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Categories: Latin American, Mexican [Edit]
5135 W 25th StTue-Fri. 2:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
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Xni-pec is a delicious gem just outside Chicago and offers authentic Mayan cuisine. The large menu has icons for Mayan specialties versus dishes more common in Mexican restaurants.
Newcomers to Xni-Pec should order the combination appetizer plate, the Combinado Yucateco. This is a great introduction to Mayan cuisine and seafood. It includes delicious Mayan versions of a marinated pulled pork taco, a pork tamale, a fried fish taco with chipotle mayo dressing, and a tilapia taco with mixed spices.
You may get a raised eyebrow from the waitstaff if you order a Corona, the Mexican beer of underage drinking palettes.
A word of caution: you will be offered two salsas when you are seated with chips. The first salsa has some heat, but is a delicious pico de gallo. The second salsa that they offer you with chips is a searing hot sauce that will make your eyes water throughout the entire meal after one taste--if you're not used to hot salsa, do not try this sauce--you will certainly regret it.
My husband and I love Xni Pec and drive out here every few weeks. I am addicted to their chorizo and potato filled enchiladas.
Xni Pec is one of my favorite restaurants in the Chicago area. Their tacos de cochinita are the best I've had anywhere, and this is one of the only places I can get huevos motulenos. Their tamales are also excellent, and the habanero salsa will melt your brain. Their Mayan cuisine is definitely a departure from your average burrito joint, with lots of seafood, fruits and veggies. Service is always friendly. The location is slightly out of the way, but there's parking in the rear and a back entrance. Definitely worth a drive out from the city.
mayan tilapia tacos and chipotle mayo dressing rocks!
A couple of friends and I went almost a couple of months ago. One of them had read the rave reviews for Xni-Pec and we just had to try it. We all live in the near west 'burbs, so it wasn't a trek. In fact, we just took our normal Metra BNSF train to Cicero and walked to the restaurant (about a 10 minute walk to 25 and Laramie, essentially) - and then just caught the train home.
The service was impeccable, it was a Wednesday evening, early, and we were the only ones there except for a couple of people picking up take out. The chef/owner served us and we had a great time talking with him - he's got quite the sense of humor. He made great recommendations and also offered us some habanero salsa that was really, really tasty, but with a wicked heat after-effect. The other two "standard" salsas were AMAZING - we couldn't stop eating the chips and salsa! I can't remember what we ordered as entress (the names, anyway), but I had the fish, octopus, olives, etc. dish on his recommendation and the other two had the red snapper filet wrapped in banana leaves. They raved about theirs and mine was awesome.
Will definitely go back, maybe even for take out on the way home.
Xni Pec is a fantastic, if out of the way, dining destination. We were seated immediately in a booth below the giant TV playing Yucatecan music. We knew that, despite the early afternoon hour, we were in for a party.
We had 2 salsas, one with vinegar, sweet onions, and tomato and another which was a habanero puree, and guacamole. If I were to do it again, I would skip the guacamole and simply dip the chip one time in each salsa. Then we moved on to the entrees where I had the Papadzules (egg enchiladas in green and orange salsa). They were very earthy and on a cold day, was a perfect lunch. My wife had the pollo pibil which was tremendous, if not slightly too much food for a late lunch.
The service was fantastic. They were more than happy to answer any questions we had about the menu or the food.
Bravo Xni Pec.
I saw this on Check Please and had been meaning to check it out for some time! I am glad I finally did! Not only was the food really unique and tasty, but our waiter, Javier, was really nice! He even brought out his mom (the owner) at the end of the meal to meet us. He told me they have karaoke on Fridays so I plan on returning to check that out! Very nice crowd, nice staff. It is a great place to check out something different!
What is the perfect post roller derby meal? Is it a burger? A taco? Maybe. But the primordial clash of femininity we had just witnesses left our crew with a powerful taste for the flavors of the Yucatan. Fortunately for us, six blocks south of the Cicero Stadium is Xnipec, and that's where we went.
The first challenge: parking. Cicero's parking scheme isn't designed for easy access to whatever it is that has drawn you to the area. No parking signs are everywhere. Most natives seems to ignore them, but, as outsiders, we decided to support the local Authoritays and found a street spot just a little east of the restaurant.
As we approached, we eagerly peered through Xnipec's small windows. The largely empty red and yellow tables served as both invitation and warning: we have plenty of people to serve you, but you might not like what we bring.
A challenge! We drew up our courage, fortified ourselves with the knowledge that the brave women of the Windy City Rollers had already faced a more daunting challenger, and went in. We were instantly very glad we did. The chips were fantastic, and the (apparently somewhat out of place) guacamole was chunky and flavorful. I had the Poc Chuc, which was excellent. Next on my list is the Pollo en pipil which one of my co-diners enjoyed. Be sure to try the habanero paste.
4 people. $52 dollars with tip. Go. Make the trek. You'll be glad you did.
While Cicero is just a stone's throw from Chicago, I would never have come here if it weren't for my unending search for the next great meal. I heard so many wonderful things about Xni-pec and I'd never had Yucatecan food so we piled in the car...headed out...and drove right past the place like three times. Parking on the street was easy enough but I wish I knew they had a lot.
Anyway, the environment is pretty relaxed. Waiters do not snap to attention when you call; you're definitely in a very friendly but sloooow-paced world, here. But we weren't in a hurry so that wasn't of concern. Just a word, bird. Don't come here on your way to an event...dining here IS the event. Sort of...
Moving right along...many menu items were new to me but our waiter (who I think is also the owner) guided us through and we ended up with some pretty solid choices. Vapocidos (like tamales), poc chuk (chix and veg), and pollo pibil (marinated & baked chix)...lovely. Presentation isn't their strong point but the food was homemade and good.
Now...about the karaoke. I loves me some karaoke as much as the next girl but a) the singer should give it a rest now and then to allow a normal flow of conversation and b) he or she must not block the way to the ladies room. My bladder nearly burst waitin' for the very entertaining older gentlemen (a relative?) to take a freakin break already. Then he started up again two seconds into the pee (apologies for the vernacular). As a result I felt like I was on stage while in the restroom and upon exiting said restroom. Slightly traumatic.
I was happy to read reviews about this and recently dined here with the fam for my birthday. Antonio luckily walked us through the menu and what to expect. The restarurant specializes in Mayan/Yucatecan meals.
We all were unsure of what to eat, that he just served us a meal based on what he recommended. 6 different courses and dessert! Still a bargain when it was all tabbed. I WILL be back. I am addicted to the habanero salsa.
15 minutes is worth the drive out here.
So we saw this place on Check, Please and thought we would go check it out. We are suckers for good Mexican food. We stopped by for Sunday brunch and it was difficult for me to tell if they have a different menu for that or not.
Everything was fresh and tasty. The table salsa is pretty bland and the habanero salsa is good but it would be nice to have some middle ground. We got some Michiladas which I thought were great but the lady though were too tomato'ie, there was no spice to them either and we prefer them that way.
The Gorgitas were good but nothing special and the rest of the appetizers were pretty standard. The chivche was just the table salsa with some shrimp in it, sort of disappointing I wouldn't get it again. Guacamole was average, nothing special, light on the lime. We saw them using lime juice out of a bottle too, that put a damper on things.
My entre was great. Got the Pou Chuc(sp?) it was flavorful and pretty good but nothing above and beyond an other quality spot in the Little Village area. The lady got Mole, the sauce was of the sweeter variety rather then spice and the chicken was cold, sort of a downer for her. Their black beans that came with my dish were great. Also, the flan we got for dessert was excellent. The house specialty dessert was also sort of average but good for sharing.
Everything was fresh and good. Wait staff was very friendly and helpful but a little less descriptive and more of the "try it, it's good" type. They seemed to have regular specials and I'm pissed we didn't get any Melon Agua Fresca.
We will be back at some point to try some other stuff, like the empanadas which looked excellent.
Until Next Time,
RrL
I went here a couple of months ago and I still crave the delicious food. It's probably one of the best places I've ever eaten and I've eaten at a ton of restaurants.
We ordered a ton of food because I went here with my parents who wanted to try everything. And everything was on point. In fact, it raised the bar for all other food ever made anywhere.
My mother and I both had fish dishes. They were cooked so well that they didn't taste fishy or have a fishy texture. Instead they melted into a pool of flavor in my mouth.
The service was incredible and knowledgeable, esp. since they grew up eating the food. They'll find you what you want to eat.
There's a parking lot behind the restaurant.
I wanted to love it. I am particularly fond, from my travels, of Yucatecan food.
We went there last night (Sunday) at like 5:45pm. It was not at all crowded, but service was really slow.
The cochinita pibil tacos were really tasty, though very greasy (I needed extra napkins and would strongly recommend wearing a dark shirt). The lime soup was okay, but did not taste of even a hint of lime (there was a single slice of lemon (?) in it though). The Yucatecan tamal was dry and kind of tasteless... it required salsa to make it palatable.
As we were finishing our main courses, we saw our waiter head out the door in his winter coat. We waited around for a while, then finally waved over another waiter to order dessert. We had the flan, which was very nice, with a sprinkling of cinnamon on top.
Overall... the food had some high points and some low points, and the service was ridiculously slow given that everything was already made (I'm assuming this because everything was slow cooked and would have taken hours).
I'm sad to say that given all the other great Mexican places in the city, I'm not sure I'd make the trip out to Cicero again.
We went here after finding it rather randomly and loved the food. The habanero paste was also very impressive, as many restaurants seem to be less daring with their hot foods.
The wait staff was also very good, explaining the history and tastes and recommended selections from the menu. I believe most if not all of the staff may be part of the family, so it seems that they have been around these recipe's for many years.
All in all, it's definitely an experience I'd recommend for you to try.
Maybe I didn't get it. I thought the food was bland.
Okay, they're not the typical Mexican place, I understand that. That doesn't mean there can't be any spices or salt in the food. I had the (well, I can't remember the exact name) little gorditas with what was supposed to be chicken soup. There was no chicken in the soup. It didn't taste like chicken soup, it tasted like onion soup with oil. That made sense because, other than the dull broth, the only other thing in that bowl was onion. If it doesn't look like chicken, smell like chicken, or taste like chicken, it's NOT CHICKEN! DON'T CALL IT CHICKEN SOUP!
My friend didn't like her meal either. She had (once again, I don't remember the name) what seemed to be three mini tortillas with shredded chicken and onion on top...yeah, that's it. Not even rice, all for $9.
Maybe my friend and I need to go back and order whatever dishes the other reviews got because they seem to really like Xni-pec.
It wasn't all bad, the desserts we ordered were tasty. We had the bunuelo and the arroz con leche aka rice pudding. The bunuelo was crispy and had cinnamon sugar over it, as well as a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk. The rice pudding was cold, which was weird to us three Mexicans dining there because, typically, arroz con leche is served warm in Mexico. This rice pudding tasted like it came out of the Kozy Shack bucket from Costco. There's nothing wrong with Kozy Shack, It's good rice pudding but nothing special. And weirdly enough this DID taste like chicken. Crazy. ;)
Antonio and Maria-Luisa have been in the US for only a few years, selling their house and cars in Mexico to open a modest restaurant in Cicero last May. Their restaurant, Xnipec, is well-worth the 15 minute drive from Chicago. Xnipec's cuisine, from the Yucatan, is mild and subtle, seasoned with spices and aromatic. It is not a spicy cuisine, but Antonio will accommodate heat freaks with a small bowl of pure habanero salsa. The treasure of the menu is one page of Mayan specialties -- from a satisfying tortilla filled with sliced boiled egg and topped with a combination of sauces, one a delicious and unusual pumpkin seed puree. There are assorted antojitos - for example, fried disks of masa topped with black beans and the most divine shredded chicken. Maria-Luisa explained to us that the chicken is first marinated, then grilled, before it is pulled for use in the dish. It is extraordinary. We also enjoyed a whole red snapper, prepared with aromatic spices and wrapped and cooked in a banana leaf. It was served with a small basket of bread rolls. It was great.
Even non-Yucatan specialties shine. We enjoyed a particularly delicious, slightly bitter, and very savory mole rojo chicken thigh and drum stick. Everything is served with a basket of thick, piping hot tortillas, colored pink.
At the end of the meal, Antonio offered us a glass of wine as he was opening up a bottle for himself and his wife. It was a bottle of Turnbull that would have been perfect at the beginning of our meal. It was very kind - and unexpected.
If you don't have a lot of experience with Mexican cuisine, or have yet to try the cuisine of Yucatan, get yourself to Xnipec. It's a great place with great service and terrific food.
It is incomprehensible to me how some people do not like this restaurant. The cochinita pibil is so outstanding that the mere thought of it while I type is causing me to drool a little on the side of my mouth. I love Antonio, who was our server and I believe is also the owner. He was so nice and passionate about the food, his own family's recipes, that I had to order almost everything he mentioned. The heat level in the habanero paste is actually hot (imagine! what a concept.) I couldn't think of a better way to clear your sinuses when under the weather than slathering that paste all over everything in sight. Another bonus is the use of fresh lime in their margaritas, thank you sweet baby jesus! I think of this place as one of my best friends, and I want to punch people in the face who don't like it in order to defend my friends honor.
Definitely worth a trip to the south side. The red snapper is on the pricier side but the most amazing, tasty preparation I have ever had. The wait staff is fun and attentive. The hot sauce is enough to cure any sinus or cold problems you have.
After seeing this restaurant on 190 North, I really wanted to check out this restaurant. We got the tamales which were the best I have had so far! I wasn't impressed with the mole. The lime soup was good, but the chips were very greasy, and I wasn't impressed with the salsa. The waiter was very nice, but not very attentive.
I went here the other day and had their enchiladas which were excellent as well as the black beans and rice I ordered with it. The chips and salsa were great as well. Be sure to try the watermelon water, it tastes just like a watermelon! Watching a Mexican wresting movie on their big screen was fun too.
Xnipec, Mayan for 'Nose of the Dog' is a relatively new Yucatan restaurant in Cicero. My wife and I went there for lunch today after reading the fabulous review in the Reader, and we were not disappointed What a great place! Even though I've been to Merida and Cancun I still had a few questions about the menu and the very hospitable owners, Antonio and Maria, were very helpful in explaining some of the ingredients. We started with a potato empanada and a cheese and mushroom gordita and both were delicious. For our entrees my wife had the huevos motulenos and I had the snapper cooked in a banana leaf. Both were unbelievably good. For desert we shared the flan and the calabeza. All in all, a wonderful lunch, and we can't wait to go back for dinner to try more. Yucatan cooking is unlike most other Mexican food. For one thing, the spices are different. It's generally not as hot, although feel free to pile on the habenero sauce that Antonio gladly offers up. The space itself is very colorful and comfortable. and Antonio keeps the pretty Mexican music playing at a decent level for talking. Very nice. Do yourself a favor and check this place out. It's just wonderful. By the way, they do have parking in the rear.
Xni-Pec has "Mayan food" written on the awning, indicating that it specializes in food from the Yucatan penninsula. The food must be good because I walked out happy despite my kids being pretty terrible and the service being even worse. Oh, and it's a solid 30-40 min drive from my place. Truth be told, it was just featured on Check, Please, and I think they were surprised to be so slammed on a Sunday night. Loved the housemade tortilla chips, LOVE their table salsa/pico, and ask for their habenero salsa. It'll burn your face off...and you'll love it. The guacamole is chunky and fresh. The gordita was nice, but not memorable. Definitely don't miss the pork tacos with special marinated onions (throw some pico on there too for extra deliciousness). Overall a great place, and I would go there a bunch if it were closer. For those living in Pilsen or the South/West Loops, it's a quick drive and for sure worth checking out.
Xni-Pec is good but not great. The food wasn't exotic or outstanding. The service was ok, maybe an off day. I'd go back and give it another try.
I read all of the fabulous reviews and my husband and I tried it last night. The wait staff was friendly and explained that the resturant was short a chef so there might be a longer wait. What should have been an hour dining (receiving menus- bill paid) turned out to be painful two hour experience. We looked around and everyone looked miserable as well. We had to ask three times for more water. The food was ok. We ordered empanads, ok, not great same goes for the guacamole. My husband liked his torta, however one came with black beans which he said was better and the other was without beans. I won't comment on what I had because I was not in a very good frame of mind to eat. I'm sorry I couldn't give any more stars for this one.
Now I must say that I come from the Yucatan so when I went to this place for the Day of the Dead a year ago I had high expectations for the mucbilpollo, so that is what we had and it sucked: no thick crust/soft interior filling, but more like it didn't hold its structure at all and the filling was more bones than chicken, and very little recado, no flavor. Since those individual mucbilpollos where tiny and filled with bones we ordered the panuchos and yet again anoter disappointment: greasy and bland. Their soup was just like another reviewer said: greasy and you can't taste the chicken. Their service quite careless, not in a good way. My companion is american and he didn't think it was too bad, but he hasn't asked to go back. To me, not worth the trip. I understand that american mexican food is really different from actual mexican food, but come on Xni pec, papadzules with rice and beans?
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