One this my favorites restaurants in Chicago... Really good taste as traditional Mexican cuisine

This is Rick Bayless' restaurant that started it all (in 1987). Reservations can be difficult to secure so plan ahead. I'm a firm believer in Mexican Cuisine + Margaritas. The Margs are great and there's an extensive list to choose from. Guacamole is everywhere, and somewhat simple to make.... However, this might have been the best guac I've ever had. Perfectly balanced. read more

Frontera Grill - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Just now realizing I never wrote a review for Frontera as I just made a recent visit after maybe 5 years or so. Me and a friend decided to drop in right after work on a recent Friday to enjoy...thankfully she secured a reservation. Once seated we had a convincing server by the name of Mara who was very awesome and great at recommending. We dove right in for entrees as we were both hungry. I opted for the Puebla Style Enchiladas (chicken & mole included) which comes with a side of black beans...it was very good as I am a huge mole fan. Washed it down with a Blue Agave Margarita which was ok. Mara recommended I go with the Crepes Con Cajeta which was amazing!!! Its basically crispy brown butter crepes with homemade cajeta, crema and fresco cheese along with plantain ice cream and toasted almonds. She also recommended to end the evening with Riazul (anejo tequilla) as its Rick Bayless' favorite sipper. Not bad...I enjoyed it. Cheers to Mara for those recommendation! I will try not to wit so long to return to Frontera! I definitely enjoyed coming through recently! read more

Frontera Grill - Mole Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Sopas are worth the trip. You will quickly realize Mexican cousins is much deeper and richer than Tex-mex. The mole was rich and deep and worth the trip. The sopas with beef we like winning the lotto. read more

Frontera Grill - Sopa with beef - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Extremely good steak and chicken, very tender and juicy. Portion sizes are a bit small for salsa, however pretty tasty. Guacamole did not have much flavor if any, a little disappointing. Service was well, and food was quick. Overall very good establishment and would recommend. read more

Our meal was amazing. Everything was flavored and cooked perfectly. We had the Frontera Cakes, the mole enchiladas and the carnitas. Hands down this was a great meal. read more

Had dinner here last night and wanted to come back for a review. This was a disappointing meal for me. I got the carne asada brave. It was very fatty, the salsa it came with was super spicy - overly I couldn't eat - and the tamales were just a clump of sweet carbs of nothingness. Hubby was ok with his tacos but the meat was dry. read more

What a perfect night to enjoy the patio and food at Frontera. I've read some harsh reviews of late and none of them rang true from my visit. Service food atmosphere top notch. As good as ever! read more

We came on restaurant week and ordered the following: Appetizers: - Fresh Corn Tamales - Frontera Ceviche Between these two, the Ceviche were better. They were both decent, but nothing to write home about. Entrees - Crunchy-Coated New England Skate Wing - Chicken, Mole Poblano The Skate Wing chicken had a slight spicy flavor, which was nice. But generally, both of these dishes were just okay. Dessert - Tres Leches - Chocolate Pecan Pie The Tres Leches was pretty disappointing. The Chocolate Pecan Pie was quite nice and was a decent serving size. Overall, Frontera is fine, but it's WAY overpriced and overhyped. There is nothing special about this Mexican food. read more

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OMG. This place is SO good!!! We had the margaritas which were a bit small but delicious, the guacamole (the best I've ever had) and the ceviche trio which was to die for. I had the pollo y rosas which was creamy and tasty and the perfect portion size. Service was friendly and attentive. We had to wait an hour to get seated with a reservation and it was absolutely worth the wait!!! Can't wait to go back! read more

A marvelous meal from start to finish. The appetizers of tortilla soup, queso fundido with homemade chorizo, the whole roasted corn with crema, chile, and spices were each superb. The tortilla soup was rich and delicious with a smoky subtle spicy flavor. The queso fundido was good but made exceptional by the house made chorizo that didn't have the strong vinegar taste of comercial chorizos. The roasted corn was perfectly prepared with a nice char but no burnt flavor. The entrees were equally exquisite. The three meats of tender, moist, and delectable chicken, pork, and skirt steak with onion bulbs, and grilled peppers was scrumptious. The chicken enchiladas with poblano mole were ambrosial. I've had mole across they country and with the exception of hole in the wall joints in Las Vegas and Sonoma. This is the best mole by far - excluding my mothers mole. A great mole should have an addictive lip smacking quality and that's evident in this dish. The Oaxacan carne asada was one of the best ribeye steaks I've tasted. The red Chile marinade added a slightly sweet carbonized glaze that was incomparably delicious. The service was excellent, and it better be with a right off the top 20% service charge. The decor is stylish, tasteful, and welcoming. A great dining experience. read more

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Service was fantastic, no complaints with the waitstaff. Drinks were also extremely overpriced, but delicious. Now for the bad - the food was painfully average, with tiny portions for the price. Too many vegan options, who eats mushroom tamales and tacos anyway??? This place seemingly is just an oversized bar for the work crowd and locals to visit after work. This place used to be better, but the city transplants have turned it into a tasteless overpriced yuppie bar posing as a "Mexican" restaurant. You want authentic and delicious Mexican food? Head over to Pilsen or Little Village. read more

Super busy restaurant for a Tuesday night and rightfully so. The tropical fiesta seasonal margarita was perfectly sweet, fruity, with a kick at the end. We got a bunch of the starters to share and they were all so flavorful! read more

Frontera Grill - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We got lucky on a Saturday afternoon and were seated immediately at the bar without reservations. This place is delicious! The corn elote stole the show for me and was some of the best I've ever eaten (sorry LA!). The smoked chicken taquitos were perfectly cooked and the duck carnitas was an awesome way to end the meal. If you're craving something a bit elevated but still approachable, this is a great spot. read more

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Frontera Restaurant Week 2021 did not disappoint!! The margaritas aren't very large, but they are so tasty/fresh and shaken tableside. The appetizer options (ceviche, corn masa quesadillas, and tamales) were all incredible and started the meal on a high note! The Skate Wing and Carne Asasa Brava entrées were so delicious. And the meal was perfectly complete with the dessert choices, both of which were phenomenal (Oat Milk Flan and Chocolate Tres Leches). The Tres Leches has a topping that was like marshmallow fluff- yum! While I do wish the portions would have been a bit bigger, it was overall a lovely meal. The ambiance was okay. We were outside in the tent and the heat lamp was definitely broken/off (even though the hostess told us it worked), so on a chilly and rainy evening it wasn't the best spot for dinner. They also still have Christmas decorations (like Santa, Christmas Trees, etc) hanging inside the tent, which was weird. *Oh, and they do add a 20% Service Charge, so just keep that in mind when you get the bill* read more

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Frontera by Rick, you did not disappoint. Food was tasty and well presented. We ordered the queso fundido, the Oaxaca steak (first round was well done though we asked for medium rare), and the ceviche trio. They took the steak back, no problem, redone. The ceviche trio was tasty and beautifully presented. The chips and salsas were also delicious, some of the best chips i have had. The drinks were beautiful and delicious. Sitting outdoors with a very Chicago ambiance, sipping on the delicious margaritas and watching all the beautiful people walking by, priceless experience. Service was absolutely first class, all servers were attentive and ready to help. I would definitely recommend this restaurant. read more

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The food was delicious and the flavor was amazing, but if you are truly going to add on 20% for every table for the servers then they should be performing at a top level. Our waiter Gerry was nice but took forever for everything. Ordering food, and getting the check and when we first sat down took forever. No urgency for anything. The sweet hispanic lady cleaning the tables was def busting her butt- she was amazing and you could tell she's a hard worker! read more

We were seated quickly considering we didn't have reservations. Food was nothing special considering it's supposed to be a highly rated award winning restaurant. There's a 20% equitably charge that does not include tip. We left a tip but it's not worth trying again. The food was overpriced and the service was nothing special. If they want to pay fair wages they should take it upon themselves to pay fair wages to their employees. It's not fair to the consumer to take on that additional charge. Also, the food is bland and lacks flavor. read more

I was here recently for lunch. The service was perfection. I think they share tables because a few different people came by to check in and they were all very friendly. I ordered the limonada, sopecitos, chicken taquitos, and the carne asada brava. The mashed potatoes are amazing. My steak was undercooked and they fixed it for me quickly. The tomato pepper sauce that comes with the steak is very spicy, a little too much for me, but the quality is good. I love this place still and look forward to returning. I stopped in again for lunch and sat in the bar area. I tried the tortilla soup, the little gem salad, the pork flautas, limonada, flan, and ice cream with hot fudge. I did not love the dressing on the salad and the flan was bland. I liked everything else. The flautas need something to balance the spicy red sauce though, like crema or guacamole. The scoop of ice cream was tiny but the chocolate was very good. read more

Frontera Grill - Ice cream, flan - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My family and I had an amazing experience! We each got various margaritas which were all excellent. Then we got the tamales de elote (good) and sopecitos rancheros (fantastic). For entrees we got the salmon en tomamole, camarones en salsa macha, carne asada brava, and short rib mole negro. Each of us was so thrilled with the depth and flavors of our meals. The portions were a perfect size, and we all have been raving about it since. Alberto, our server, along with the rest of the staff were very attentive and kind. Alberto took special care of my allergy which I appreciated read more

This misplaced Texan was desperate for some authentic Mexican food, and Frontera Grill delivered! We went for our anniversary and our experience was outstanding. Thank you for a wonderful anniversary date, Frontera Grill! We'll be back next time we're in Chicago. read more

Rick Bayless who introduced America to the Oaxacan kitchen still runs this awesome source for excellent dining, very causal, still very good and still standing strong. During Chicago's much stricter protocols than Los Angeles, FG is open for outdoor covered and aerated dining (one side of the rectangular outside dining room is open, facing the restaurant -- less chance of frigid wind blowing in). Other restaurants are following suit. The travails of the restaurant scene in Chicago can be sensed here: https://digitaledition.chicagotribune.com/html5/mobile/production/default.aspx?edid=22c4fc1c-8338-4839-8275-7f8d7080ca12 We had the smoked chicken tacos (a signature treat), guacamole, salmon, carnitas and much to our expectations the food was as I remember: original, delicious and authentic (Rick Bayless was an anthropologist studying in Mexico when he was smitten by authentic cooking history and products). For a non-native I appreciate his respect to authentic Cooking traditions. Loved the food, loved the service. Muchas gracias Señor Bayless for staying consistent and serving food I can revisit over and over again. Tip: Adjacent to Topolobampo. He opened a causal tortas, churros, joint next door to that called Xoco that serves signature tortas at his outpost in ORD. Love the churros and tortas here also. read more

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The food was good . We had a cross section of food and enjoyed all. The service was okay. The ambiance was quiet enough during lunch to hold conversation. I was told the bathrooms were nice. read more

The best tacos I've ever had on god. It was a good amount of food with a fun ambiance that was not too crowded or too loud. Service at the bar was amazing too read more

We were promptly seated for our reservation, and we greatly enjoyed the food served especially the aguachile de salmon and corn-masa quesadillas. The decor and music gave it a fun vibe, and the staff were friendly and efficient. They also had a vegetarian menu, which we greatly appreciated. read more

Great food ! Frontera's has a program where they let you order food and then on a certain day they deliver it to the northern Chicago suburbs for you to reassemble in their dinner kit. We did this and got our bag of food yesterday and it was great! We started with tostadas (pictured here) and they were easy to heat, assemble, and they were fantastic !!! We would definitely get this again. Next we got the short rib enchiladas and they were really good. I didn't take a picture but it was great. Lastly we got the topolo margarita and it was very good. They don't include any salt but we had some so no worries. It was a great experience and the instructions were laid out well and easy to follow. read more

Frontera Grill - Tostados appetizer - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Omg they managed to get even worse. Our server disappeared for 30 minutes while we waited for our entrees. I finally had to tell the hostess to please bring our check because we were leaving. Five more minutes went by before she brought it. She was nice enough to comp our apps but never again. Avoid this place like the plague. The really sad thing is that no one will even bother to read or respond to my review. They don't care about locals who visit a couple times a month because they get so many tourists who will come here once and never show up again. Rick, that's a crappy business model you got there. Almost forgot: The sopacitas seem to be a little bigger, addressing my earlier complaint but the bacon/black bean tamale was stone cold. I'm not sure why, but tamales seem to be an achilles heal at Bayless places. Also, I thought ordering two margaritas would get me a full pour in my glass but it still stopped a good half inch from the top of a very small glass. Sigh................... We still love Xoco and will go back there as long as it remains top flight. I recommend you do the same. read more

Frontera Grill - One little sopa - you get three per order. I plated it to show it really is a mini sopa. But oh so delicious. - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

FOOD ALLERGY WARNING: Be careful with menu items that list "crunchy topping" like the enchiladas. This was crushed peanuts which was not clarified to us before being served. The waiter properly asked if we had any food allergies and we said "nuts" but this still was served after he checked with the kitchen. read more

Mainly Tequila bar, which was excellent. Something for everyone, kinda menu. Great location. read more

Frontera Grill - Spiced Pear - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Came here for an early dinner. I can say the food was really top notch! The ceviche was so refreshing and acidic, and the albacore was cooked so nicely. We also got the goat empanadas, which were very tasty but I would say no the most outstanding dish ever. The best dish however was the day-boat fish. It came with sweet potatoes, a delicious sauce, and warm tortillas. The fish was cooked to perfection and every element worked so well to create the perfect bite! The fish was so delicate and melted on your mouth. Then for dessert we ordered the flan and the bread pudding. The perf pudding with the cinnamon ice cream was very tasty and not too sweet which was nice! The flan stole the show was dessert though. The texture was perfect and it was so simple but delicious! Service was great as well, our server made great recommendations throughout the night and was very attentive. 10/10 would recommend stopping by here and I can't wait to come back and try more dishes read more

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First off, I grew up watching Chef Bayless on channel 11, the cooking show "Mexico one Plate at a Time." Don't quote me; I didn't Google it so maybe that's not the right title. Point is, it made such an impact on me so imagine how excited I get to eat at any of his restaurants. And I've eaten at all of them. I haven't eaten at Frontera in a while but it's just as good as ever. I was excited to see that each table pays an automatic 20% gratuity, which, in my mind means you're an ethical business and you pay fair wages AND you have better servers than anyone because they're guaranteed at least a 20% tip, but people always do more. I had the Restaurant Week menu sopacitos (?) and a saucy chicken dish with masa dumplings. I also had the aqua fresca of the day which was DELIGHTFUL and the spiked hot cocoa. Do you know they grind the cocoa beans there?! It was the best hot chocolate I've ever had. The service was beyond impeccable. Our server never took his eyes off of our table, so he was there the second any of us finished a drink or needed more tortillas. It was a phenomenal birthday and I can't wait to go back. read more

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Never disappoints. Was in on business from Idaho. The bonus is its restaurant week and we did brunch. Just amazing and service is truly top notch. Tonight we are going back to do topolo read more

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The ambiance is exciting and festive (check out the interior decor near the bar, you won't regret it!) hope you handle your spices well, I'm a huge fan of spicy food so I personally highly recommend it ‍ the lunch deal was high value read more

I spent many years watching Rick Bayless on TV and hearing about how he was actually a legit well respected chef and actually gave back quite a bit to the community. My husband is from Chicago and had fond memories of Frontera. We were walking by on our way out from Three Dots and a Dash, and we were surprisingly able to get two chef's counter seats! I wanted to try so many things on the menu, but this was actually dinner #1 of 3 for the night for us, so we each only ordered one thing. - Tacos arabes: pork collar and a great chipotle sauce, with black beans on the side - Pollo en mole Amarillo: perfectly grilled chicken breast, woodland mushrooms, chayote in a yellow mole with crunch from chicken chicharrones The tortillas came warm, and I know they're not as traditional, but the flour ones hit the spot for me - they were thin but had a good chew and had the perfect char on them. Service was very friendly, and cocktails are shaken and poured table side, which is cool. Note: there's a 20% gratuity added to all checks. Coming from California, I wouldn't think to have Mexican food in Chicago, but I'm glad I finally got to try one of the original restaurants of the Rick Bayless empire. read more

Too notch food and very different than anything else you have eaten. The menu is varied and some of the dishes are more than 5 stars. Ambiance is cool too. Long time since I have visited and due another trip soon. read more

This was my second time eating at this particular location, as we usually eat at the Frontera in Lake Buena Vista. It was certainly delicious, but lacked the bright, vibrant atmosphere of its Floridian counterpart. The server was lovely and attentive. And the Habanero Margarita was amazing. Maybe one of the best I've ever had. The spice level was perfectly addicting. Honestly, everything was tasty from the empanadas filled with the most rich Monterey Jack cheese to the garlicky mushroom tacos. The tortillas are wonderful, as are the tamales. The apple empanada and flan were delicious as well. That habanero margarita though... read more

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We had a wonderful Sunday lunch sitting on the patio. We predicted we would liked it, but really it was great! We started with the ceviche and it was such a balanced few bites. I ordered fish tacos and they were awesome - perfect savory/sweet/crunch. But calling them "tacos" was interesting (where I come from, okc) they were either deconstructed tacos or fajitas because you get to put them together. The limeade was perfectly refreshing! Food 5/5 Service 5/5 Ambiance 5/5 Bathroom 3/5...needs a face lift but we didn't come for the bathroom so I'm giving it a break. read more

Frontera Grill - Fish tacos - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We had a lovely dinner at Frontera. We ordered the empanadas and several entrees. Every dish was delicious. The servers were attentive and helpful. read more

Enjoyed a delicious dinner with my coworkers at Frontera Grills. First, the server was excellent. He was friendly and gave a lot of good advice to the table. Next, the food! We started with the Fall Fruit and two sides - shishito peppers and sweet fried plantains. The fall fruit was a nice blend of sweet pears and spicy sauce, which was topped with prosciutto . And, you cannot go wrong with grilled shishitos and delicious plantains! As my entree, I ordered the puebla-style enchiladas - they were both delicious and could have used a little something else. While good, I'd likely order a different entree next time. Finally, the atmosphere is fun and festive (although, a little loud for my 40-something self :)). read more

In sum, the food here is as stale and outdated as the ambiance and decor. The two staples of a great restaurant are food and service, and both were lacking here. We watched our waiter attend to the two tables on either side of us, completely ignoring us for around 10-15 minutes before he introduced himself. To start we got the Tamales de Elote which were pretty good (think cornbread tamale). For mains I got the Puebla Style Mole Enchiladas and my date got the Enchiladas de Carne Deshebrada. The mole fell flat and in my opinion the chicken was a touch sour (my date thought it was fine). The carne enchiladas were better but still pretty lifeless. Like many restaurants in Chicago they add a 20% "service fee" which was especially annoying considering our waiter was completely inattentive. Unless they get a major refresh, I would recommend going to a number of amazing restaurants in Chicago before coming here. read more

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