Big Bowls of Muy Bueno at Pozoleria Doña Esther

A handful of us went on a little excursion this week that consisted of crossing off Mexican related spots on my "looks intriguing enough to try list" and I think we all agreed Pozeleria Dona Ester was the days winner. It had been on my radar for a few months now. Why so? Any Mexican with a specific type of food in their name other than taco and burrito gets a good look. I figured since there were five of us it was as good of a time as ever to try the place since the weather has turned and of course the ever resourceful ordering power was there. So we rode over to give it a try.


An un-yelped gem on 59th just west of Kedzie

We we're there for the pozole and it was pretty refreshing to see they didn't have much else on the menu besides the usual suspects and menudo. Pozole is a Mexican stew common in many states. It has mentions in books that trace back to the 1500's. Of course it's developed over time into different styles that vary by each Mexican state but the maize (whole hominy kernels) is what has always remained in it. Once thought of as a sacred meal by the Aztecs who also considered maize a sacred plant, way back when the common meat used in the special stew was human flesh. Then people started acting a little more normal and regularly consumed animals replaced we the people. At Dona Esther they offer both a verde and a rojo blend in cups ($5) and bowls ($9). I also think I remember seeing gallons available to go. We got a bowl of each.


Verde and Rojo Bowls of Pozole

The Verde (green) came with chicken while the Rojo (red) comes with pork. They both come with a plate of garnish consisting of cilantro, limes, diced cabbage, sliced radish, chile de arbol peppers, Mexican oregano and maybe a couple of other thing's I'm forgetting. Either way, add it all in. I thought the red one with nice sized chunks of pork with some sinew scattered here and there was the winner but the green bowl with shredded chicken was also very good. The broths had real flavor, no bouillon or anything artificial that I could taste and the texture of each was really smooth and pleasant. I didnt really get a chance to talk to the couple running the place but the lady working the front was really accommodating and the guy preparing the bowls knew something was up when they started getting more camera time than Miley Cyrus walking down Hollywood Boulevard. He seemed very happy that we were enjoying ourselves. It was as good of a bowl as I've had so I know I'll be going back soon. Winter is coming.


Excellent Pozole

Pozoleria Dona Esther
3211 W. 59th St
Chicago, IL 60629
(312) 287-6757

Pozole has magical roborative powers--had a cold (and a long day at work as a result). This place made it all better.



Not knowing how massive the grande would be, I asked for some rice to accompany. Preceding this massive spread of food was a small bowl of forgettable tortilla chips. Salsas were fine on those--the green is almost creamy, not hot, somewhat vegetal in a good way. Red was okay.

Everything else you see here came with the $9.00 bowl--three tostadas, a couple healthy slices of avocado, chopped cabbage, lime, radish, oregano, and chiles de arbol. I thought I was starving, and I could not vanquish the large order. The green, as mentioned above, is chicken-based. The broth is simple but satisfying. It needed salt, a sure sign there wasn't any bullion involved--it also made it fun to customize (salt on the table, plus some oregano and chile perked it up nicely). Like the green salsa, this was slightly creamy, somewhat vegetal--a nice, homey rendition. The chicken was mostly white meat, in nice shredded hunks. The hominy was almost al dente, an interesting touch--not the overcooked mush I've had in other versions. This bowl was loaded with both.

I was the only dine-in customer on this rainy weeknight, but several people picked up pozole to go. Folks running the place were nice (perfectly good English, so no worries if you lack Spanish), interested in how I liked the meal, etc.

It's nice to scratch the pozole itch any day of the week, and not just weekends. It's at least worth a try--I am no expert on this particular soup, and perhaps circumstances increased my enjoyment, but I'll be back for sure.

Al dente means the posole, the hominy itself, was not just dumped out of a can. Presumably it was prepped in house from dried kernels.

mtgl wrote: The broth is simple but satisfying. It needed salt, a sure sign there wasn't any bullion involved--it also made it fun to customize (salt on the table, plus some oregano and chile perked it up nicely).

Well put.

It's lack of saltiness is a completely accurate yet almost surprising statement. I can't ever recall having to salt a pozole or, for that matter, virtually any other Mexican soup I've ever eaten around town. But a pleasurable and easy problem (?) to remedy, as mtgl notes above.

My two visits here were a tale of contrasts in terms of concentration of the base broth. Although quite different in intensity, it was still enjoyable on both outings because it is clearly homemade and doesn't count on cheap reinforcements, much like what happens at Los Gallos with their carne en su jugo and its natural broth. Always good but not always completely satisfying on the intensity front.

Chicago is loaded with crappy renditions of this classic style of Mexican soup and to find a version that's even close to balanced and tasty is notable.

If you make the trek here, stay clear of the stale chips and mediocre-to-poor tacos. This place is all about the pozole and nothing else. Especially their green rendition.