Guide this Former Angeleno to Terrific Mexican Food here

Hi Folks

I recently moved to Chicago from NYC, where I lived for 12 years. As we all know, NYC, for whatever reason, does not have a roster Mexican restaurants that any self-respecting Angeleno would consider comparable to LA type quality. (I am excluding one or two high end 'gourmet' type restaurants). Having lived in LA for 13 years, I grew to love top notch local Mexican food. Now, in Chicago, I know we have a large population of Mexican descent, so I'm excited to return to this type of food. (For any Angeleno's reading this, I'm thinking of places like El Conquistador as one example).

A caveat or two--I live in River North so anything close or accessible by the EL would be a plus but a taxi or zipcar are easily doable. Also, thinking of "under the radar" places--not a Frontera Grill type place.

I have done a search, but thought that folks might have both thoughts as they relate to the particulars above, as well as updates (places change and a search gives you a viewpoint of a certain point in time).

Thanks!

As always, the answer to this type of question is to consult the list of Great Neighborhood Restaurants. They are listed by cuisine, location and in alphabetical order. It couldn't get much easier than that. Once you look at that list, you'll have a bunch of places to try. Post specific questions about any of them, if you want.

Looking at that list, the one that appears closest to me is Taqueria La Oaxaqueña, but the last comment in the thread is from a year and a half ago.

Any thoughts?

Just a nuance of this board. That thread was "locked." You'll understand as you use the board more. Here are more recent comments. Central theme seems to be: You should go there.
Please report back if you can. Good luck!

P.s. on the linked page, scroll up a bit for more comments.

I have enjoyed La Palapita (for tacos etc)

4263 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL, 60641

Went to Wholly Frijoles last night for the first time in quite a while. Had a braised pork dish with green mole which was excellent. My wife had the a stuffed chicken breast, also very good. The place is byo and is a very good value for what I would call more upscale Mexican food. Note that they do not take reservations, so on weekends especially call around 4:30 PM to get your name on the list.

3908 W Touhy Ave
Lincolnwood, IL, 60712
(847) 329-9810

I also forgot to mention Fonda del Mar (on the GNR). It may be a bit more convenient for a city dweller. If you get there soon (winter's coming!!) you can take advantage of the pleasant patio in back

3749 W. Fullerton Avenue
Chicago, IL, 60647
(773) 489-3748

Good places to check out would be Sol De Mexico on Cicero near Belmont and Mixteca Grill on Montrose at Ashland. Both have been reviewed at length here.

DutchMuse wrote:Hi Folks

A caveat or two--I live in River North so anything close or accessible by the EL would be a plus but a taxi or zipcar are easily doable. Also, thinking of "under the radar" places--not a Frontera Grill type place.

I have done a search, but thought that folks might have both thoughts as they relate to the particulars above, as well as updates (places change and a search gives you a viewpoint of a certain point in time).

Thanks!

You're in for quite the sample. Chicago does have a nice selection of Mexican restaurant offerings. May I suggest a sampling of restaurants? I live in the Ukrainian Village and could recommend a few spots that I enjoy.

Tecalitlan
1814 W Chicago Ave
(773) 384-4285

La Pasadita (GNR for its "east" location)
1140 N Ashland Ave
(773) 278-2130‎

El Barco
1035 N Ashland Ave
(773) 486-6850‎

These are close to each other and walkable. you can take the Chicago bus to Tacalitlan or the Blue Line to La Pasadita or El Barco. You can then check out some great little groceries that serve some mean tacos/tortas/burritos on Ashland - Guanajuato @ 1436 N Ashland, or a recently mentioned (another post) Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente @ 1400 Ashland.

You can also take the Blue line to the Western stop and hit two 24 hour restaurants side by side - Arturo's and Lazo's, 2001 and 2009 N. Western respectively. A few blocks north is Danny's grocery which also has a taco stand inside. If you walked northwest on Milwaukee from the Western stop, I've heard good things about El Cid (2115 N Milwaukee) but haven't been there.

I also like Las Palmas at 1835 W. North Ave (Damen Blue line stop). It's a bit fancier and much more expensive but it's a nice family run place and good atmosphere.

Tap into the local opinions as well. Ask around, Chicagoans are nice people and are willing to argue about their food (of course you've already realized that...). Report back with more questions and opinions...

A wonderful place along the lines of LA's El Conquistador is Nuevo Leon, another GNR winner. We haven't been in town long, but this place has quickly become my favorite non-taqueria Mexican place.

Mixteco and Fonda del Mar are both very, very good, but are far more upscale than El Conquistador. Depends what you are looking for.

I'll make it simple.

If you want a casual family-run mexican place, Nuevo Leon is the best. Amazing beans and chilaquiles. http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=15223&hilit=nuevo+leon


If you want more Rick Bayless style with a wide selection of moles, I'd go with Sol de Mexico. http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=9568&hilit=sol+de+mexico


As an aside, I recently went to Maiz. Great moles and bebidas. It's worth a trip. http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=4540&hilit=maiz

I took your advice and today went to Nuevo Leon. LOVED IT. Agree that the guacamole was bland but everything else was spot on. Loved the nachos, my burrito de carne asado was very good. When I am wanting traditional California type Mexican food, I know where my 'go to' place is. Thanks everyone for the recommendation.

Nuevo Leon is very good. However, its menu is fairly conventional, not all that different from many other Mexican restaurants. I'm not knocking it! However, there is SO much more to our local Mexican restaurant scene, I urge you to try many other places too. You'll find that there is a vibrant creativity going on in many of them, with so much more than your standard Mexican fare of enchiladas, chiles rellenos, carne asada, etc.

As I posted (in this earlier topic about Frontera Grill):

nsxtasy wrote:For those who enjoy Bayless's cuisine but object to the no-reservations policy, you can always make a reservation at Topolobampo next door. Yes, it's a bit more expensive, but primarily at dinner; at lunch, the prices are quite comparable. [EDIT/UPDATE - Frontera Grill now accepts some reservations in advance, although most of the restaurant is still first come first served.]

There's also been quite an increase in other creative/provincial/upscale Mexican dining options in Chicago in the past few years, throughout the city as well as the suburbs. So Frontera Grill and Topolobampo aren't the only places around. Salpicon is a long-time favorite in Old Town. Adobo Grill recently added a location in Lombard to their Old Town and Wicker Park locations. Flamingo's Seafood in Mount Prospect is spectacular (but getting more crowded as its reputation spreads). Sol de Mexico on the northwest side is okay and has a lot of different moles. The GNR award for Fonda del Mar, on Fullerton, is up for renewal. Xni-Pec is another award winner, turning out Yucatecan cuisine in Cicero. La Casa de Isaac is another GNR winner, in Highwood. Geno Bahena is over at Tepatulco in Lincoln Park. [EDIT/UPDATE - He has also opened Real Tenochtitlan in Logan Square.] San Gabriel in Bannockburn is run by an alumnus of Adobo Grill. Lupita's is turning out creative specials; reviews are sometimes mixed but I like it a lot. Fuego is doing a fine job in Arlington Heights. Bien Trucha in Geneva is small but highly regarded. Mundial Cocina Mestiza in Pilsen is doing some nice things. Heck, over half of these places weren't even around more than 2-3 years ago. So there are plenty of alternatives, if you want, and more are opening all the time.

All of the above places are in addition to the many more conventional nicer Mexican restaurants throughout the area, as well as your taquerias and other "cheap eats" places.

Within the past year or so, I've made a conscious effort to try many of these new places. I've had outstanding meals at Fonda del Mar, Mixteco Grill, and Mundial Cocina Mestiza (but was rather disappointed by Sol de Mexico). I also had several fantastic meals at Flamingo's, but my two most recent visits, although still pretty good, have not been nearly as spectacular.

Here are links to websites and LTH discussions on these restaurants (listed alphabetically):

Adobo Grill (Chicago/Old Town, Chicago/Wicker Park, Lombard) - restaurant website, LTH discussion
Bien Trucha (Geneva) - no restaurant website or menupages listing , LTH discussion
Flamingo's Seafood (Mount Prospect) - restaurant website, LTH discussion
Fonda del Mar* (Chicago/Logan Square) - restaurant website, LTH discussion
Frontera Grill (Chicago/River North) - restaurant website, LTH discussion
Fuego (Arlington Heights) - restaurant website, LTH discussion
La Casa de Isaac* (Highwood) - restaurant website, LTH discussion
Lupita's (Evanston) - restaurant website, LTH discussion
Mexique (Chicago/Wicker Park) - restaurant website, LTH discussion
Mixteco Grill (Chicago/Uptown) - restaurant website, LTH discussion
Mundial Cocina Mestiza (Chicago/Pilsen) - restaurant website (under construction), Menupages listing, LTH discussion
Nuevo Leon* (Chicago/Pilsen) - restaurant website, LTH discussion
Real Tenochtitlan (Chicago/Logan Square) - restaurant website, LTH discussion LTH discussion
Salpicon (Chicago/Old Town) - restaurant website, LTH discussion
San Gabriel (Bannockburn) - restaurant website, no LTH discussion
Sol de Mexico* (Chicago/Belmont Cragin) - no restaurant website , Menupages listing, LTH discussion
Tepatulco (Chicago/Lincoln Park) - restaurant website, LTH discussion
Topolobampo (Chicago/River North) - restaurant website, LTH discussion
Xni-Pec* (Cicero) - restaurant website, LTH discussion

I strongly encourage you to at least take a look at the menus on their websites, and I think you'll see what I mean...

*GNR Winner

You guys are amazing. Thank you very much; I now have some homework to do.

"but was rather disappointed by Sol de Mexico"

hmmm... I've had some of my favorite meals there - The Duck in Oaxacan Mole with plantains & pineapple - i could eat that every day for the rest of my life!

nsxtasy wrote:Nuevo Leon is very good. However, its menu is fairly conventional, not all that different from many other Mexican restaurants.
...standard Mexican fare of enchiladas, chiles rellenos, carne asada, etc.

Thanks for compiling this great list.
I've tried a handful of these spots, really enjoying a few (a couple others, not so much). I'm sure I'll keep moving my way through these spots when I crave upscale, creative, or "new" Mexican.

That said, when thinking Mexcian food, I often want conventional. I guess it is one of the rare circumstances where, for me, creative is not necessarily preferable.

selanator wrote:"but was rather disappointed by Sol de Mexico"

hmmm... I've had some of my favorite meals there - The Duck in Oaxacan Mole with plantains & pineapple - i could eat that every day for the rest of my life!

FWIW, I love different kinds of moles and their menu sounded great to me. I went there for dinner and tried a bunch of things. I found that the dishes just struck me as bland and/or didn't "wow" me with the full, rich, delicious flavor that I often encounter in mole dishes. Obviously, this is a matter of personal taste! I think it (along with others on the above list) is worth trying for anyone who loves mole; decide for yourself.

RAB wrote:Thanks for compiling this great list.

I've tried a handful of these spots, really enjoying a few (a couple others, not so much). I'm sure I'll keep moving my way through these spots when I crave upscale, creative, or "new" Mexican.

That said, when thinking Mexcian food, I often want conventional. I guess it is one of the rare circumstances where, for me, creative is not necessarily preferable.

I enjoy more conventional Mexican fare as well! Sometimes it's a matter of preference and mood, other times it's a matter of price (the conventional places generally cost less), and other times it's a matter of convenience. Most of us probably live within a short distance of a lot more conventional, inexpensive Mexican restaurants than those serving creative/provincial fare. I know I do. I have my own "go to" places close to home when I want carne asada, enchiladas, etc. (They're El Tipico in Skokie and Jesse's Mexican Grill in Rogers Park; in particular, I love the guajillo salsa at the latter.)

There have been a number of great references here, including references to the GNRs in general and even some specifically -- Sol de Mexico is perhaps my favorite (particularly for the amazing moles) -- but one place that has not been specifically mentioned is La Casa de Samuel, and that's too bad because everything about this place will have you constantly obsessing for more of it.

The freshly made tortillas, always friendly service and consistently wonderful food keep me making the trek from Lincoln Square down to 22nd St. (Cermak) for LCdS. And this place sounds like it would be right up the OP's alley (and should be). And for all of you out there who haven't visited LCdS but love Mexican food, you're doing yourself a disservice by ignoring this place. I think it's one of the finest gems in Chicago and it won't put a big dent your wallet. Here are links so you can read more: link 1 and link 2.