Mexican for my Birthday

I'm trying to pick a Mexican restaurant for my birthday. Something with great meat and not too expensive (under $30 per person). Anywhere in the city please.

Thanks.

Mixteco Grill might fit the bill. It would be about $30 for food before tax and tip and it is BYOB.

http://mixtecogrill.com/

In addition to Mixteco Grill, consider:

Mexique
Mundial Cocina Mestiza

All three of these serve a creative, contemporary version of Mexican cuisine, rather than the conventional enchiladas and carne asada. All will fit your stated budget easily.

Could you elaborate a bit? Your request for great meat could take the suggestions in alot if directions. Maybe give us a couple of places that you think would be kind of similar to what you're looking for but different cuisine? Or another Mexican spot you like but want to find some place new?

I've been to Mixteco and I loved it. However I remember the seating being kinda limited. I would be willing to drop a notch in the creativity of the cuisine if that's what it would take to accommodate a group.

curry71 wrote:I've been to Mixteco and I loved it. However I remember the seating being kinda limited. I would be willing to drop a notch in the creativity of the cuisine if that's what it would take to accommodate a group.

A group? How big a group are you expecting?

All three of the places mentioned above accept reservations, and a group of as many as 6-8 people isn't a problem. More than that, you'd probably want to discuss with the restaurant to see whether they can accommodate you and any limitations/constraints on that.

I agree with Nsxtasy - unless you have a massive sized group, the restaurant should be able to accommodate you. When I dined at Mixteco Grill it was with a dinner club and we had about a 12-14 people and everything was very smooth for a party of that size.

I have also dined at Mexique (one of the places Nsxtasy mentioned) and love Mexique; you mentioned an interest in meat and Mexique does steak expertly (my wife also loves their beef tartare if you are in to that). The only reason I did not mention them is if your price range of $30 was meant to include drinks, then Mexique would run higher (as they are not BYOB) - but if the $30 was excluding drinks they are well worth strongly considering.

Masa Azul (Diversey & Francisco) if you want something a bit more creative--drinks might put you over your designated amount but that could happen anywhere...
El Tapatio (Ashland and Roscoe) if you want great food, especially their steak dishes, potent margs and a fun atmosphere--and they have a back room that you could probably reserve if you have a bigger group.

curry71 wrote:I've been to Mixteco and I loved it. However I remember the seating being kinda limited. I would be willing to drop a notch in the creativity of the cuisine if that's what it would take to accommodate a group.

Don't know when you were there last, but Mixteco took over the adjacent space a while back and the restaurant is much larger than it was when it first opened.

I've done a large birthday party at Los Nopales before and it was quite good. They did a great job on service as well and there was about 20 of us. It's BYOB as well.

Los Nopales
4544 North Western Avenue Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 334-3149

CVittorio wrote:I've done a large birthday party at Los Nopales before and it was quite good. They did a great job on service as well and there was about 20 of us. It's BYOB as well.

Los Nopales
4544 North Western Avenue Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 334-3149

I don't know that I'd say it has "great" meat, but I've always enjoyed the carne asada at Los Nopales . . . one of the best versions in town IMO, and yes, always very friendly service . . . very nice recommendation.

Gonzo70 wrote:you mentioned an interest in meat and Mexique does steak expertly (my wife also loves their beef tartare if you are in to that).

Mexique also does a great job with short ribs. They braise them, then right before serving they throw them on the grill briefly to add a slight char on the outside. Superb!