I know nothing about mexican food in Chicago...

...other than that I'm visiting in two weeks, grew up in Detroit where I never wanted for a decent taco, and I've been in the Pacific NW for 15+ years which pretty much means I haven't had anything even approximating edible Mexican for 15+ years. I'm past due. Please help.

I'm visiting a friend at the end of July who lived in Texas for part of his young adulthood and thus professes to "hate Mexican in any incarnation." I'm hoping that his definition of the cuisine (and subsequent unilateral ban) is limited to Tex-Mex and I can convince him to try a more sophisticated version of the cuisine. Sadly, I don't know where to start.

I'd greatly appreciate recommendations (other than Frontera -- have been and its great but I assume he's tried it already). We're staying on Michigan Ave but will happily drive anywhere. Thanks so much!

By all means, get yourself down to Maxwell Street Market Sunday morning (centered at Roosevelt & Canal). You can get a feel for it by checking out Hammond and Mike G's two-part video here.

de cero on randolph is pretty darn good http://www.decerotaqueria.com/

but i'm a taqueria type of guy.

Maxwell Street would be a great immersion in lots of styles.

Current fave Mixteco Grill would give you a taste of upscale Mex that might open eyes quite a bit, read the thread on it.

I would look at all the Mexican places listed in the Great Neighborhood Restaurants section as you get a diverse view of the scene-- from sandwich places to birria places to individual regions like the Yucatan.

There are a lot of great places. You might want to check out past threads.

My recommendations are Salpicon, Fonda del Mar, and Sol de Mexico, and Mixteco Grill. Salpicon is closest to downtown, but all are relatively easy drives. All are standard "sit-down" restaurants. There are tons of more casual taquerias around town.

We're big fans of Xni-Pec in Cicero. Not easy to get to from Downtown unless you have a car, but well worth it if you do.

Thanks so much, everyone! I'll be sure to report back post-trip.

My recommendations are in order:
Mixteco Grill
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=19245

La Pasadita
viewtopic.php?t=15275

Fonda del Mar
viewtopic.php?t=8605

Wholly Frijoles
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f= ... y+frijoles

You might also want to check out May St. Cafe, Los Nopales and Riques.

You might want to check the suggestions for the Vuelta a Tacos. They're listed in the Vuelta map.

The Maxwell St. market is one of the last places I'd recommend. There are many Mexican restaurants mentioned/reviewed here on LTH and if you use the search feature for this particular forum (Eating out in Chicagoland) you're going to find more helpful information than you can absorb.

I think Maxwell St is as close to authentically Mexican as you're going to get in Chicago.. It reminds me very much of Liberty Market in Guadalajara. No cow heads on hooks staring at you, but close.

Chipotle.










I keed I keed

Bill wrote:The Maxwell St. market is one of the last places I'd recommend. ....

Why?

I adore the Maxwell Street Market. Where else can you buy a used chainsaw, a Menudo cassette tape, and a cowboy hat all while munching on some of the best street food, literally, in all of Chicago? I love bringing people who have never been to the market. They're usually amazed to know that something as interesting and unique exists in our fair city.

Edited for spelling

Mike G wrote:I would look at all the Mexican places listed in the Great Neighborhood Restaurants section as you get a diverse view of the scene-- from sandwich places to birria places to individual regions like the Yucatan.

Darren72 wrote:My recommendations are Salpicon, Fonda del Mar, and Sol de Mexico, and Mixteco Grill. Salpicon is closest to downtown, but all are relatively easy drives. All are standard "sit-down" restaurants. There are tons of more casual taquerias around town.

Maxwell Street is great, although what you must realize is that if it's hot, it might be less pleasant . . . and it will be crowded and you might have to wait in a long line and stand up to eat . . . oh, and then you might just find out that the item you really crave is sold out. Don't get me wrong, I love the market, but personally, I'd choose one of the aforementioned spots (check out the list of GNRs where many of these recs are described in detail).

If you want some of the fantastic and earthy moles, you won't do better than Sol de Mexico.

For seafood (and great cochinita de pibil - achiote seasoned pork slow roasted in banana leaves), Fonda del Mar. If the weather's nice, you'll love eating outside here.

Salpicon is slightly more upscale, beautifully presented food and it's a great place to sample tequilas. The atmosphere is most similar to Frontera.

If you really want a taste of Mexican Chicago, head to Pilsen (or the area in general) and go to both La Casa de Samuel (homemade tortillas and try the cecina de venado -- described and pictured in GNR thread) and Bombon Bakery (for sweets of course)-- what a twosome!

Sorry to say but I might be the only person here who has not been to Mixteco -- always too long of a wait when I've tried . . . but soon

BR wrote:Maxwell Street is great, although what you must realize is that if it's hot, it might be less pleasant . . . and it will be crowded and you might have to wait in a long line and stand up to eat . . . oh, and then you might just find out that the item you really crave is sold out.

If you're looking to sample a range of Mexican street-type food for a reasonable price, you can't beat Maxwell St. Market. All the problems mentioned (heat, crowding, sold out stuff) can be avoided by simply going to the market earlier: it opens at 7:00AM; I usually try to get there before 10:00 AM.

PS. Some places have tents where you can sit down, out of the heat: Tamal Oaxaca, Ricos Huaraches, etc.

Hey, watch the video. If it looks like fun, it will be fun. If it looks like Hell, likewise.

David Hammond wrote:Tamal Oaxaca

While there are other things there that are also amazing, this is the one thing I will always order when I go to the market. Oaxacan tamale w/ salsa verde & crema. Just really good. Do yourself a favor.

JimTheBeerGuy wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Tamal Oaxaca

While there are other things there that are also amazing, this is the one thing I will always order when I go to the market. Oaxacan tamale w/ salsa verde & crema. Just really good. Do yourself a favor.

This tamale might be my favorite food in the world. No kidding.

If you and your friends are driving through the North Shore and taking in the sights (Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, etc.), you might want to check out Casa de Isaac at the north end of Highland Park. There's a thread somewhere in this forum but I'm not savvy enough to know how to link the thread. (Maybe someone else can do it for me.)
Recognize that CdI closes at 3 pm on Fridays and opens one hour after sundown on Saturdays due to the owners' religious beliefs.
Enjoy.
Grandpa Bob