Mundial Cocina Mestiza [closed]

I've seen a few reviews/mentions of this place in print, but no posts so far. So...here it is.

First, apologies for still not being savvy enough to post pictures. The few we took with the camera phone were so grainy and small, it would be a disservice to post them. One dish was so good, the only shot is of the oil-and-crumb streaked memory it left on the plate.

Four for dinner, and we all walked out happily stuffed and hopeful.

Happily stuffed with: Seafood cocteles topped with slim wedges of avocado and filled with tender, not chewy, octopus; springy, fat shrimp; what looked like slivers of salmon; and little chunks of cucumber and tomato in a very mild citrus “broth.” I say ‘broth’ because it wasn’t the usual, slightly sweet tomato juice that appears in many cocteles I’ve had here (a la El Barco). It was clearish, flecked with cilantro and had a very light citrus/seafood broth flavor.

Hopeful that: The tostadas they serve, sparingly, will not be stale the next time we go back. They offered plenty of saltines, which were also slightly stale, but even at their crisp-est, wouldn’t be good enough for the cocteles.

Happily stuffed with: Ceviche mixto, which appeared to be the very same seafood/fish concoction featured in the cocteles, sans broth, served on lettuce leaves. It was lacking some of the vital, citrus kick, so we asked for extra limes and doctored it up with hot sauce.

Hopeful that: They add some spicy, citrus-y punch to both the ceviche and the cocteles, and again, find a better, saltier, crunchier tostada to serve—and 86 the saltines.

Happily stuffed with: Bruchetta mixta, three discs of bread—big enough for all four of us to get a bite--one topped with a sweeter, raisin-spiked eggplant caponata, one with sautéed shallots and mushroom, and one with zucchini-ricotta mixture. All were excellent.

Hopeful that: They won’t take it off the menu.

Happily stuffed with: Costilla de puerco en tamarindo—three perfectly tender, but not at all Meat Jello-ish--spare ribs with an ancho and tamarind glaze. By all accounts, the best of the four entrees we had.

Hopeful that: the black beans in the corn/bean relish under the spare ribs will not be undercooked the next time we go back. And we WILL go back.

Happily stuffed with: The dressed tilapia stuffed with chorizo, a tender, flaky fish served in foil with a raw radish/sprout/carrot julienne.

Hopeful that: I get better at eating fish with so many bones.

Happily stuffed with: Snapper in mole with plaintains and rice—the 2nd place entrée of the evening. Simultaneously crispy/sweet (plantains) and juicy/salty (snapper). Served with warm, fresh tortillas--the kind I'd like to roll in and eat my way out of.

Hopeful that: I eat more of this very soon.

Happily stuffed with: a very light (some might say bland) shrimp with garlic and veggies over rice.

Hopeful that: They keep the fresh, quality ingredients but develop a heavier hand with the seasonings.

In addition to being unbelievably priced—the spare ribs were $11, and I don’t think I saw another entrée over $14—they’re also BYOB. They make their own sangria, so we brought two bottles of dry, pink Spanish wine with high hopes. The sangria was not great--a bit watered down, though it was one of those scorching-hot, ice vanishes in three seconds kind of days, so not too surprising. The wine we chose didn’t help matters, either.

Service was fair--she was quick with a bucket of melting ice for the wine, and seemed to know a few of the stars on the menu--but we had to keep asking for extra limes and tostadas. We ordered two rounds of the cocteles and one of the ceviche, so a big ol' basket of tostadas and a pile of limes should be a given. But it's hard to fault such little service slips at a new place, particularly when it was so mind-numbingly hot outside, and kinda muggy inside the restaurant.

A fantastic addition to the neighborhood, but with a few easy kinks to work out. I hope this place makes it to next year’s GNR nominations!

Mundial Cocina Mestiza
1640 W. 18th Street
312-491-9908

Here's what the latest Chicagmag/Dish newsletter had to say,

"World Is Not Enough
“I don’t want a trendy place. I want staying power and substance. We refinanced our houses to do this.” So says Katie Garcia, an owner of Pilsen’s new 45-seat BYO, Mundial Cocina Mestiza (1640 W. 18th St.; 312-491-9908). The place sounds great on paper: Garcia and her colleagues—husband Eusebio Garcia, and Jorge Hernández—have put in time at the Ritz-Carlton, MK, Gordon, and Bistro 110. “We’ve all been cooking and sous-chefing for a long time and it was time for us to go at it on our own,” says Katie Garcia. Their dinner menu bops from Mexico to the Mediterranean—and never goes over $14 (red snapper in mole with caramelized plantains and rice). “Mundial” means worldly, which is what Garcia is shooting for. “We don’t want to limit it to Mexican,” she says. “We wanted a name that could give us leeway to expand. And I wanted a place where I could afford to eat.”
"

I'm looking forward in trying this place out myself.

I had a terrific meal at Mundial Cocina Mestiza last night. I have no pictures and didn't keep notes, so I can't be as detailed as I might like. Four of us went around 7:45. The place was hopping, and we got one of last tables in the back. This is a fairly large place, luckily, because they're going to be getting a lot of business as word spreads.

We started with appetizers of mixed ceviche, queso flameado, and a vegetarian empanada. All were excellent. I had the queso, which was similar to what I've seen called queso fundido at other restaurants, but here there were beans added to the cheese and chorizo, which I haven't seen before. This wasn't high cuisine, but it sure was tasty--served with fresh tortillas. And crrush will be happy to know that they have nixed the saltines with the ceviche.

My entree was pork ribs with ancho and tamarind glaze. I would describe it as more than a glaze, however, as the flavor permeated the meat right down to the bone. I don’t know the ribs were cooked—definitely not smoked or grilled—but they were falling off the bone, yet still had a bit of a crunchy crust on the outside. There were 4 or 5 ribs in the order, but they were large and meaty—plenty to fill me up. These were totally unlike any other ribs I’ve had, and deliciously so. (The accompanying corn/black bean relish was perfectly cooked.) Two of my companions had the snapper in mole. This was a sort of pumpkin mole, green in color, but I don’t remember the details. The two bites I had were wonderful. The fourth dish at the table was a sort of mixed seafood platter in a light sauce. I tried one small bite and enjoyed it, but didn’t find it as memorable as the other two entrees.

We had two desserts to share at the table. First was a “loco crepe” which was basically a crepe-s’more: chocolate and marshmallow in and on top of a crepe, with perhaps some Grand Marnier lingering about. The crepe was cooked perfectly, and it was a fine enough dessert, but probably not something I’d order again. Second was a preserved mango crepe. We didn’t realize it would be in a crepe or might have tried something different. Again, it was perfectly good but not something I’m likely to order again.

Service was OK. A bit slow on the front and back ends, but for the most part our meal was paced well. Frankly, we were enjoying ourselves so much that we really didn’t notice.

We happened to chat with one of the owners, who was circulating about the dining room as we were finishing up. She mentioned that she is really concerned about keeping quality high and customers happy as the business increases. Apparently it was packed over the weekend. They don’t have a front of the house operation, so things can get a bit disorganized. Also, they are self-financed and on a tight budget, so simple things like having just enough glassware for several seatings at all tables and not having an industrial-strength coffee maker have become issues, she said. I’m not sure how they’ll handle this going forward, because I can’t imagine that the crowds are going to diminish any time soon. She also mentioned that they are trying to keep prices affordable. They are succeeding on that score: our tab for 4 appetizers, 4 entrees, and 2 desserts came to $120 including tax and tip.

If they can maintain this quality at these prices, and turn up the service a notch or two, I too hope to see Mundial Cocina Mestiza among next years GNR nominees. This is a place I'll be returning to regularly. Thanks for the tip, crrush.

We (Mr. FIG and I) became residents of Pilsen a year ago and have enjoyed learning the ins and outs of our neighborhood taquerias and carnitas restaurants. However, it is a pleasant occurence to have something a little different open up. Okay, it's still Mexican, but more Frontera Grill-like than Azteca Tacos (our favorite)-like.

There were a couple misses on the menu and the service was just so-so, but overall we had a wonderful meal and will be back for more. The owners are present and very friendly...Katie, the wife, stopped by a few tables to chat.

They were out of oysters on the Sunday we went, so we opted for the ceviche mixto instead. The fish and seafood was very decent and not over "cooked", it could have used a little more spice and it would have been better with the fresh homemade corn tortillas we enjoyed later in the
meal than the hard tostada-style tortillas it came with. We also had the bruschetta and enjoyed all three styles. The menu all sounded delicious, but we eventually decided on two fish entrees - the Huachinango (Snapper) served with the green mole was fabulous, perfectly cooked with a crispy skin and moist interior. The only thing I didn't like about the entree was the garnish on top - a sprout, radish, carrot salad that I felt was overwhelmed by sprouts- flavorwise and aromawise (Mr. FIG had the same garnish and wasn't bothered by the sprouts.) The Mojarra en Guajillo came out not as a whole tilapia as indicated on the menu, but two filets. Still, very well prepared and seasoned.

Not much in the way of desserts. We ended up ordering a flan to share and getting a complimentary banana crepe (?). The flan was denser than most I've had and Mr. FIG really enjoyed the chewiness of the top. It was paired with a strange sauce - almost like a chunky applesauce with way too much cinnamon - if you ignored the sauce it was good. The crepes were a big mess of a dessert (all the other plates were very nicely, if simply, presented) with bananas, caramel, vanilla ice cream, marshmallows (white and green) and chocolate chips. The bananas and the caramel were good - reminiscent of bananas foster, but the rest was just too much. It looked like they let my niece attack the sundae bar.

We'll be back. It's a good addition to the 'hood, but we'll probably skip dessert.

We bundled ourselves up for the cold and walked over to Mundial last night. My impressions:

Soup of the day (tortilla): Cream-based, perfectly cooked chicken, good flavor but *way* too mild in spiciness for me, and the cream just covered the heat up more.

A side of the hand-cut fries with "green aioli" as an appetizer: Everyone should try these. The fries are very much like those at Semiramis, but I liked the parsleyed aioli and the fries themselves much more at Mundial. $2 for a big side order.

The tamarind/ancho pork ribs mentioned above many times. The black bean/corn relish was very good. Ribs were... okay. The spicing was very asian to me, actually. Reminded me a lot of five spice, or chinese red cooked chicken. I'm pretty sure the ribs were loin, not the spare ribs mentioned on the menu. They were fine, but I probably wouldn't personally order them again. Not much heat, and I like my ribs smoked.

Beth was very fond of her roasted corn risotto. Creamy, cheesy, a slight bite from the poblanos.

It's very close to home, so we'll be back. The total, with tip and a drink, came to about $35.

One warning -- they don't have one of those double outer doors set up like so many chicago restaurants do in Winter. Hopefully they get one soon, because, without it, many of the tables in the front room get incredibly cold as people enter/leave the restaurant.

*shhh*
stop talking about this restaurant. it's packed enough as it is... so.. instead... may i suggest Sol del Mexico?

3 wks ago, i was really jonesing for the ribs...


went 3 times in about 10 days, 1 time as a solo diner. every time the service was impeccable (after the long haired dude who waited on the back room was let go). the ceviche mixto:


is excellent, ditto to the duck... the duck confit may be better than any other French restaurant in town regardless of price.


the crazy crepe is always a crowd pleaser:


did i mention the tremendous bruschetta, especially one topped with eggplant ?


i am curious if the menu will expand. similar to sol del mexico, the menu is short with narrow focus. not that it's bad, it's just extremely easy to go through the entire menu after a few sittings...

We had a nice meal here a few weeks ago. I especially liked the tamales and the roasted corn risotto.

Had a fine meal on Friday. They have apparently introduced a new menu, so some of what is discussed in this thread has changed.

We had: tamele nejos and a pumpkin tamale for appetizers. Both were very good. The tamele nejos had chicken mole on it that, while it could have had a bit more punch, was nonetheless excellent. The pumpkin was served out of the wrapping, sliced in half, with goat cheese, some dried fruit, pumpkin seeds and a sauce. It's one of those "takes" on something traditional that go can either way, but this was well conceived and tasty.

For main dishes, my wife had the excellent ceviche. I had the short ribs, which unfortunately is a new recipe, and the change is not for the better. It was supposed to be a chipotle sauce of some kind, but no chipotle flavor was evidence.

A fairly new place will have a few misses, and with an interesting menu, friendly service and a nice room, this is a worthy destination.

Jonah

Do you mean tamales nejos, perhaps? Sounds great.

Opps, I do indeed mean tamales nejos.

Jonah

After seeing Rick Bayless @ the Chicago Historical Society, I got a chance to meet and eat out with some fellow LTHers at Mundial. Cathy2 has pictures which I will add to the post once she gets them to me.

We shared three appetizers: Tamale Calabaza (pumpkin tamale), Tapas (apricot chutney, almonds, roasted shallots & a creamy goat cheese-herb quenelle served with crostini) & Queso Flameado

The tamale and tapas plate were both beautiful and delicious. The tamales were the perfect texture, slightly sweet (like a pumpkin ravioli) and topped with cotija cheese. We all agreed they could be dessert. The tapas plate was unique and surprising. All of the flavors went well together and it was gorgeous. The queso flameado was a fairly traditional queso fundido with chorizo and beans. I didn't think the chorizo was spicy enough and could have done without the beans, but the homemade corn tortillas almost made up for it.
Tapas

Tamales

Queso Flameado...no tortillas, sorry


One of the group had the Sopa del Dia. A chicken and fideo soup. Looked delicious, but I didn't try it.


For entrees, I had the Mojarra Empapelada (Whole tilapia baked in foil stuffed with chorizo, epazote and jalapeno mayonnaise). The fish was overcooked on the top, but once I flipped it over, it was delicious. The chorizo again not spicy. The epazote tasted like canned green beans...overcooked and tinny. I didn't find jalapeno or mayonnaise present. The citrus tinged rice on the side was perfect.


Mr. FIG had the braised short ribs. We were looking forward to ordering these after some of the other posts, but he was very disappointed. While the flavors were good, the meat was undercooked leaving it chewy. Also, we guessed the mashed potatoes were done on the fly. Not cooked enough and too lumpy.


The Chiles en Nogada, which two diners had, was recommended by the waitstaff and looked like the clear winner. Beautifully prepared chile relleno and a grilled squash salad.


Also had the Chapuzon del Mar (Spicy Seafood Stew). The diner took some home so it must have been worth it.


We were there late, but decided we could split a dessert or two. After our first choice of rice pudding was out, we were talked into the banana crepes. As per my post above, I found them too sweet and overwhelming, but a number of guests commented on the toasted marshmallows.

The service still needs a little polishing...we had to ask for several things twice and they seemed to trip over each other a few times. Also, they do need to figure out the door situation. We were downright chilly a few times and it's only November. That being said, I still think it's a great addition to the neighborhood.

figmolly wrote:The Chiles in Nogada, which two diners had, was recommended by the waitstaff and looked like the clear winner. Beautifully prepared chile relleno and a grilled squash salad.

Chiles in Nogada were a wonderful surprise because my friend and I had been talking about that dish since we left home to see the Bayless talk. I thought the preparation quite good, though I have nothing to compare it to, as this was my first experience of the dish. Nevertheless, these chiles went a long way toward erasing the disturbing memory of those previously chilled and grilled chiles rellenos I posted about in the thread on worst things eaten recently.

It was fun to meet figmolly and Mr. FIG, and to talk with them about their catering business. (Yes, they do feature fresh figs in season, and incorpotate dried figs at other times.) I wish them success, and hope they will continue to post their discoveries and join LTH outings.

Always on the look out for new BYO's, MCM piqued my interest last Saturday. Terrific food, attractive presentations, good prices, and friendly service. The only aspect which doesn't keep up is the atmosphere. I know it's tough when you are working on a tight budget, but a little creativity may help. Turning down the lighting a bit may even save some money . I only mention this because the owners aspirations seem to be healthy.

We shared three appetizers: tamales nejos, tamale calabaza, and queso flameado. The tamales nejos were like an unconstructed tamale. The masa was flat and unstuffed, but topped with chicken in a delicious dark mole. The pumpkin tamale was also a bit different. The pumpkin and masa appeared to be mixed together (not masa around a pumpkin filling), sliced and topped with cheese and pumpkin seeds. Also very good, but a little sweet for me if I wasn't sharing. The queso combined chorizo and black beans and was killer in the warm, house-made tortillas. The tortillas may have been a teeny-bit thick, but still awesome.

Chiles en Nogada tasted as great as it looked, garnished with pomegranate. This was accompanied by some baby greens which were sprinkled with pumpkin seeds and spices. The rib eye in a tasty green peppercorn/brandy reduction was perfectly cooked and plated with an outstanding potato gratin.

We will go back and if it wasn't such a haul, I'd probably go often. Very promising for a relatively new place.

I opened my first red Copain 'Les Copains' and it was the first vintage for this wine, 2003. 50% Grenache and 50% Mourvedre from Justin Smith's 'James Berry Vineyard' in Paso Robles. Popped and poured, but it needed some time in a decanter (which I didn't have). I saved a small pour and brought it home. Five hours later it had gained weight and became much darker with the extended aeration. Raspberry, cherry, herbs, and evergreens. Very tannic at this point. I'm not going to open anymore for some time.

Mundial Cocina Mestiza
1640 W. 18th Street
Chicago, IL 60608
312.491.9908

Lunch here last Sunday was fantastic. As noted earlier, the prices are extremely reasonable.

We split the tamales de calabaza (pumpkin tamales). Outstanding. A perfect pumpkin taste and texture, naturally sweet, and lightly spiced, giving the pumpkin its due.

I had the enchiladas with chicken in red mole. It was garnished pretty heavily what with the stack of red cabbage salad on top. The mole was wonderfully judicious in heat, which allowed for some of the sauce's complexities to shine. The slow-burning heat showed up later on the tongue but didn't have you reaching for your drink. The corn tortillas were freshly made albeit a tad thick. Once I pushed the cabbage to the side, I was able to truly appreciate how well its slight bitterness intertwined with the flavors of the rest of the dish. Really well put together.

My friend had chile rellenos, which she absolutely loved; "to die for," I believe was what she said.

On a Sunday afternoon at 3:00, we were one of three tables. One table had just stopped in for coffee and left soon thereafter. I haven't been during other times, but I hope this low profile restaurant is still attracting the customers it deserves.

figmolly wrote:Mr. FIG had the braised short ribs. We were looking forward to ordering these after some of the other posts, but he was very disappointed. While the flavors were good, the meat was undercooked leaving it chewy. Also, we guessed the mashed potatoes were done on the fly. Not cooked enough and too lumpy.

I guess I got lucky last night. I ordered the short ribs and they were very tender, juicy and almost enough to make me deny The Wife her turn during our regular Mid-Meal Plate Switch. The mashed starch, for us, was yuca (if you were expecting potato, that might explain why this side seemed funny to you -- and it was "lumpy," but yuca may not mash as smoothly as spud). Not to rub it in, but my piece was also about twice as big as the one pictured. Like I said, lucky.

We brought a bottle of Rioja that was just perfect with this meat. (Note: corkage is up to $4.00, but our big ole' imaginative and delicious meal still came in around $60 so it's tough to complain)

The blind pumpkin tamale was good...but I guess I prefer mine stuffed.

I really want to love everything about Mundial (and some things I do). It's in my neighborhood, it's run by a husband and wife team, it's very ambitious for Pilsen and a good example of the way the 'hood is changing. But, after almost a year, they still have some things to work on. The service is poor - they have great intentions and are really sweet, but they always seem like they're in training. I heard the proprietess telling our server to make sure she served the women first, that was the least of the problems. It takes a while for them to get to your table, they're not fast with refills (and the water was tepid when they did refill), and it just seems awkward. When I ordered my halibut, the gentleman who was training our server said it was a good choice, which is fine, but then followed it up by saying that he just picked up his seafood that morning (we wondered what he would have said if it was a couple days old).

The menu has changed completely since last visit. The prices have increased a couple dollars, most entrees are between $15-20, but they're still reasonable. We ordered the squash blossom empanadas. They were fair, but nothing outstanding. I felt the crust was undercooked. The filling tasted a bit like vegetarian lasagne which was okay, but not exactly what I was expecting. Artfully presented with a thick balsamic syrup, garlic oil and an herb oil.

Well, the fish-purchaser was right. My halibut was fantatic - a huge portion of halibut that was tasty and moist. It was described as being risotto crusted, in reality a fried risotto chip was placed on top of the halibut after cooking. It was a little greasy, but added a nice crunch to the dish. The fish was placed on a bed on tomato-fennel warm salsa - very good, but could have used a little salt or salty element (olives?). I had one bite that had all of the salt. Mr. FIG had the champuzon del mar (spicy seafood stew) - he describes it as boring and bland. His fish had obviously not been purchased that day and it showed. Plus, it wasn't spicy. And, my dad had the pork loin - can't remember much about it and I didn't try any, but the trainer/fish purchaser did come back after we ordered to indicate that it was normally cooked medium well and did he want it differently (he ordered it medium and indicated it was cooked properly). Since we've never had much luck with dessert, we passed this time.

Inconsistency with food and poor service, leave us wondering if Mundial will succeed. We'll keep going back and keep our fingers crossed.

My husband and I decided to try Mundial last night again after so-so food since they opened about 2 years ago. We've been there a handful of times, but we have never really been that impressed. We are happy to try again and see the potential for greatness. Many of the problems discussed in above threads talks about the lack of service and inconsistent food. It seems as though these problems still exist.
Perhaps the great success is due to the potential of a wonderful unique place with essentially no similar competition close by. We stopped in last night and the place was nearly packed with people waiting when we left. After eating, we did not feel the food supported this.

I am also thinking that I am trying the wrong dishes and would have better luck something else, but our waitress certainly didn't offer any help or really anything. We ordered the empanada which was good, yet bland and the flavors didn't really meld all of the way. It was fine enough I suppose. I also received a plate that was not completely clean for serving the appetizer and it took a good 5 minutes or so to call the attention for a new one, but then it was happily and easily replaced. (I'm not good at calling for attention and I don't like to seem like a picky patron.) Also something similar had happened that last time we were here about a year ago. Not a huge deal, but strange these issues have happened when we don't eat here frequently.

For entrees, I chose the soft shell crab with ramps, asparagus, tomatoes, and red pepper sauce. The crab was cooked well, but still somehow the flavors didn't exactly work. They were all kind of fighting one another. The asparagus was also not cooked. I don't like my asparagus cooked much at all, but this was raw. Maybe it was meant to be that way? I'm not sure. So again, it was just mediocre to me.
My husband for some reason opted for the pepperdelle pasta with shrimp, broccolini, and shitake,etc. I think he enjoyed it, but it had too many flavors going that didn't quite match as well.

We live in the neighborhood, so we will probably try again, but I will try to get more suggestions for orders.
I think my opinion of Mundial is one I used to have of Lula. I didn't really like Lula the first times I tried it, but the more I have been to Lula it has changed my opinion. I ordered good food and enjoy the reasonable choices on the menu. Hopefully Mundial can get its act together or I can try the food that continues to pack this place in. I respect what they are trying to do, but I don't think they have hit the mark yet at least when I have been there.

This isn't suppose to be a post to trash a place, just to inform the quality I experienced lately and to question what I am missing. What should I try here to like it more?

Are the crowds purely Check Please Effect?
I really want this place to be good.

To coincide with the Field Museum's Aztec World exhibit, 15 Chicago area restaurants volunteered to come up with menus that would include dishes created from what was believed to be items that the Aztecs ate.

We chose Mundial on 18th Street, and visited the restaurant January 17th, 2009. Still BYOB, always a plus with us! We arrived or a 7:30, and the place was pretty full, with only a few empty tables. We were presented with two menus: the Taste of the Aztec World menu, and the standard menu. This made it easy to see that we must return for another visit, as we found many items on the standard menu worth coming back for.
Aztec Tasting Menu:

Regular Menu:


For an appetizer, we ordered the Moctezuma Platter:

Sorry for the shock there folks! Yes, the first appetizer is Gusanos de Maguey, better know as the worm in the bottle of Mezcal! The flavor was not like chicken, but they had a slightly smokey taste, and were just a bit crunchy - no big deal. Accompanied by Huitlacoche, or corn fungus (can it get any better?) with sauteed wild mushrooms on a huarache. The third appetizer is a stew of baby prawns on a baked purple potato. The stew was flavorful and excellent, reminding me of a great al pastor type flavor. The fourth appetizer is Escamoles with hazelnut guacamole on a totopo chip.

For an entree, I had the Conejo en Penca de Maguey, which was baby rabbit, braised in maguay leaves with grilled cactus and pineapple, in pineapple and red wine glaze. This dish was a little on the bland side for me, and didn't really satisfy my need for a little meat:


My wife had the Pato en Salsa de Capulin, which was a duck breast in blueberry sauce. It came with artichoke hearts, baby carrots, and a vergolagas salad:

The duck breast was tender and cooked medium. The sauce was an excellent accompaniment. A very flavorful dish!

The dessert was the highlight of the evening! There were many good items to choose from:


We chose the Flan Trio from the dessert menu:


The first is a rompope eggnog flan with dried fruits and plantains, the second is sugar cane anis flan with tequila jamaica syrup, the third is a chocolate cinnamon flan with espresso beans and chocolate sauce. Each was was an excellent preparation, making it difficult to pick a favorite!

Needless to say, we will return to sample from the regular menu. We were impressed with our presentations and service, and highly recommend Mundial.

With an $10 A La Card in one hand for Mundial and Bulls tickets in the other, we ventured to Pilsen for dinner last Saturday. It wasn't a bad drive at all from Rogers Park. We did not have a reservation as we went early, but with two large groups in the restaurant, I can see that a reservation might be necessary on a Saturday. We split an appetizer and dessert, but had separate entrees. (My apologies for my poor memory -- I can't remember what our appetizer and dessert were right now.)

Mr. X had the scallop entree while I went with a shrimp dish. The kitchen definitely knew how to cook seafood. Mr. X declared the scallops as some of the best-prepared he's had. My shrimp were almost as good. My shrimp were served over a medley of aspargus, roasted red pepper and carmelized onions. There was a green sauce on top -- poor memory again. What struck us both about our entrees is that the it was prepared well but the overall plate didn't work well. For example, my shrimp came with a swiss chard and bacon fried rice. It was tasty, but didn't really complement the shrimp prep.

Overall, we enjoyed our meal and would go back. We did BYO with a $4 corkage fee, but I believe they have their liquor license now.

took a friend from Mexico city here today for lunch, he really liked it. i will be sure to go back with my wife

Just this Saturday was my third time going to this place and i can say I am very pleased. Brunch was amazing and there was such great technique and flavors used.

One of the things that struck me was that you can see how much they enjoy preparing the meal. I like knowing that care is taken in the preparation on my food. I had roasted zucchini on fried corn cakes with a poached egg on top, all covered with a chile cream sauce. It was simply delicious with the cinnamon coffee:)

--mostlybadfly

One of the nicest dining rooms in Pilsen is the one at Mundial Cocina Mestiza, but that is not the reason I eat at this restaurant. Mole is a tricky thing. It is complex and difficult to get just right. I am always more than satisfied with the mole at MCM. Although, many mole fanatics will go with the tradition chicken with mole. MCM serves this dish with rack of lamb. I love lamb and every kind of sauce or cream or jelly that people can come up with to eat it with. But Costillas de Cordero (rack of lamb) is a stroke of genius served with mole. The flavor of the mole is not sweet but balanced with a few figs on the side. The lamb I had last night was cooked medium and was a hearty serving! The dish is served with Arepa which a corn mash cake that soaked up the mole well. Mundial Cocina Mestiza recently won the Mole de Mayo, People Choice Award and the flavorful dishes at the restaurant are a fantastic reflection of the skills of this chef.

Pilsen has several restaurants with good mole, I know alot of people would vote for the mole at a more humble establishment, but I believe that Mundial Cocina Mestiza is a winner despite the fancier atomosphere.

Mundial Cocina Mestiza
1640 W. 18th Street
Chicago, IL 60608
312-491-9908
www.mundialcocinamestiza.com

Thanks for the update Yolanda....we are big mole fans and trying to find a good one, despite everyone's claims they have the best, is difficult. Once you have mole in Mexico, nothing else ever compares! We plan a visit to MCM shortly, and I'm a sucker for lamb and mole over chicken and mole, so I can't wait to give it a go.

I've been doing most of my leisurely mid-level Mexican dining at Amelia's lately, but a Groupon sent me back to its "related" restaurant, Mundial, for the first time in several years (I was struggling for the appropriate family analogy--certainly not "sister"; perhaps "evil stepmother"? No, let's stick with the generic "related.")

I must say the kitchen really understands cornmeal and its multiple uses. We started with the masa pockets and the empanadas and were impressed by the subtlety and complexity of the flavors and the sauces. My wife had the above mentioned lamb and I tried the pork shank (very nice for one of those chilly harbinger-of-winter nights). One note on the lamb; if you order it rare expect to get it RARE (I mean "blu" rare.) This was fine for my wife, who, a true carnivore, was pleasantly surprised, but I could see where others might send it back for a more "saignant" version.

Both entrees were accompanied by another one of those splendid cornmeal concoctions (an arepa and polenta respectively), along with, among others, dried figs and deep-fried green tomatoes; deep-fried okra and malanga strips. The first entree was cooked with a rich mole and the second braised in a red-wine chipotle sauce.

I like Amelia's and I don't mean to downgrade it (and since I've been there with some frequency lately, menu fatigue might be a factor), but because of the interesting accompaniments and complexity of flavors, given the choice of the these two very similar establishments, I think I'd now opt for MCM.

My wife and I visited Mundial Mestiza this past Saturday and really enjoyed our dinner. Unfortunately, the service leaves a lot to be desired, and I think in the short term, it will hurt their business. In all fairness, we visited about two months ago and it was the same situation. The problem is not the server, but the quantity of servers. The restaurant needs to hire more help, at least on the weekends. We observed most diners irked by the same situation of having to wait for and flag down one very busy server. One man was the host, the bus boy, the server, and the bartender. Oh....and he was also covering the back room.


Our diner, however, was excellent. We started with a pitcher of blood Orange Sangria and an order of the Mudial Ceviche. It was excellent - with whitefish, shrimp, octopus, mango, red onions, pico de gallo, grapefruit, and orange in an oregano & carrot escabeche



For an entree, I had the Caserola Azteca, which was layers of huitlacoche, squash blossom, wild mushrooms, baby spinach, black beans, corn, nopales, oaxaca cheese, crispy tortillas and artichoke molcajete sauce. The flavors were amazing and non-stop:



My wife had the fish special, which was a Turbo filet served on mashed sweet potato, with a poblano crema. The fish was very fresh, and the poblano crema was a flavorful addition without covering the taste of the filet.



We enjoyed our meal very much, and if they hired more help, the dining experience would be perfect. We still plan to return in the future only because the food is so darn good!

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I was thinking of going to Mundial this weekend. However, when I try calling their phone number, all I can get is a message that "your call cannot be completed as dialed, recheck the number or it's possible it's been disconnected". This has been going on for several days. Does anyone know what the story is?

nsxtasy wrote:I was thinking of going to Mundial this weekend. However, when I try calling their phone number, all I can get is a message that "your call cannot be completed as dialed, recheck the number or it's possible it's been disconnected". This has been going on for several days. Does anyone know what the story is?

I had the same experience in mid-February.

Mundial Cocina Mestiza has been closed for months. Last autumn I noticed signs in the windows reading, "Mundial will be closed temporarily due to repairs caused by a fire. We apologize for the inconvenience and will reopen as soon as possible." The interior had been stripped but there was no sign of fire in dining room or kitchen. More recently the Mundial Cocina Mestiza sign disappeared and No Trespassing and For Rent signs were posted in the windows.

October 2012


February 2013


Mundial Cocina Mestiza (closed)
1640 W 18th St
Chicago

Thanks for the update.

Yeah, we discovered teh fire issue when we tried to use a Groupon last summer right before it expired. When I asked for a refund, Groupon assured me that the deal would be honored at full value once they reopened. Does anyone know whether they ever reopened?