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Grand (Red)
Merchandise Mart (Purple Express, Brown)
Clark/Lake (Pink, Brown, Green, Blue, Purple Express, Orange)
Tue-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sat. 10:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Don't Just Wish Someone A Good Holiday, Give Them One With Chili's.
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High class Mexican food is often difficult to pull off, but by using game meats and complex sauces Frontera Grill is worth the price for the experience.
We showed up and was told that there was an hour and 30 min wait. Ok, we'll hang out at the bar. We enjoyed the guacamole and chips with a few beverages before we were paged for a table. The seating is really tight in this place. We ordered the following: jicama salad, pork tamal, and duck entree. Everything was very tasty! The beans that came with the duck entree were amazing. For dessert we enjoyed Mexican hot chocolate. The service was great, very prompt, and the server was very helpful in suggesting dishes to try.
Rick should publish a book just on the dishes from his restaurants!
Yummy! Frontera Grill is one of Rick Bayless's (from Top Chef) awesome establishment. My Chicago Native friend took me to Frontera Grill for the first time! I was informed that there is always a wait so it is best to make a reservation ahead of time. Even so, expect to wait in a line. We came for lunch at 11:30 and did not wait very long.
With new menus every month, this place gives you the incentive to continuously revisit this nice venue. Food was excellent!! For appetizer, we had their Ceviche Yucateco which was steamed organic shrimp and calamari served in a margarita cup in lime, orange, habanero, avocado, jcama and cilantro mixture. As my main course, I had their Tacos al Carbon with marinated duck!! I never had duck at a Mexican-influenced eatery before, so that was definitely different and exciting. Definitely worth it with their unlimited homemade tortillas!! MmMm. While I had their tacos, my friend had the fish of the day special - which I was informed was filled with yumminess as well.
For dessert, there is always room for dessert despite how overly stuffed I was with eating all of their amazing tortillas!! It is all in the mindset - one should always make sure that there is ALWAYS room for dessert, or else the meals just doesn't feel complete! We had the Duo de Flanes! This included TWO Mexican caramel flan. mMmMm! One was a lemon based while the other was vanilla with pomegranate-orange salsa with raspberry. OMG!
Yum. Amazed. Happy. =D
So after a month and a half wait from the time I made my 7p.m. Friday night reservation, the date had finally arrived, November 13th, dinner at Frontera... Seem overly dramatic? If it didn't it was supposed to. Anyway, on a more serious note, I had been waiting a while to eat at Frontera and when the date finally arrived, I had some high expectations.
I made a promise not to get the "Margarita Effect." It is well known how potent, and tasty the Frontera Margaritas are, and I was determined to not inhale my food in a drunken stupor.
We arrived at Frontera about 10 minutes early, and were seated about 5 minutes later, and although I tried, I didn't even have enough time to order a round of margarita's from the bar, so I was well on my was to a sober evaluation of the meal.
Once seated, we began the drinking, and yes, the margarita' s are as good as everyone says. For appetizers, we ordered some of the freshest Kumamoto Oysters I have ever had, three excellent tasting of ceviche, the Hicama Salad, and the Sopes Rancheros... The highly touted hicama salad was very refreshing, but forgettable compared to the other two appetizers, which were stellar. For our entree we ordered the Carne Asada (my dish) and the Steak Tacos. The carne asada was very good, but should really just be called a Ribeye with a mexican seasoning and charred finish, and an outstanding one at that... great flavor, tender, and perfectly cooked. Unfortunately, I cannot critique the steak tacos because my girlfriend didn't see the need to let me try them... so they must have been good.
Overall, this is an outstanding restaurant, and I would definitely go back. I would also recommend Frontera over Topolabompo, for half the price you get the same same quality of food, in what I consider a more appropriate environment.
Disappointed is the only word I can describe my experience. Ever since I watched Master Chef, I've been wanting to try one of Rick Bayless's restaurants, and since I couldn't get a reservation at topolobampo, we decided to just go as a walk in to frontera grill. Waited for about an hour to be seated.
Inside was super noisy. We had the ceviche trio, and all three were disappointing for one reason or another. Either too bland or too acidic or something else. The fronterizo was probably the best one but it certainly doesnt stand to compete with other ceviches I've had at restaurants or at other people's homes.
Then we had the enchilada de mole poblano and another dish I can't even remember. The mole is not as complex in flavor as it should be. Seriously, there are other mexican restaurants in chicago that have more flavorful and balanced dishes for much less money.
Don't believe the hype, take your money somewhere else. Maybe topolopambo is better but after frontera grill, I'm in no rush to get a reservation at topo.
My hub and i are huge Top Chef fans and we especially loved Top Chef Masters. Rick Bayless rocks!!!! this is our 2nd time here, the 1st time was 1.5 years ago and at the time i thought it was pretty good.....but being from Los Angeles, where good mexican is pretty easy to come by, i wasn't terribly blown away.
This time, we got there early before the restaurant opened and were greeted by a long ass line. Thankfully, we realized that bar opens earlier than the restaurant so we ran past the line and dove for the last 2 available seats at the bar.
Awesome! the place filled up really fast. the drinks are ok. the chips and salsa and guacamole were tasty. i had the cochinita pibil, which is pork that is tender and AMAZING. my man had carnitas tacos and they were really tasty as well.
The ambiance was fun and lively and the bartenders were nice.
Would go back again for sure!!!!
Frontera is at the same time amazing as it is challenging. The food is out of this world, but the wait is out of this world as well.
Now if you can snag a seat at the bar or don't mind waiting, then this place is for you.
In my opinion the food here is well worth the wait. In my 10 years going to this place I have never had a bad meal and it rivals the food I have had all over Mexico or across the country.
The Carne Asada a la Oaxaquena will rival any steak you can get at a 5 star steakhouse in the city, their squash blossom quesadillas are top notch, the seasonal tamales are succulent, and their salsa verde has a tang that is unbeatable.
I really suggest to first timers to step outside of the traditional "tex-mex" style mexican food and go for some of the more authentic and unique cuisine and you will come away very happy that you did.
The restaurant used to be wonderful and fun but with all the notoriety of late, the experience has sadly declined! The crowds are ridiculous, as is the wait for a seat anywhere in the place. If you arrive before 5:00 you may be lucky enough to get a seat at the bar where you can order mass-produced, poorly-executed overly-salty expensive food. The bartender forgot to put cointreau in our Blue Agaves and then informed us "it's supposed to be like that" like we hadn't been ordering them for the past 8 years. If you are able to secure a table (the wait is an average of 2 hours on a weeknight) the service is impatient and rushed. They need to turn your table because there are hundreds waiting to be able say they ate at a famous restaurant that doesn't give a hoot about quality anymore. It's all about quantity.
Sigh...it was a bit like thinking your date is going to be hot based on the picture, but it turns out the picture was shot 5 years ago and 20 lbs lighter in the right lighting conditions.
I was excited when my friend suggested a Rick Bayless restaurant. She originally suggested Xoco because she thought we could grab something quick. However once we got there we discovered that it was busy and we would have to wait 20 minutes to sit down at a table. So we went over to Frontera Grill and discovered the wait was 2 hours on a Tuesday. BUT we snagged a seat at a table at the bar.
Drinks: The margaritas are just average, in my opinion they taste a bit watered down.
Appetizers: We ordered the quesadillas and first off, they are NOTHING like quesadillas. They are like empanadas. And they were strictly average, in fact I probably wouldn't order it again.
Entrees: I ordered the Enchiladas Mole and I found the sauce to be flavorful but not mind blowing. It was a bit like a young wine, great first taste, but lacks depth and the flavors dont' develop. It also came out warm on the verge of being cold. So I think it detracted from the experience.
My friend had the vegetarian layered tortilla dish, forget the name. It came out with congealed cheese and a bit greasy. Again, it had some decent flavor, but nothing to write home about.
The way rick described the way he like to developed complex flavors on Top chef leads you to expect a lot more.
Overall I thought the food had definite potential. But I really left feeling underwhelmed. Very disappointing given Rick Bayless won Top chef masters
Mmmm, so good! The food and the atmosphere....not to mention, Mr. Rick Bayless himself was sitting right next to us. I now understand why this place is so many people's favorite!
We didn't have a reservation, but the hour plus wait flew by because we were able to get a spot at the bar and enjoy some margaritas and guacamole. Que deliciosa!
I kept it pretty simple with my chicken fajitas, but I tried my friends dish and it was unbelievable. I can't wait to be more adventurous the next time I go.
I've visited Chicago twice and only for three-day trips both times but I've managed to dine at Frontera Grill four times. I heart this place.
My last trip was at the end of September and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get a table since Rick Bayless recently won Top Chef Masters. Luckily, I was able to score a reservation for the night I arrived. But that's because I called 5 weeks in advance and it was for a Thursday night dinner @ 9:00 p.m..
The food is fantastic - both at dinner and brunch. At dinner, we split a bunch of small plates and all were seasonal, complex, and delicious. Loved the sopes, tortilla soup, and anything with mole sauce. Service was very helpful and friendly.
We sat at the bar for brunch and every so often Rick Bayless would pop out of the kitchen and survey the dining room just a few feet away from us. I swear, I did my best Linda Blair imitation that morning, whipping my head around every time I heard the door to the kitchen swing open. Yep, I am a crazy foodie/stalker.
I don't love that the tables are packed REALLY close together and you still need to wait at least 30 minutes even with a reservation. That being said, I will still make a beeline here the next time I visit Chicago.
There's a lot of hype behind this place, almost too much. Very long waits, & it seems like this restaurant needs to be in a bigger space.
The open kitchen isn't doing it for me (see Vivo), and while almost every part of this menu is fantastic it does fall short one front. Unless I'm missing something culturally, why are there no pitchers of sangria on the main dining room menu?? With Ceviche & Tapas (I think he calls them Pallatos Pequenos, or something) this would be a perfect pairing, no?
I went there 3 weeks ago and I'm still dreaming about the guac. In fact, everything I ordered was delish - even the melon mojitos (or because of the melon mojitos?). Unimportant.
Go here. It's a must.
Frontera is a really fun and delicious place. Small sized restaurant and doesn't take reservations; plan on a wait of 1-3 hours depending on how busy of a time you're going at. You can head down the street to grab a drink while you wait and they will call your cell when they're ready for you.
I went here with a few of my "foodie" friends and they were raving about how great the mole sauce is, and they certainly were right to rave about it. I ordered the Enchiladas because my friends highly recommended them and they were served with their famous mole sauce of course. We also ordered their chips and guacamole as an appetizer...this had to have been one of the top 5 guacamole dishes I've had in my life. Also, highly recommend the flan for dessert.
Overall, the meal was very tasty. Had a nice mix of spice and flavor, unlike typical Mexican places that "wow" you with how hot they can get the food and have absolutely no other tastes to it. Definitely worth the long wait. They originally told us 3 hours on a Saturday night at 5:30pm for 6 people, but ended up getting called around 7 to be seated.
Definitely one of my top 10 meals in the city of Chicago.
The food and drinks were top notch.
I had heard that the mole was good and being a mole fan i tried it. It was amazing. I wanted to order another plate but I was already so full because of the size of my order. Great atmosphere as well. Go there order the mole and thank me later.
xoco? or frontera. xoco? or frontera. whatever, pick frontera. i said good morning to rick bayless at 10:30AM and proceeded to order myself a bottle of hard cider. too bad the bottle was humongous and i'm ashamed to say i got red, buzzed, and hungover before i could finish. all before noon.
anyway, we were lucky to get some seats at the bar to enjoy our saturday brunch. instead of having to wait for the quoted 2 hours. we ordered the appetizer sopa and it was pretty good. the shredded beef paired well with the avocado and cheese on top. not a bad start.
I opted for the pineapple pork tacos and my friend got the maple braised pork. I think I ended up mistakenly saying I got the maple braised pork when the server was asking who got what and I think I also ate most of it. Best food snatching move EVER. I mean the pineapple pork tacos were well made but I think the maple braised pork was much more tender and succulent and I couldn't stop shoveling it in my face. The pork in the pineapple pork was a little too jerky and rough for me and I didn't enjoy that one as much. Not as much as everyone raves.
Anyway, maybe I'm just stuck up and have too much good mexican food in LA for a lot cheaper. Rick Bayless doesn't disappoint but it also didn't blow me away.
This is my 2nd posting. I have been an avid follower and want to thank the community for many great reviews over the years. I have been relying on Yelp all over the country, from major cities to remote, obscure, on the verge of bizarre, less-traveled destinations where I had no idea where to go and was thankful my iPhone had GPS so I could search and triangulate based on reviews. Until now. I am compelled to now Yelp due to the enormous hype about Frontera Grill. I feel misguided. I was so impressed by Bayless and his resistance to selling out - his commitment to taste, to quality, his business sense in releasing a whole line of $5 jarred salsas to the mass market - I wanted to be a fan. BUT tonight, even after seeing him on various media outlets, I was disappointed. (I even had a lot of liquor, which typically skews my palate in a chef's favor. Alas.)
Ok enough drama - feeback (anything in " " is a directly from the official website a/o today):
TIMEFRAME (Fri pm):
*5:45: 2 ppl, told wait time of 2 hours, round 1 drinks
*7:00 given buzzy flashy coaster thing, round 2 drinks
*8:00 seated, ordered food and bubbly
*9:00 Bayless says hello to one table, ignores all others
*10:30 departure
Note: service was excellent - server replaced our silverware + water + took empty plates unsolicited; food arrived promptly and efficiently.
COCKTAILS:
"Gold Margarita: Sauza Gold tequila, Cazadores blanco tequila and Gran Torres orange liqueur steeped with fresh lime juice. 7.00"
*delicious, arrived in tall glass, strong enough, not watery. worth it.
"Blue Agave Margarita: Cazadores Blanco tequila, Cointreau and fresh lime juice, shaken at the table. 9.00"
*extremely sour, if you like sour drinks, by all means. this was my first drink and I didn't choose to reorder it.
"Topolo Margarita: Sauza Conmemorativo tequila, Gran Torres liqueur and housemade limonada, shaken at the table. 9.00"
*less sour than the blue agave but too sour for my friend. I sipped it and would have been fine with it.
"Champagne Margarita: Sauza Conmemorativo tequila, Gran Torres and fresh squeezed limonada, sparked with Piper Heidsieck Brut champagne. 12.00"
*good quality drink my friend ordered, but is it really necessary to mix champagne with margaritas? and could you tell the brand of bubbly? only the most discerning, I imagine - sommeliers.
+ Cava Champagne: $40 per bottle.
*pretty good bubbly; you can't go wrong with a nice cava.
FOOD:
"Gorditas de Borrego: Gorditas de Borrego - crispy little corn masa cakes stuffed with slow-cooked lamb "chicharron prensado," black beans, avocado, salsa roja, queso anejo. 8.50"
*we ordered these after reading a bunch of Yelp recommendations. Three little masa pita pockets arrived, stuffed with oversalted lamb chicharron and avocado. Were these lamb? Couldn't tell.
"'Tostadas' de Atun y Erizo: Hawaiian ahi tuna carpaccio and fresh Maine sea urchin with crispy tortillas, fresh lime and roasted garlic mojo. Fried leeks, avocado, sungold tomato. 15.00"
The 'tostadas' is because the ahi serves as the base - a thinly sliced rectangular sheet with a surprisingly deconstructed array of ingredients delicately placed on top. This looked oddly Alinea-esque, out of place here. Yet this dish was subtle and delicious, not an over the top flavor punch like the gorditas. The urchin was divine.
"Enchiladas de Mole Poblano: homemade tortillas rolled around Gunthorp free-range chicken, doused with Mexicos most famous mole; black beans. 18.00"
*Mole: not as rich as I would have liked, was expecting a more complex, chocolate-y sauce. Beans were delicious though. Chicken a little dry. So many Yelpers loved this, why? Oh why?
"Carne Asada a la Oaxaquena: Creekstone Natural Black Angus rib steak, marinated in spicy red chile and wood- grilled, served with black beans, sweet plantains with sour cream, and guacamole. 29.50"
*Steak excellently cooked (med rare), would have been nice to see slices, as if carved immediately prior. Plantains were excellent - caramelized, with a slight crunch at edges and good contrast with the sour cream. Guac had sundried tomatoes perhaps? could have used a little citrus. Homemade tortillas were a lovely touch. But $30 total? Really?
We added salsas - a green chili and red tomatillo, those were fresh and excellent.
DESSERT:
My friend ordered the apple crumble with cinnamon ice cream - did not seem so distinctly Mexican; had a strong butter taste as if a whole stick was mixed into it. Tasty though.
In the end, meal good but not mindblowing. And expensive for what you got. I think you could easily find more authentic, regional Mexican food for a lot less elsewhere so are you paying for marketing, ambiance, and to sit among a lets say homogenous pool of older people of a certain background who are willing to pay more? I'm full and satisfied but won't go back in the near future, even if my friend picked up the check this time.
Let's be honest here, I would've never heard of Rick Bayless if it weren't for all these food competition shows on television. I've only recently begun watching Top Chef, and frankly I couldn't care less about all the "celebrity chefs." If there is one thing that I care most about, it is simply the food. Since one of the my favorite foods is Mexican, I was immediately intrigued. It was time to bust out of my Taco Tuesday rut.
We made a visit here for dinner on a recent trip to Chicago. Forget reservations, we arrived shortly after their 5pm opening and the place was already packed with people in their business suits and corporate attire. Half hour later, we're seated in the outdoor patio area, enjoying the ambiance of honking cars and ambulance sirens.
Service was casual and pleasant, but we get right down to the food. All the starters looked good, so we ended up with the appetizer platter, a sampling of guacamole, empanadas, ceviche, and jicama salad. It was a good way to try a bit of everything. The much-talked about guacamole was a bit overpowering with the citrus flavors. The jicama salad was very crisp and refreshing with a hint of tartness.
For the entrees, I had the Carne Asada a la Oaxaquena, while my wife had the Enchiladas de Mole Poblano. There's little doubt who is star of that enchilada dish. I couldn't help myself from reaching over to taste that mole. Bayless said that it took him over 20 years to perfect his mole recipe. I believe it. There is a complex mixture of flavors in the mole that's just tough to duplicate, and they all work in unison.
As for my dish, what stands out the most is the bold flavors of the spicy red chile on the ribeye steak. Marinated, wood-grilled, ultra juicy and tender, it was the perfect compliment to the side of sweet plantains. That meat really packed a punch. With a side of soft handmade tortillas and a slathering of guacamole, I built my very own carne asada tacos. Very expensive, $29 carne asada tacos.
With the recommendation of our waiter, we finished it all off with a slice of chocolate pecan pie, with a healthy dollop of Kahlua whipped cream and chocolate sauce on the side. The dessert was good, but not quite on the level of goodness from those entrees we had earlier. My margarita was so-so as well. I'd skip the drinks and appetizers, and head straight for the appetizers and entrees. In the words of Mr. Austin Powers, it's all about the mole mole MOLE!
Holy mole! There are very few restaurants out there that actually meet the high expectations that are garnered. This is one of them. I have been a huge fan of Top Chef since the first season and this year's Top Chef Masters spin-off really had me captivated. So it was required that I had to plan a trip to Frontera Grill, the workplace of Top Chef Master champion, Rick Bayless. I had high hopes for trying some amazing Mexican cuisine from the master of Mexican food.
This place was packed for lunch. It would have been very difficult to get a table, but luckily I came solo so I was quickly seated at the bar near the kitchen. I knew I had to try a mole dish, but I had a hard time deciding on what to get as an appetizer. It's a lot of food for one person, but hey, I'm not in Chicago very often. The waitress suggested the gorditas and I was set.
The Gorditas de Borrego came with three generous sized corn masa cakes stuffed with slow-cooked lamb "chicarron prensado," (which is I guess the Mexican version of bacon) and topped off with avocado and salsa. The corn masa cakes were crispy, but also light and airy. A great start to the meal and each bite had me wanting more. I knew I had to pace myself if I wanted to eat later on, but they were too delicious and fresh to save and pack up. I ended up eating all three.
My entree was the Enchiladas de Mole Poblano. The star of the dish was of course the delicious and complex mole sauce drenching the chicken enchiladas. The taste was indescribable, but I will try. Each bite left you with an initial burst of flavor, sweet, bitter, savory, and then it slowly faded to a pleasant spiciness. The mole had so many flavors and layers, but they all came together to make the dish work. The chicken was tender and the tortillas were also good, but they took a backseat to the mole. I've never tasted anything so deliciously complex before. I live in San Diego so I am surrounded by Mexican cuisine. If this was Mexican food, I am not sure what I've been eating for the past seven years.
Unfortunately, I didn't see the Master Chef while I was eating, but I later saw him when I walked over to Xoco to check it out. I couldn't miss an opportunity to meet him so when he went back to Frontera, I asked the hostess if I could meet him for a picture. I could see he was very busy trying to manage both restaurants, but he was still nice enough to meet me in the kitchen for a quick photo op. I highly recommend a detour to this restaurant if you are ever in Chicago. It will be worth the wait to try a piece of true México.
I am on to you Rick Bayless! When you make people wait 4+ hours anything tastes amazing! We arrived at 5:30pm on a Saturday night and were told that there would be a 3-3.5 hour wait. We had plenty of time to spare so we obliged. During our wait we ventured to various waterholes throughout the area. We did enjoy a few drinks at the Frontera Bar. The bar had a nice selection of drinks and was very reasonably priced.
We made many trips to the bathroom, which is grimy and nice at the same time. My lady friends had quite the experience. When they were in the bathroom a peeping tom entered and decided to check under each stall. The man was chased out by the manager and a waiter.
After four hours of waiting we were finally seated at 9:30pm. I think they might have some sort of clout scandal similar to U of I. I'm almost positive that we were skipped up for other more "privileged" people. Regardless we were thrilled to finally be seated and we were starving.
It seemed like forever before our server came to our table. We immediately begged guacamole with chips and the sopes rancheros. We literally inhailed both appetizers, but we did take the time to savor the flavor. The sopes rancheros was one of the more unique and amazing appetizers that I've ever had.
The entree menu is so unique that I still had no idea what to order, even though I had 4+ hours to decide. I ended up ordering Poc Chuc de Puerco, which is sour orange-marinated, grill-seared Maple Creek pork with Yucatecan garnishes: grill-roasted onions, sliced heirloom tomatoes, tangy Napa cabbage, avocado, habanero salsa, black bean "soup." It was unreal! The meal was so spicy that I was literally crying, but it was well worth the tears. My friend got the fajita asida, which I will be ordering next time. It was the most picturesque Mexican meal that I have ever seen.
I was too full to order desert, but my mouth was on fire for at least twenty minutes after the meal. The bus boy did an excellent job of keeping my water glass full. I probably drank at least six glasses of water. I walked away from the meal totally satisfied. I would love to go back, but I would love to hear if anyone has any suggestions on how to cut down on the 4+ hour wait.
I've wanted to eat here since I saw his show on PBS. I was really worried it wouldn't be as good as I hoped - and I was not disappointed. I had guacamole, trio of ceviche and the Topolobampo margarita which were all wonderful. I was able to try the food from the people with me: goat enchiladas with mole, brisket and roasted pork and pineapple tacos which were absolutely tasty. I can't wait to go again!
Another cool thing about the place is that Rick Bayless is actually there all the time!
I think there has been a lot of hype about this restaurant ever since Rick won Top Chef Masters. I don't know if all the extra traffic has necessarily been a good thing.
I had been trying to make reservations here for almost 2 months. They were actually booked out on a Saturday night through the rest of the year. Eventually, a friend of mine decided to start lining up at the door at 4:30. They reserve tables for walk-ins but the best chance of getting is to line up about a hour before they begin seating. We were able to get a table for 8:00. They called us when the table was available. So basically, you wait in line for an hour to get on the list and then stick around the area for a few hours waiting for them to call.
We ended up with a table outside (we were a party of 7, so I'm sure that made it a bit more difficult). It was kind of a chilly and misty night. It wasn't ideal, but we made the best of it.
I had the mojito with rum. It was really good. Not too sweet and very limey. The drinks run about $10 a pop.
We had the guacamole and salsa. They were pretty standard. The salsas were not spicy at all so we decided to try the $2 all you can eat habanero salsa. OMG, that is some intense flames in your mouth! We all took big bites and then starting tearing up and begging for sour cream. No wonder it's $2 all you can eat. No one can eat more that a small dish of that stuff. You'd have to be rushed to the ER. Our server was great, though, he saw us all choking and brought us some sour cream faster that you can say enchilada.
The oysters were ok. Not the best. They come with two sauces, a Mexican mignonette and a mole type sauce. The mole was just weird on oysters. No thanks.
I had the duck tacos, my husband had the pork tacos and my friends had the lamb dish and the mole enchiladas. The tacos were just ok really. The meat had great flavor and the duck was cooked perfectly, but the sides that come with it were just ok. But they are pretty affordable. The tacos are only $16.50. Unfortunately, for us, the colder temps outside made our meals cool fast. Bummer. My friend who had the enchiladas had one bite and completely wrote off mole. The chicken tasted reheated and was lacking flavor. He ended up giving his left overs to our cab driver. My other friend thought his lamb was poorly seasoned.
Okay, so to make a long story short, I was a little underwhelmed. The service was good, but not as attentive as it should be at a place like this, the food was just ok, not at all memorable. I know that this restaurant is and can be completely fantastic, but the heavy traffic always makes for a less that wonderful dining experience.
11am.
7 people.
2.5 hours.
8 margaritas.
2 mojitos.
1 Topo Chico.
2 Diet Pepsis.
2 Agua de Jamacia.
Appetizer Sampler platter made for 6.
3 Carne Asadas.
1 Sopitas.
1 Hot Cakes Indigenas.
1 Enchiladas con Huevos y Bistec.
1 of every dessert.
1 extra order of flan.
1 Skirt Steak tacos with 2 pieces of Applewood Smoked Bacon to go.
2 cups of coffee.
Everything was gone. Seriously. Every bit of every plate and every drop of every drink was eaten.
Now home and about to go into food coma.
Again, I joined my mother and 2 British men paying for the meal and it was fabulous!
We got the…
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This was one of the reasons the boyfriend and I opted for our Chicago visit. We've been wanting to try Frontera for quite a long time now, and now that we have friends living in Chicago, it seemed as the perfect excuse!
I ordred the enchilda de mole poblano and sopa azteca. The boyfriend ordered enichilda de chivo. Our friends ordered tacos al carbon, one with the pineapple pork, the other with the portabello mushrooms. We also ordered a side of guacamole and chips. The chips came out with 2 additional salas, one of which was a triple chili salsa that I fell in LOVE with immediately. I couldn't stop eating it, and may have been in danger of completely over-eating on chips alone.
My soup was the first thing to come out. OMG. Seriously, this is one of the best soups I've ever had. I'm a HUGE soup lover. I could eat soup every day, and would if the boyfriend was willing to do so. Chicken tortilla soup is one of my favorite soups, and I was completely blown away by this. LOVED IT!
Our meals came out and the mole was exactly as everyone else has described it. Amazing. Wonderful. Perfect. It was so good as well. I started munching on my enchilada, and while it was perfect and so good, my mind kept wondering back to the soup. I ended up pushing aside the last piece of my enchilada and returning to my, now cold, soup and scarfed it down. It was cold, but still so delicious and fabulous. Please don't think the enchilada wasn't good, it was amazing...but the soup was even more amazing in my opinion!
I tried a bit of the boyfriend's enchilada de chivo and found the goat meat was definitely interesting and tasty. I'd never had goat meat before, and found it to be a cross between a chicken and lamb. It was quite yummy. I tried a bit of the pineapple pork and the portabello mushroom too and they were both wonderful as well.
I'm so pleased and happy with Frontera. I'm originally from San Diego, so I'm usually really picky with my Mexican food...but this was just so fabulous and so well done. Bravo Rick Bayless...you are definitely the Top Chef Master!
I'm from Oregon, where we travel around on covered wagons carrying provisions (like the old Oregon Trail game you played on your Apple II), where it rains 363 and 2/3 days of the year, and where "Mexican food" equals $5 wet burritos, taco stands, fish bowl margaritas, and other mostly fairly inexpensive fare.
Not Frontera Grill. This place is good, serving up rich, complex moles, fresh ceviches and fire roasted meats. If you come to Chicago and have to eat at one restaurant, this would be it. Granted, the wait for a table is stupid ridiculous. Our party of 4 waited 2+ hrs for a table. On a Tuesday night. Tuesday night! Don't you people have better things to do on a Tuesday then to wait in line for fantastic Mexican food? Shouldn't you be at home watching Grey's Anatomy? Thankfully, an Irish pub was nearby.
Must try - all of the ceviches are great. Get the trio sampler so you can try them all. The camarones en aguachile are really fresh king prawns served sashimi style with a lime juice and fennel sauce drizzled on top. Also, any menu item that includes "mole" in the description is probably a must try. And no, you don't need to take the handful of pints I had into consideration. More sober individuals in our group thought the food was delicious also.
And the best part? Rick Bayless was there, having a cocktail and a bite to eat, hanging out, checking in on the patrons. Who does that? This guy was on Top Chef Masters dusting Michael Chiarello and Hubert Keller on national TV. Do you ever see Wolfgang Puck hanging out at the Wolfgang Puck Express in Terminal 3 outside Gate B gnoshing on his salads and handing out individual sized pizzas? Hell no.
Like the masses, we are huge Top Chef fans. Mandy really thought this dude seemed nice on the show, so we HAD to give him a shot. As expected, the place was packed at 9 on a Friday night but I'm always confident a table can be scored in the cantina with a bribe.
After the bribe succeeded, it was on to the meal.
* Nice, quaint bar area
* Service was spotty
* Women's bathroom trash can was overflowing
* Rick was in the kitchen late on Friday
* 'Ritas are real deal...no sugary mix
* Prices reasonable
* Guac too citrusy for my California tasebuds
* Cool couples around us
* Rib eye was perfect...cut it up and crushed it in tortillas n salsa n beans
* Lamb casserole thing was awesome
Nice place and good times.
It might be because I arrived close to closing, but I barely had to wait to be seated here, even though it was a Friday. I arrived with my girlfriend for a late dinner around 10pm. I was told that there would be a 30 minute wait, but 10 minutes later, I was informed that a table had opened up.
The decor is nice and warm. The crowd density is what you'd expect from a restaurant by a famed chef who has been on television. It was very crowded, even at this late hour, and quite noisy. If you're looking to grab a bite and have some peace and quiet, you might want to hold out and get a table at Topolobampo, which is right through a curtained door, but has a more intimate dining experience. However, if you're like me and just wanted some good food, stay put.
I ordered two small plates, Taquitos de Pollo and another dish that I forget the name of. My girlfriend had the Enchiladas de Mole Poblano and Tamal de Mole Amarillo. My two dishes arrived within a few minutes, but it was easily a half-hour before the other two items arrived. That changed our eating plans--we were originally just going to eat what we ordered, but ended up splitting the whole meal down the middle, since we were getting hungry waiting.
The food, however, did not disappoint! Great, fresh tasting food came to the table, and was always presented with a smile, which must be difficult in a room full of tables set 2-3 feet apart.
I would have given just about any other restaurant 3 stars for the wait, but understanding that this place is much talked about and therefore prone to crowding and delay, I'm giving Frontera the benefit of the doubt.
All the dishes were flavorful, and needed no further seasoning. The mole on the enchiladas was a bit strong, but the black beans that accompanied it really helped offset the flavor.
A bit of people watching (meal watching, rather) showed me how tasty everything looked: the presentation was executed just as well as the actual quality of the food. That's not easy to find for a decent price.
Like everyone else, I'm a Top Chef fan, and the Top Chef Masters was notable for how much everyone LOVED Rick Bayless's food. And to add to that, I was just blown away by how nice a guy he seemed to be, especially for someone who is at the top of his game. Like, how cool is that? So on a recent trip to Chicago, I had to check it out for myself. A friend tried to get me reservations just before I left - nope, not even close. But apparently a fair amount of the restaurant is saved for walk-in's, so after a full day at work Wednesday, a Wed night redeye flight to Chicago, and then a full Thursday conference, I hauled my tired self through the rain and blowing wind to Frontera Grill and got there exactly at 6 pm. I was told it was already a 1 1/2 hour wait for a table for one! Luckily there was just one space left in the bar area. Phew!
Decided to really go all out, because who knows if I'd ever have another chance to eat here? I tried the tostaditas (just-made tortilla chips with two different salsas), the enchiladas de chivo (goat enchiladas wrapped in homemade tortillas and served with a beer and tequila laced dark pasilla sauce), and the Thursday night special barbacoa de borrego (lamb marinated in red chile and slow-roasted in banana leaves). I really wanted to try some ceviche also, but decided to pass - as it was, this was already going to be way too much food.
It was all good. The tortilla chips were fine, although nothing really stood out about them. The enchiladas de chivo were my hands-down favorite, that pasilla sauce was just delicious! And the lamb was also very good, although at that point I was getting so full! And the presentation did not disappoint either. The banana leaf package with chili-marinated lamb inside looked similar to the Rick Bayless dish I saw on Top Chef Masters. Of course, that was why I ordered it...
As a final note, the servers were very nice and checked on me several times despite the growing crowd. By the time I was done with my dinner at 7 pm, it was really packed in the bar area. It was with a happy and full stomach that I headed back out into the cold, wind, and rain to walk back to my hotel.
MMMmmm, tasty. When I read about Rick Bayless and his joint, I knew I had to come by here on my visit to Chicago and I was definitely not disappointed.
Hailing from California makes me somewhat of a Mexican food expert (fogs nails and shines them off on collar) so I was pretty skeptical of finding good Mex out in the Mid-West. My girlfriend and I were told they didn't take reservations (wat.) when I called so we prayed it wouldn't be too busy when we walked in. The place was totally packed on a Thursday night and the hostess seemed pretty efficient at getting people on the wait system, but luckily, we got a seat at the bar.
The bartender was a super cool, Harley kinda guy, and he recommended the Topolobampo margarita. I ordered it and it didn't seem to have much alcohol in it (mistake numero uno for yours truly). My gf had a "skinny margarita" which was straight up tequila with limes (mistake numero dos). Wooooo. By the time our ceviche sampler appetizer came out, we were both feeling good. The shrimp ceviche was my favorite of all three, and really the only one I would reorder again. The squid ceviche didn't seem very well thought out and the tuna one was just normal, nothing special.
We shared the puerca entree that was rec'd by the bartender and it was delicious. It's since discontinued because they rotate their menu monthly but I'll torture you with the description anyway. These soft, tender slices of pork came out with a chile tomatillo type of sauce draped on their sizzling tops. The meat was so soft, it felt like it was going to melt in my mouth. This was some serious puerca. We were both on our 3rd (or 4th? Who's counting at this point?) drinks and stuffed but we managed to order two desserts anyway. I don't remember what they were because the bartender gave us complimentary sipping tequila after our entree and that pretty much put us both over the edge.
Anyway, if you're in Chicago, or going to go, or want to go, you must check this place out!
My friends constantly rave about Frontera, but I just don't get it. I've given it 3 tries, and each time, it's the same. Maybe my palate is just too boring for Rick Bayless' style of Mexican food. The rice is always dry and bland (note to the rice: just because you come out in a pyramid shape doesn't mean you're tasty)... and $18 for some tiny tacos does not a happy Karen make.
Basically... the guacamole is the only thing keeping this review above 2 stars. That stuff is pretty freaking delicious, but you should get more for what you are paying. Also, I do appreciate that Rick uses mostly organic and really fresh foods. The drinks are really good (although $$$$), the food is OK, the wait is horrendous, and be prepared to leave your first born behind as payment. I've got a stash of cheaper, friendlier, less-wait-time Mexican places that I'd pick over Frontera any day.
Hm... where to begin on Frontera Grill. It's an excellent restaurant, but you have to learn the game to get a table. We read these Yelp reviews which told us to show up around 4:30pm and you'll get a table around 8pm.
We did just that this past Saturday. When we arrived at 4:30, the line was entirely under the awning. The doors opened at 5pm and they quickly took reservations. We were basically asked what time we would like to have dinner, and we told them 8pm. My friend and I just went home and came back around 7:45.
When we arrived, we were told we'd get a table in 30 minutes, but we only waited 15 minutes.
I'm not much of a wordsmith for this restaurant. I ordered the Enchiladas de Mole Poblano which was beyond excellent.
Total bill for my wife and I was about $40/person which included one drink.
Amazing! I have been wanting to come here since I moved to Chicago. Finally had some friends in town and an excuse to go. We could only get reservations on a Friday at 5:45 and I was blown away at how crowded it already was. But loved it because I was nervous there would be a couple of us in there.
The margaritas are great and I am not even a huge fan of margs I managed to have 4 (yes was a little tipsy when we left). We had some guacamole and chips as an app and i got some Chicken mole enchiladas. So flavorful! I did think it was a lot of food so we ended up taking some home. Overall lively atmosphere and some great Mexican food!
I just cant do 5 stars for Rick Bayless. I don't think I really get this cuisine. I did really enjoy my meal; I also LOVE the atmosphere. The cocktails were great, but sadly the food didn't blow me away. Don't get me wrong, everything was very good, but not 5 star worthy.
We had:
Empanadas
Duck Taquitos
Chicken Enchiladas with mole
Steak
If I lived in Chicago I might give it another try. Maybe there are some other things on the menu that I should experience.
Especially since the top chef finale, I would recommend doing lunch versus dinner if you don't have a reservation. We were quoted an hour but it was more like 25 minutes (although we would have waited the hour...).
The food here is fresh, organic, and delicious! We arrived at 11:30am and there was a line out the door!!!! WHAT THE HECK?? There was about 20 people ahead of us but luckily we were able to snatch a seat. What I didnt understand was why there were so many open tables. I had asked to be seated at an open table for 2, but was told the table was unavailable. WHY?!?!?! They dont even take reservations so I dont understand why it was unavailable. Anyways, we were offered a counter seat and being crunched for time, we decided to take it.
The menu here changes monthly so our waitress wasnt able to tell us what a signature dish is at this restaurant. So we ordered the guacamole as an appetizer. I ordered the Camarones a la Veraniega (garlic-marinated fresh Gulf shrimp served with daily-changing "rooftop salsa" of tomatoes and chiles from the restaurants rooftop garden, with green onion-studded Gulf-style white rice, cilantro salad) and my friend ordered the Milanesa de Puerco (crunchy-coated Maple Creek pork loin served with roasted tomato sauce, black beans and pickled red onions). Both dishes were delicious!!! And the seating at the bar was not uncomfortable at all. Overall a great experience!
My husband and I had an incredible experinece at Frontera. Not sure what took us so darn long to try it...
We were in the city one day looking around the Merchandise Mart. We then decided to walk around a bit. I popped inside to ask about reservations (yeah, I was pretty clueless). It was right after lunch and the lady was super nice explaining to me that they accept a very limited number of res's. She told me what we had to do... get there early... about a half hour before opening and get in line. The trick is to be part of the first seating....well... that is exactly what we did. We were the first one's through the door and sat.
We ordered a sampling. The chicken mole, the jicama salad, and this little cazuela with the most delicious carnitas I've ever tried.
We finished the meal with this duo of mexican flan. I'm a sucker for any sort of custard... panna cotta, flan, crema caramel, etc... These were amazing. One was made with Mexican vanilla and the other with lavender. There aren't words in this language that can help me explain how sublime these flan were.
Overall, it was an incredible meal. We waited about 45 min prior to the doors opening and it was worth it. The bill came to under $50 but we didn't order any alcohol.
This restaurant smelled incredible upon first walking in. I really enjoyed all the different chile sauces, and the tortilla soup was excellent. I had the Friday daily lunch special which was Mixiotes de Borrego (spiced lamb with chile sauce steamed in parchment) and I very much enjoyed it.
And, a big highlight... we saw Rick Bayless sitting having a chat and a tasting with his apprentice chefs at one of the back tables!
The first time I dined here it was 2004 and I had no idea who Rick Bayless was but that didn't matter because the margaritas were so great, I thought about them for years. (True!)
To date, I've eaten here twice and each time the wait has been INSANE. It doesn't seem to matter when you show up, so make a reservation or go with an open agenda. Having said that you can usually snag a place at the bar, which I did this past Tuesday.
I started with a pretty basic margarita on the rocks with salt. At the bartenders recommendation I ordered the Carne Asada a la Oaxaquena. That is, a Creekstone Natural Black Angus rib steak marinated in spicy red chile. The dish was served with black beans, sweet plantains (my favorite) and guacamole. While it probably wasn't my favorite cut of beef, the rib steak was was tender and well complimented by the sides. I liked that their beef is typically "natural", grass fed, and/or local. Given what we know about food, health and the environment I feel that at this point in time every restaurant should at least offer one local item. That aside, the portions were ample and of high quality. Even though I alternated between small bites and taco making (with fresh tortillas that come with the entrées) I ended up still leaving a good amount of food on the plate. (Except for the plantains of course!)
The drinks we're awesome once again. I tried a few different versions of margarita including one with an aged tequila and another coffee version that was delightful. I highly recommend that as an after dinner drink. Mmm
Overall this place is great. I'll definitely be back but for smaller plates. There's just too much goodness on the menu to commit to one.
Some of the food was great, some was just ok. The staff in general was very good, but our server was HORRENDOUS. Ordering was like being in the Twilight Zone. Each person would say what they wanted, and she would repeat back something totally different. After we finally managed to communicate to her what we were ordering, she still brought one of us the wrong dish. Her attitude could not have been more "I don't give a shit," and she seemed super annoyed when we asked for basic things like cream for the coffee. It really was shocking, since this is supposed to be a nice place. It felt more like the Golden Nugget at 3 in the morning. A disappointment that the food really didn't make up for.
The food here is very good, but I have to say that it was definitely not worth the 3 hour wait and the hype.
Here's my take on the dishes we had.
0. Sweet fried plantains - these were the best plantains I've ever had and the best of the dishes we ordered. They had a nice crispy exterior and come with homemade sour cream and fresh cheese. Delicious! I could have eaten 2 or 3 orders of this.
1. Guacamole - pretty good, with some sort of fresh red pepper mixed in, but it was a tad on the bland side. It could have used some salt and possibly some lemon juice. I like the guac at Qdoba as much or better.
2. Chicken taquitos - these were good, but not so different than your typical taquitos. They do come mounted on a nice little mound of guacamole which added to the value.
3. Falda Asada "Brava": spicy serrano-marinated grass fed flank steak (from Bill Kurtis's Tall Grass) with spicy salsa huevona (hand-crushed, grill-roasted tomatoes, jalapenos). Grilled knob onions and sweet corn tamales (topped with homemade sour cream and fresh cheese). 29.00
I'm not a big steak guy, but this was pretty good. To be frank though, I enjoyed the sweet corn tamales more than the steak itself. It certainly wasn't worth $29.
4. Tacos al Carbon: wood-grilled meat, poultry, fish or mushrooms sliced and served with roasted pepper rajas, two salsas, frijoles charros, guacamole and homemade tortillas. 16.50
We had these tacos with pineapple pork, but we could not really taste the pineapple and so I think these were fairly mediocre.
The corn tortillas that accompanied the meal were good and fresh which I enjoyed. These were probably the 3rd best part of the meal (after the plantains and the tamales).
My last full day in Chicago I decided to do the Celebrity Chef thing while simultaneously violating one of my personal rules about avoiding Mexican food in the midwest.
Turned out to be a good idea on both counts. Frontera gets a lot of weekday office lunch types, and we snuck in just before the peak of the crunch hit.
I ordered items that are always relatively sure bets for me. The Gazpacho soup was excellent on a summer's day, and thankfully showed off a skilled hand -- many Gazpachos, even those by celebrated chefs (hi, Wolfgang!) are predominantly salty with an undercurrent of vegetables or herbs. Frontera's is balanced nicely between the three.
My entree was that Mexican Dish that Few Can Do Right, yes, the enchiladas with the mole poblano. This was equally good, even if poblano is the most widely-attempted mole in America. The chicken, as I would expect at this price point, was cooked flawlessly; moist and tender with nary a hint of gristle or bone. As for the mole, this point in life I'm happy if it doesn't taste canned, and so it more than passed the test.
Service was ok, which I give slack to because of the peak hour. I'm not sure I'd make it a priority to return the next time in Chicago, but I'm glad I went once.
This placed partially lived up to expectations. Though I recommend sticking with what they are famous for, ceviche (Chamoy definitely), guac, and of course the mole...ahh mole. Umm, yeah, I considered asking my date if I could lick the plate, the mole is ridiculous. However, some of the other entrees were standard.
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