You’ll find a wide variety of Chicago-born, border-town, and south-of-the-border culinary delicacies in the Windy City.
Everything from unique Oaxacan cuisine in Pilsen to real Mexican bakeries in Logan Square, from meals like michoacana in Little Village to tamales in Pilsen and Humboldt Park, as well as a multitude of excellent foods suitable for even the most discriminating palates, can be found here.
You’re going to learn about my top 10 Chicago Mexican restaurants based on cuisine, ambience, service, and more.
Are you looking for additional places to visit in Illinois? Check out our other tasty guides:
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- 15 Best Restaurants In Naperville
- Must-Try Chicago Food
- 10 Best Chicago Dishes
- The Best Mediterranean Food In Chicago
- 17 Best Restaurants Peoria Illinois
Contents
Top Mexican Restaurants in Chicago
Zaragoza Birrieria
Chicago, +177352337004852 S. Pulaski Rd.
Coffee with cinnamon, thick, homemade tortillas, and salsas cooked to order. You’ll find it everything here.
For almost a decade, the Zaragoza clan has served birria, a Jalisco delicacy. They create a regional stew of goat meat and spices using a 100-year-old Los Altos tradition.
The Zaragozas take tremendous pleasure in their technique and ingredients, in addition to employing their own goats. Many hours of simmering make the meat juicy and tender (including goat head and tripe), as well as a tomato consomm, crimson mole, handmade tortillas, and a variety of garnishes (onions, cilantro, chilies, and lime).
Be sure to try the molcajete sauce, which is created with fire-roasted tomatoes and chiles.
Café & Restaurant La Catedral
Chicago, +177382375462500 S. Christiana Ave.
This Little Village eatery serves up Mexican morning paradise. The décor is themed like a church and includes saints and other religious motifs.
According to Ambrocio Bocho Gonzlez, the owner and chef, he has expanded his collection owing to the religious symbols and saints that his clients have given him.
Along with eggs, omelets, pancakes, and crepes, the menu features chilaquiles, which will appeal to those who have a soft spot in their hearts for these delightful morsels.
According to Gonzlez, a popular green chilaquiles meal at La Catedral is the conventional version cooked with tomatillo sauce, or the very spicy version made with chipotle chilis, which are smoky and rich in taste.
You may also try one of the several milkshakes available or the caf de olla. On weekends, there are big waits, but it is well worth it.
Topolobampo
Chicago, +13126611434445 N. Clark St.
Topolobampo, Rick Bayless’ fanciest and most luxurious Mexican restaurant, has routinely won Michelin stars since 2015.
His restaurants use local and seasonal ingredients, as do all of them. Therefore, whether it’s oysters, ceviche, or one of the delectable moles, you’re enjoying the finest of the season.
The continuously changing menu makes it difficult to anticipate what you will find on any given day, but since Bayless is engaged, it never seems like a risk.
Taquizo
Chicago, +177328949911835 W. North Ave.
Taquizo, formerly Las Palmas, has an Instagrammable terrace and lively, playful beverages.
Taco mashup). Its menu includes asada, al pastor, and cochinita pibil tacos, as well as lesser-known types of meat such as suadero (between the belly and thigh), sopes, and esquites. The menu also includes restaurant creations such as quesatacos (a quesadilla).
Tacos are improved by proper plating; the meat, tortillas, and toppings are all offered individually so that visitors may make their own ratio.
Richard Vallejo, one of Taquizos’ partners, advises smoked-grilled octopus with tamarind-Morita sauce, garlic mojo, caramelized potatoes, and chorizo romesco.
Brunch is served at the restaurant. Seasonal foods and specialities, such as Oaxacan tamales, are also available.
Uruapan Carnitas Restaurant
Chicago, +131222626541725 W. 18th St.
A tortilla and pork go along nicely, and Carnitas is the ultimate illustration of this magnificent world colliding.
During the Holy Inquisition, Hernn Corts introduced hog meat to what is now Mexico, and eating it was proof of Catholic faith.
Nowadays, Mexicans from all areas of life enjoy carnitas tacos, a time-honored tradition that connects Mexicans from all walks of life.
A classic cactus salad, pickled chilis, chicharrn, and brain quesadillas are also available. Corundas, Michoacan-style tamales cooked with two distinct kinds of masa and packed with either queso fresco or Swiss chard, were recently introduced to the menu. Tamales are topped with chile de arbol sauce, sour cream, and cotija cheese.
Alla del Sol más
Chicago, +177365419005848 N. Broadway
More All del Sols chef and owner Adam Moreno has cooked cuisine for a number of guests, including the Archbishop of Mexico City, and is a favorite of both residents and tourists.
Since the Catholic Church has always been a part of and patron of Mexico’s culinary heritage, the narrative is somewhat lyrical.
In addition to enchiladas, picaditas, chiles relleno, and a cactus salad, Morenos provides various specialities. Puerco with verdolagas, cooked with tart meaty leaves that bring out the best in the pork, is equally as Mexican but more difficult to get.
This modest neighborhood cafe, which is open for evening and on weekends, is generally busy.
Brava, Lea
W. Randolph St., Chicago +13127331975900
Hogsalt Inc. currently operates Lena Brava, which was formerly owned by Rick Bayless (the owners of Au Cheval). The restaurant has a fireplace and a wood-burning oven.
Everything revolves around the fire on Randolph Street, beginning with the kitchen and finishing with the mezcal.
This elegant, informal west loop restaurant menu focuses on Baja-inspired meals that reflect Baja California’s culinary and marine richness.
Its menu has Puerto Nuevo style spot prawns with Meyer lemon-anchovy butter and chipotle, as well as Lena ceviche with Mediterranean tastes including tomatoes, olives, and capers.
To complement the smokiness of the fire-roasted ingredients, the ceviche is served over tostadas with tlayuda, a dish not indigenous to Baja. You may also order a selection of meats and side dishes, as well as wines from the Valle de Guadalupe.
Additionally, the menu highlights the restaurant’s ecologically conscious suppliers.
Birrieria De La Torre is a kind of birrieria.
S. Pulaski Rd., Chicago +177376760756724
Despite its diminutive size, this counter-seat-only birria establishment compensates with superb taste. Despite the fact that all of the soups are above average (birria, posole, menudo), the beef in its juice is the most attractive.
A thick soup loaded with creamy beans, bacon, and chopped-up skirt steak strikes the spot every time.
While tacos and tortas are available, they appear completely unneeded when compared to a large bowl of sirloin soup.
You may make your own bacon-steak tacos by ordering handmade tortillas from the restaurant.
Restaurant Baha
W. Diversey Ave., Chicago +177328389844842
Everything from ceviche, tacos, empanadas, and seafood-filled stuffed peppers to full grilled fish served beachfront in Mexico is available at Baha Restaurant.
Use Instagram-worthy ceviche towers, a Sinaloan seafood fad that layers ceviche, fish, avocado, and a liberal quantity of sauces into tubular constructions.
Three meals are available on the menu: Verde, which includes aguachile, squid, scallops, avocado, and jalapenos; Baha, which has lobster, shrimp, octopus, tuna, and squid; and the Sears Tower, which layers shrimp, fish, crab meat, mango, cucumber, and tomatoes, among other things.
Tzuco
Chicago, +13123748995720 N. State St.
Tzuco rapidly became a popular destination for both residents and visitors, paying tribute to Chef Carlos Gaytn’s homeland of Huitzuco, Guerrero.
Gaytn’s tale and gravitas in Chicago and beyond helped to generate hype about his homecoming, in addition to being the first Michelin-starred Mexican restaurant in Chicago. In his River North eatery, you feel as though you’re in an expensive Mexican restaurant.
Its original Mexican cuisine is influenced by French cuisine and methods, as well as family recipes, culinary memories, and food memories.
Some items on the menu are inspired by delicacies from Mexico’s southeastern area (perhaps influenced by the chefs’ time in Playa del Carmen).
Aguachile and cochinita pibil in Guerrero style are two of the most popular meals. Remember to leave space for dessert.
Final Thoughts On Chicago’s Finest Mexican Restaurants
The Mexican community’s presence in the city is evident in the quantity of eateries catering to Mexicans of all generations that can be found beyond the Hispanic enclaves due to its size and popularity.
Chicago’s culinary variety is comprised of a broad mix of Mexican cuisines, which includes traditional flavors, methods, and ingredients, as well as brand-new creations inspired by Mexico’s distinct flavors.