Need rec. - Mexican - Naperville, Downers Grove

I am having a guest come in on the Metra to downtown Naperville this Thursday and I need a recommendation for Mexican dining around Naperville or Downers Grove for a party of 3.

I don't want the usual taqueria otherwise I'd head to Aurora's East Side. I hope to find something with great food in a bright, clean venue - and the food has to be great.

If I'm unsuccessful I just may stay downtown Naperville and do Rosebud or even try Meson Sabika.

orgullodemexico wrote:I am having a guest come in on the Metra to downtown Naperville this Thursday and I need a recommendation for Mexican dining around Naperville or Downers Grove for a party of 3.

I don't want the usual taqueria otherwise I'd head to Aurora's East Side. I hope to find something with great food in a bright, clean venue - and the food has to be great.

If I'm unsuccessful I just may stay downtown Naperville and do Rosebud or even try Meson Sabika.

The best options for non-taqueria Mexican would be to visit El Tesoro in West Chicago, or Amanacer Tapatio in Joliet.

IMHO, the N'ville Rosebud is not worth the trip. Meson Sabika wasn't bad the last time I visited, but it has been a few years.

Flip

Although I would say the food is more authentic at El Tesoro, I would recommend Yerbabuena on Main Street in downtown Lisle. The atmosphere is much nicer than El Tesoro and they have a cute little outdoor area. While we haven't been terribly impressed with their service at times, the menu is quite creative and the food is very good. If I remember correctly, there's a number of items that contain mango. Also, their seafood dishes are fresh - I think we've had the tilapia a number of times.

Other than El Tesoro and Yerbabuena, I can't think of any other decent Mexican places in the Downers/Naperville area that wouldn't fall into the taquerio description.

I also would recommend Yerbabuena. On my visits, the food consistenly has been good, and the other choices for good Mexican in the Naperville-Downers area are pretty slim. I personally like Las Palmas on Ogden Avenue, but it certainly isn't anything out of the ordinary.

Also, I concur with Flip that Rosebud in downtown Naperville is not worth going out of your way for.

Has Rosebud just recently gone downhill?? We used to go there once or twice a year and never had any complaints. Due to the congestion and less cozy feel of downtown Naperville these days, we try to avoid the area all together.

wineaux wrote:Has Rosebud just recently gone downhill?? We used to go there once or twice a year and never had any complaints.

I don't know that Rosebud necessarily has gone downhill, but we've given it mixed reviews for both food and service over the years. I also believe they do not accept reservations for parties of less than six, and the wait can be very long, especially on weekends.

If we have a taste for red sauce Italian, we usually head to Buonaro's, Angeli's, Capri or the original Clara's on Rte. 53.

wineaux wrote:Although I would say the food is more authentic at El Tesoro, I would recommend Yerbabuena on Main Street in downtown Lisle. The atmosphere is much nicer than El Tesoro and they have a cute little outdoor area. While we haven't been terribly impressed with their service at times, the menu is quite creative and the food is very good. If I remember correctly, there's a number of items that contain mango. Also, their seafood dishes are fresh - I think we've had the tilapia a number of times.

Other than El Tesoro and Yerbabuena, I can't think of any other decent Mexican places in the Downers/Naperville area that wouldn't fall into the taquerio description.

I've known Miguel, the chef/owner of Yerbabuena, for many years and considered him a friend even before he opened the restaurant. The table salsa is excellent, drinks are well poured (ask if there is some of his uncle's tequila behind the bar), but I find most of the food uninspiring, and single noted. For the first year he was open everything was (name your protein), jalepeno & Mango. Very little seasoning is used, and I feel that they are mostly bland. I do enjoy the combination meals from the back of the menu from time to time, and I am a huge fan of the tres leches cake when it is available.

Flip

Count me among those who are not fans of Yerbabuena or Rosebud. YB's too cute, the food is not terribly interesting, and the service is painfully slow (and I almost never complain about service). Rosebud never did anything for me either. When I have to eat in downtown N'ville, it most likely is either Hugo's (which can be annoying in its own way) or Tango, which actually has some decent pasta in addition to their grilled meats/fish and tapas. La Sorella di Francesca is reliable in its way, too, but for Italian I would probably head to Angeli's at Naper and Chicago. Nice atmosphere, good food.

As to good Mexican in and around Naperville - forget it.

Somehow we dismissed Aurora, but what about La Quebrada or Las Islas Marias in Aurora? Neither is a taqueria, and both generally do very well with the food. I would not call them fancy, but they are real, sit down restaurants. And they do excel in their areas of specialization.

OdeM, what are your favorite taquerias on the east side of Aurora? I have not been as thrilled with what I have found as I expected, though I do like Los Cabritos just north of downtown, so any tips would be appreciated.

"YB's too cute, the food is not terribly interesting, and the service is painfully slow (and I almost never complain about service"

I agree about the service. The food is not bad, but not one of my favorites. We are still on a quest to find the best Mexican in the western suburbs and have yet to find it!! Given the original question, I was trying to find something suitable in the Naperville/Downers area and got the impression that he wanted something with a little more atmosphere than El Teroso (based on his second choices of Rosebud and Meson Sabika).

BTW... while working on our quest for the best Mexican in the western burbs, our favorite to date is Taxco in Sycamore. Yes, it's quite a drive, but worth it. Fresh tortillas being made as you enter... can't vouch for the menu because I forgot my glasses and couldn't read it!! My friends ordered for me.

Still haven't tried Amanacer Tapatio, but it's on our list!

Search for "Taco Grill" on here, it's in Westmont which is semi near where you are looking. It's more of a "fast food" mexican place so I don't know if you are into that but they do have tables and bring out chips to your table. Their claim to fame is there extensive Salsa bar.

Also Las Palmas is good and they have 2 locations on Ogden but I think they may fall into your "typical" mexican place category.

Taco Grill us probably what OdM considers a taqueria, at least in atmosphere. I like it quite a bit, but consider it in that class.

Best Mexican in the western suburbs is either Las Islas Marias or La Quebrada in Aurora. Easily. Now, one could bemoan the fact that they are outposts of Chicago chains, but it is about what is on the plate, and they are easily the class there. If you want grilled meats, hie thee to La Q - if seafood is what you seek, Las Islas is the best. Simple as that.

Amanacer is still quite good, but now that Mama is no longer always in the kitchen, and after they expanded, they are going through a transition. I also am not sure Joliet qualifies as the western suburbs.

I also am quite fond of ByBys in West Chicago. Have only visited El Tesoro once, so I cannot really comment on where it falls in the rankings, but two folks who I respect (Flip and the Mullet) are quite fond of it, so I figure it does deserve to be in the discussion.

Still would like to hear about people's favorite tauqerias in Aurora.

The Mexican food scene should improve when Adobo Grill opens in Yorktown in June (at least IMHO). Concerning Las Palmas, is there any difference between the DG and N'ville locations? I've eaten at the DG spot and thought it was passable, not memorable. I've heard that they consider their city and north shore locations more upscale and have different menus there. Not very fair, I think. Am I mistaken?

--Bill

bpardue wrote: Concerning Las Palmas, is there any difference between the DG and N'ville locations?

Bill -- I am not sure, as I've only eaten at the N'ville location. I actually think that it's pretty solid, for standard Mexican fare, and certainly is better than some other options in the area (e.g., Front Street Cantina). The restaurant is pretty casual. In general, I'd imagine it's similar to the DG location.

I'm a fan of Buchos in Bollingbrook. Not fancy at all, but not a taqueria. Great margaritas, and steak dishes, and love the chicken soup with lime.
235 S Bolingbrook Dr
Bolingbrook, IL 60440

Thanks to all those that posted suggestions/comments.

Yesterday would have been my Pop's 75th birthday so Mom, the girlfriend and I wanted to have a celebration dinner in his honor. I was looking for a place with ambiance and good food - so while I enjoy taquerias, yesterday was not the day for one.

The suggestion and description of Yerbabuena sounded great as its location was convenient as the girlfriend was coming out of Chicago aboard the BNSF Metra.

After communting on an incredibly overcrowded Route 53 yesterday (due to the RV salespark fire on I-55 frontage road) we arrived at the Metra Station, made our pickup and found Yerbabuena a stone's throw away with easy access parking right in front.

Normally I am a fan of outdoor dining but I didn't want to be bothered by traffic (the outdoor patio is set up on the front sidewalk) and I didn't want to pick out grit out of my food due to the high winds.

We started with a pitcher of Mango Margaritas and large guacomole. The guacamole, made tableside, was great and made to order (no picoso). The two woman with me do not eat a lot of heat and I was fine with it. The pitcher of margarita could have used more tequila but it was fine for my tea-totaling mother who ended up drinking two glasses.

For entrees we selected Chicken Mango Paella, Carne Asada Camaron & Salmon Mango Chipotle. We all enjoyed our meals the portions were huge (especially the Carne Asada Camaron which was brought home in a box) and found everything very flavorful. It was a departure from the food I was raised on. The menu is posted on the website but does not list tilapia or salmon dishes. Also I was disappointed that the menu used in the restaurant does not contain the detailed descriptions that you find on the website. If you are considering this location for a future dinner, study the menu that's on-line.

The girlfriend and I had desert. She had flan and I love Tres Leches. This tres leches had a chocolate flavor and was nicely presented with chocolate and rasberry sauce with cinammon sprinkled around the serving. Along with desert I wanted a shot of tequila and decided to try the Amaretto Tequila listed on the drink list. The flavor reminded me very much of Licor de Almendra that I had tasted several years ago during one of Pop's and mine fishing trips to Cabo San Lucas. I consulted the waiter and my taste buds didn't fail me. This drink is a tequila sweetened with almond extract. Licor de Almendra is available at Moreno's Liquor, 3624 W. 26th St in Chicago. I wish they could get another favorite of mine, Licor de Durazno (peach)......AWESOME.

Overall we were very pleased with this restaurant and would consider a return trip.

I've noted comments about service and we did not have any problems with service. We were there at 5:30pm so I don't know if that makes a difference. The restaurant filled with patrons by the time we left around 7:15pm.

dicksond - Right now I don't have any favorite taquerias in East Aurora. Everything has changed since the early 80's when I used to work in Batavia and always targeted East Aurora for chow. I used to stop at the supermarket on Farnsworth (now called La Michocana) and buy fresh tortillas and carnitas. Sometimes my peers wanted the burritos as big as your head and I used to go to a place called Raymond's.

nicinchic - I have been to Bucho's in the past, back when it was part of the Lalo's family. I wanted something closer to the Metra line.

Thanks to everyone for contributing & I hope each one of you has a safe and happy holiday weekend.

We are doing Bike the Drive on Sunday morning then might drive over to Roosevelt and Canal and put a hurtin on some food tents (Mama Lula get the pupusas ready!)

Que le vaya bien!

OrgullodeMexico -- Glad that you enjoyed your meal at YB. I believe that I had the carne asada camaron as well, on my last visit. Although others (whose opinions I respect) have mixed views, as I mentioned, I think that the food at YB is pretty good and consistent (at least in my experience). It also is a nice place, and is even more appealing given the lack of options in the immediate area.

That said, I am going to have to broaden my horizons and try some of the places that dickson mentioned, such as La Quebrada. I remember reading once that there is a La Quebrada in Glen Ellyn. Is this one as good as the others?

Ron A. wrote:OrgullodeMexico -- Glad that you enjoyed your meal at YB. I believe that I had the carne asada camaron as well, on my last visit. Although others (whose opinions I respect) have mixed views, as I mentioned, I think that the food at YB is pretty good and consistent (at least in my experience). It also is a nice place, and is even more appealing given the lack of options in the immediate area.

That said, I am going to have to broaden my horizons and try some of the places that dickson mentioned, such as La Quebrada. I remember reading once that there is a La Quebrada in Glen Ellyn. Is this one as good as the others?

The Glen Ellyn location for LQ has been been closed for some time

Last night the Bride requested a Mexican meal, so I presented her with a list to choose from. Amanacer, Taco Grill, Taqueira El Pulpo, La Quebrada in Aurora and Islas Marias. The Bride has simple requirements - good Guacamole, and good Margaritas.

She immediately dismissed Amanacer because on the last two visits the Guacamole was not fresh. Having reviewed this thread, I think that Yerba Buena would have been an excellent choice to satisfy her parameters, but as I noted up thread, my experience there was such that I am not interested in returning.

She initially chose either of the Westmont spots until I asked her if a Margarita was in the cards. It has been a hard week, and a good Margarita, or two or three, sounded like the right thing for me. Yes, she said, and that immediately eliminated all but La Quebrada and Islas Marias, so I asked - grilled meat or seafood? Thus, on a chilly February night, we ended up in Islas Marias on Broadway in downtown Aurora.It is another big, beachy room, never very full in my experience. The Ceviche with fresh green salsa was reliably good, and the Margarita excellent (a small confusion resulted in me receiving the same Maragarita as the Bride - on the rocks with no salt, which is not at all what I would have liked, but I drank and enjoyed it with gusto and pleasure anyway). Empanadas were fresh and bready, but were served initially without the sauce, and the shrimp filling was restrained, almost unrecognizable.

The Guacamole had the gummy, pasty consitency of something that either was purchased, or prepared far ahead of time and over-blended.

The Bride's Camaron Diablo was not too spicy, as she requested, and not too interesting as a result. Good rice and salad with it. My Caldo Siete Mares was great. Lighter seafood broth was brightened considerably with the addition of some lime and hot sauce - and the profusion of seafood, potatoes and another tuber (yucca?) was amazing. Two crab legs, three whole prawns, two oysters all arrayed against the side of the bowl, along with a half bowl of fish chunks, tubers and baby shrimp. In this kind of a soup, it is tough to avoid having some or all of the seafood a bit overcooked, and that was the case here. If one really wants more gently cooked seafood, some of the grilled or sauteed shrimp, the Ceviche, Camaron in Aguascalientes, or one of the cocktails are a better choice, but it was a cold night and after the free Ceviche, a warming meal of empanadas and soup was what spoke to me.

I suppose that in many respects Islas Marias is more like a Mexican version of Red Lobster than I want to admit - cheap, generous seafood, neither of the highest quality, nor prepared perfectly, nor aspiring to being anything more than a family seafood place. But the less cooked options do separate it from RL, as well as the brighter flavors of the Mexican palate and the fresh sauces/salsas prepared daily on site. It worked perfectly last night as a warming, comfort meal, and works just as well in the summer as a Ceviche and Seafood cocktail destination.

At 7pm on a Friday night, the large room (probably 20-30 tables) never had more than 4 tables occupied, and I have not seen it any busier, so I don't know how this location can survive. La Quebrada, about a mile south down Broadway, seems to do 10 times the business, and since the food is generally of higher quality that is deserved. Has anyone actually been to this place when it was busy?