Mexican Restaurants in and near Chicago, IL

The Near South Side neighborhood of Pilsen is generally considered ground zero for Chicago Mexican restaurants, and rightfully so. Take a walk down 18th Street and you’ll pass by some of the city’s finest examples of tacos (Don Pedro), housemade tortillas (Nuevo Leon), and even goat stew (Birreria Reyes de Ocotlan). But the best Mexican food in Chicago can be found, well, all over Chicago, from Rick Bayless’s festive Frontera Grill in River North to the small kitchen behind L’ Patron’s lime-green storefront in Logan Square. Ask anyone who’s lived in this city for a reasonable amount of time, and they’ll agree: Chicago tamales, tacos, and burritos are as good as any you’ll find outside Mexico.