio passed away at fifty-nine, leaving behind a wife, a business, and a community that had grown around his daily presence. His death hit hard because he’d been a constant fixture. People lose track of how much they rely on steady figures until those figures disappear.
Lyn May’s grief became public in ways that made some uncomfortable. She admitted to exhuming his body and sleeping beside his remains—a confession that sparked controversy. But beneath the shock was a simple truth: she’d lost the person who anchored her life. Grief looks different for everyone. Hers was raw and unfiltered.
What We Learn From His Life
Antonio Chi Su teaches us that influence doesn’t require fame. Building a place people trust, showing up consistently, and treating customers and staff with respect—these actions compound over time. His restaurant became a landmark not through marketing but through reliability.
Cultural blending works best when it’s practical, not performative. Antonio didn’t make grand statements about fusion cuisine. He cooked Chinese food adjusted for Mexican tastes because that’s what customers wanted. The cultural exchange happened naturally, meal by meal, conversation by conversation.
Resilience means continuing even when things get hard. Economic downturns threatened the business in the 1990s. Cancer threatened his life in the 2000s. Antonio adapted and endured without drama or self-pity. He focused on what he could control—the quality of the food, the warmth of the welcome, the trust he’d built with regulars.
Partnership requires balance. Lyn May brought visibility; Antonio Chi Su brought stability. Neither could have built what they did alone. Their relationship shows how different strengths can complement rather than compete when respect and affection are present.
His Legacy Today
The restaurant on Avenida Bucareli is remembered as more than a business. It represented possibility—proof that Chinese and Mexican traditions could coexist and enrich each other. Antonio Chi Su didn’t need diplomas or fame to make that happen. He needed good food, fair prices, and genuine hospitality.
His name still appears in searches, usually alongside Lyn May. That’s fitting. Their partnership defined both their lives. But Antonio deserves recognition for what he built independently—a business model that prioritized community over profit maximization, consistency over trends, and quiet excellence over loud ambition.
For anyone building something meaningful, his story offers a blueprint. Pick a good location. Serve people well. Show up daily. Don’t chase attention—earn trust instead. Let the work speak. These principles sound simple because they are. Executing them for decades is where the difficulty lies. Antonio Chi Su did exactly that.
FAQs
Who was Antonio Chi Su?
Antonio Chi Su was a Mexican-Chinese restaurateur who ran a popular Chinese restaurant on Avenida Bucareli in Mexico City. He married actress Lyn May in the late 1980s and worked alongside her until he died in 2008.
How did Antonio Chi Su die?
He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2004 and battled the illness for four years. He passed away in 2008 at age fifty-nine, with Lyn May by his side throughout his illness.
What made his restaurant special?
The Bucarelli location blended authentic Chinese cooking with Mexican tastes and ingredients. It became a gathering spot for office workers, performers, and families—a cultural meeting point that welcomed everyone without pretense.
Was Antonio Chi Su wealthy?
Reports estimate his net worth to be around $1.5 million at death, though these figures aren’t verified. His real wealth was the trust and community he built through consistent, quality hospitality.
Who is Lyn May?
Lyn May is a famous Mexican vedette and actress known for her cabaret performances and films in the 1970s and 1980s. She married Antonio Chi Su and worked with him at their restaurant.
Did Antonio Chi Su have children?
Public records don’t mention children. Antonio and Lyn May kept their personal life private, focusing public attention on their restaurant and community work instead.
What is his legacy?
Antonio Chi Su showed how cultural blending happens through everyday actions—good food, fair treatment, consistent presence. His restaurant model prioritized community and quality over chasing trends or maximizing profits.
