Mexican restaurants in Great Lakes
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Tecalitlan
Weighing in at more than a pound and costing less than $6, the carne asada (roast meat) burrito with cheese is not just one of the city’s best food values, it’s one of the city’s best foods. Add the optional avocado and you’ll have a full day’s worth of food groups wrapped in a huge flour tortilla. The horchata (a rice-based beverage made with water, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and lime) is creamy and refreshing.
reviewed
-
B
El Cid 2
The tart, fresh margaritas and fish tacos (not batter fried, simply grilled) steal the show at this bright, friendly Mexican, which is a stone’s throw from the Logan Square El stop. On busy nights an acoustic minstrel sets up indoors, and when its warm patrons head out back to the romantic patio to dine under strings of lights.
reviewed
-
C
Topolobampo/Frontera Grill
Perhaps you’ve seen chef-owner Rick Bayless on TV, stirring up pepper sauces and other jump-off-the-tongue Mexican creations. His isn’t your typical taco menu; Bayless uses seasonal, sustainable ingredients for his wood-grilled meats, flavor-packed mole sauces, chili-thickened braises and signature margaritas. Though they share the same entrance, Frontera Grill and Topolobampo are actually two separate restaurants: Frontera is the fun, sunny, informal room, while Topolobampo is sleeker with more elegant fare (it’s President Obama’s favorite eatery; he and the first lady prefer table 65). Both places are always packed. Frontera takes some reservations but mostly seats…
reviewed
-
D
Nuevo Leon
Tour buses line up, disgorging dozens of gringo tourists to sample the famed cuisine of Pilsen’s most celebrated restaurant. Sounds horrible, right? Wrong. This huge place is a well-deserved tour stop, and tourists are well outnumbered by the Latino families who fill the tables. Outstanding tacos, tamales and enchiladas are available, though the dish most likely to blow any meat eater’s taste buds is the assado de puerco – tender roast pork served with homemade flour tortillas. The breakfast is also excellent.
reviewed
-
E
Xoco
Next door to Frontera Grill, crunch into warm churros (spiraled dough fritters) for breakfast, meaty tortas (sandwiches) for lunch and rich caldos (soups) for dinner at Rick Bayless' Mexican street-food joint.
reviewed
-
F
Mundial Cocina Mestiza
With a menu that blends Mediterranean and Mexican cuisine, Mundial is a good escape from the traditional staples of Pilsen. Goat-cheese ravioli and roasted corn risotto represent the Mediterranean influence and the excellent mojarra empapelada – a whole baked tilapia, wrapped in foil, stuffed with chorizo, pungent epazote and jalapeño-mayo – is an example of their broad-minded approach to traditional Mexican flavors.
reviewed
-
G
Big Star Taqueria
Once a filling station, now a taco-serving honky-tonk bar helmed by a big-name Chicago chef (Paul Kahan). So goes gentrification in Wicker Park. The place gets packed, but damn, those tacos are worth the wait – pork belly in tomato–guajillo chili sauce and lamb shoulder with queso fresco (creamy white cheese) accompany the specialty whiskey list. If the table- studded patio is too crowded, order from the walk-up window. Cash only.
reviewed
-
H
Salpicon
A favorite among Chicago’s high-end Mexican restaurants, Priscilla Satkoff’s place has elevated ceviche and chiles rellenos (stuffed poblano peppers that are batter fried) to an art. Many other items come slathered in heavenly mole sauce. The festive interior features high ceilings and bold colors. Create bright colors in your head by trying some of the 60 tequilas, including some rare, oak-barrel-aged numbers.
reviewed
-
I
Adobo Grill
Adobo chef Paul LoDuca takes Mexican food and flavors to another dimension at his lively eatery near Second City. The yummy guacamole appetizer is made tableside, and the dishes that follow are no less extraordinary. Try the trout steamed in corn husk or the tender chicken breast in an Oaxacan black mole sauce. Thirsty? The margaritas are predictably good, but Adobo also has over 80 sipping tequilas on hand.
reviewed
-
J
Platiyo
The warm dining room of this creative Mexican restaurant is packed with locals who come for the upbeat atmosphere and dishes like mahi-mahi tacos and the excellent shrimp fajitas. The chef of Platiyo learned his chops working at the superlative Frontera Grill, and you can taste the mastery – at least until you’ve imbibed too many items from its inventive margarita menu.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
Chilam Balam
Chef-owner Chuy Valencia is only in his 20s, but he has already apprenticed under Rick Bayless and brought his ‘farm to table’ philosophy to this vibrant brick-and-Spanish-tile eatery, which sits below street level. The close-set tables pulse with young foodies ripping into fiery halibut ceviche, mushroom empanadas, chocolate-chili mousse and other imaginative fare. It’s BYOB.
reviewed
-
L
De Cero
This taquería offers a high-end, culinary riff on traditional Mexican cuisine, turning out familiar items such as fajitas with homemade tortillas and spicy chorizo tacos, along with novelties like duck nachos. De Cero’s drink list includes several dozen tequilas, along with one-of-a-kind concoctions such as the locally famous raspberry-basil daiquiri.
reviewed
-
M
Don Pedro Carnitas
At this no-frills Pilsen meat hive, a man with a machete salutes you at the front counter. He awaits your command to hack off pork pieces, and then wraps the thick chunks with onion and cilantro in a fresh tortilla. Cash only.
reviewed
-
N
Underdog
This subterranean late-night hot dog stop is a drunkard’s paradise after a long night on Wicker Park bar stools. Inebriated or not, the hot dogs and gyros are on par with the city’s high standard. For more booze fueled mayhem and Mexican, try a couple of al pastor (grilled pork with pineapple) tacos upstairs.
reviewed
-
O
Flo
Think you’ve had a good breakfast burrito before? Not until you’ve eaten here. The Southwestern-bent dishes and jovial staff at this brunch hots pot draw hordes of late-rising neighborhood hipsters on the weekend. Tart, potent mojitos and fish tacos take over after dark, but the breakfast foods are the main draw.
reviewed
-
P
Topolobampo
This is where Chef Rick Bayless unleashes his creativity, unfettered by cost restrictions, and the mood seems downright severe, as diners sample flavor combinations most people never knew existed. The menu changes nightly; be prepared for a memorable experience. Reservations required.
reviewed
-
Q
Bombon 4
This bright Mexican café and bakery draws mobs of lunching cubicle workers for the array of tortas (Mexican sandwiches on thick, crusty bread). The die-hard sweet tooth should consider heading straight to the bakery case, as the pastries are also renowned.
reviewed
-
R
Xochimilco
Xochimilco is one of many places in Mexicantown, along Bagley St, that offers a solid, inexpensive line-up of burritos and other Mexican standards.
reviewed
-
S
Frontera Grill
Perhaps you've seen chef Rick Bayless on TV, stirring up pepper sauces and other jump-off-the-tongue Mexican creations. His isn't your typical taco menu: Bayless uses seasonal, sustainable ingredients for flavor-packed fare. No wonder it's a fave of President Obama. Sister restaurant Topolobampo, in an adjoining room, is sleeker and pricier, with similar hours.
reviewed