Delicious! Amazing! No notes. Had the best Friday. BYOB and definitely make a reservation in advance.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Elizabeth Rand
Thank you all at Chilam Balam - what a fabulous meal we had last night (Oct 17) and thank you for the wonderful veggie options (greatly appreciated) We eat here usually once a summer and always looking forward to it.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Claudia Ctortecka
Great food & nice staff
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Robert
I love this authentic Mexican food
Grace Gagnon
This is my favorite restaurant in all of Chicago. The staff is so friendly and inviting, the food is AMAZING and the atmosphere is so cozy! I love it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Elizabeth
This restaurant is truly exceptional. The food was unique and delicious and authentic. And the service was excellent. Our server told us a story of his childhood, and the owner stopped by our table and chatted with us about the food and our experience. We had the ceviche, guacamole, Brussel sprouts, potatoes, pork, and chicken flautus. Everything was amazing but the potatoes and the pork in a poblano pepper were particularly special. The menu changes often and they only serve the pork on a year — it requires 32 ingredients.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dylan Colby
The BEST mexican restaurant in north Chicago. Creative cooking! Great vibe.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joshua Hills
Definitely not worth the price, food, or atmosphere. It is BYOB which is redeeming. You can find far better Mexican food at a much more affordable price. It also smelled heavily of wet dog.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 4
Erik Dains
Lovely lovely restaurant in a cute environment. Amazing service, great pacing, and the food is amazing, especially considering the price point. The chocolate mousse desert is one of the best plates of food I’ve had in my life, it’s worth a trip here just for that alone.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Maggie Delaney
We decided to try Chilam Balam after encountering them at a food festival! And so glad we went because the experience was amazing. We were greeted by the owner herself and her brother ended up being our server. Loved the family vibe. We told them we would eat wherever they served us! So they brought out 2 plates per person and dessert for us. There was not one plate we didn’t throughly love!
The ceviche and watermelon salad were a nice light and refreshing way to start the meal. I would order both again especially the ceviche is a must. So fresh and flavorful!
Next we tried the seared wahoo fish which was so fresh and juicy and covered in amazing sauce and greens with olives which added a lovely flavor profile. The Plato placero we made ourselves little tostadas or lettuce wraps with perfectly cooked beef and I can’t resist oaxacan cheese. So good!
The beef short rib was the standout of the night and completely fell off the bone. The sauce was so unique unlike anything I’ve tried on beef short rib before, don’t skip this!
The duck carnitas were so fatty and delicious way to end the savory part of the meal! With fresh tortillas on the side. Most fun part of the meal were the sweet empanadas which were full of peanut butter. We split them in half and poured the sauces inside to enjoy!
Lovely experience, great, friendly owner, her brother really took care of us too! This would be a great spot for friends to go out or to bring your parents but I would recommend making a reservation ahead of time as they were packed!!
Incredible food made from scratch. Kind and welcoming service, and BYOB is fun too! Highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Victoria Bell
Had a wonderful dinner. The food was incredible we did the chefs choice! In addition the service and atmosphere was amazing! Would totally recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alex
The best food in service in Chicago it’s absolutely excellent and you get a great bang for your buck. Highly recommend to all!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brussels Sprouts, Guacamole and Chips
Teresa Edwards
This place is absolute amazing. Taste bud overload. Best sauces ever. You have to try this place. Eddie is amazing!! Shareable plates and have them pick for you. You will not be disappointed. I will come back to Chicago just to eat here again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ann Balajadia
Excellent on all fronts. Honestly, the best Mexican food I’ve had outside of Mexico. Everything was fresh and delicious. We had guacamole, green salad, 1000layer potatoes and floutas. Oh and cheesecake! Love this place and will be back! Adding this: understand their liquor policy before coming…doesn’t hurt to do a little research(it’s also posted on the door before you walk in!) They serve pitchers of “limeade” for diners to add their own tequila to. You’re able to bring beer/wine too. We were lucky to get a table as walk ins but I’ll definitely make a reservation next time. Also cash or Venmo only…no credit cards.
Delicious! Amazing! No notes. Had the best Friday. BYOB and definitely make a reservation in advance.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Thank you all at Chilam Balam - what a fabulous meal we had last night (Oct 17) and thank you for the wonderful veggie options (greatly appreciated) We eat here usually once a summer and always looking forward to it.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food & nice staff
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I love this authentic Mexican food
This is my favorite restaurant in all of Chicago. The staff is so friendly and inviting, the food is AMAZING and the atmosphere is so cozy! I love it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This restaurant is truly exceptional. The food was unique and delicious and authentic. And the service was excellent. Our server told us a story of his childhood, and the owner stopped by our table and chatted with us about the food and our experience. We had the ceviche, guacamole, Brussel sprouts, potatoes, pork, and chicken flautus. Everything was amazing but the potatoes and the pork in a poblano pepper were particularly special. The menu changes often and they only serve the pork on a year — it requires 32 ingredients.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The BEST mexican restaurant in north Chicago. Creative cooking! Great vibe.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Definitely not worth the price, food, or atmosphere. It is BYOB which is redeeming. You can find far better Mexican food at a much more affordable price. It also smelled heavily of wet dog.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 4
Lovely lovely restaurant in a cute environment. Amazing service, great pacing, and the food is amazing, especially considering the price point. The chocolate mousse desert is one of the best plates of food I’ve had in my life, it’s worth a trip here just for that alone.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We decided to try Chilam Balam after encountering them at a food festival! And so glad we went because the experience was amazing. We were greeted by the owner herself and her brother ended up being our server. Loved the family vibe. We told them we would eat wherever they served us! So they brought out 2 plates per person and dessert for us. There was not one plate we didn’t throughly love!
The ceviche and watermelon salad were a nice light and refreshing way to start the meal. I would order both again especially the ceviche is a must. So fresh and flavorful!
Next we tried the seared wahoo fish which was so fresh and juicy and covered in amazing sauce and greens with olives which added a lovely flavor profile. The Plato placero we made ourselves little tostadas or lettuce wraps with perfectly cooked beef and I can’t resist oaxacan cheese. So good!
The beef short rib was the standout of the night and completely fell off the bone. The sauce was so unique unlike anything I’ve tried on beef short rib before, don’t skip this!
The duck carnitas were so fatty and delicious way to end the savory part of the meal! With fresh tortillas on the side. Most fun part of the meal were the sweet empanadas which were full of peanut butter. We split them in half and poured the sauces inside to enjoy!
Lovely experience, great, friendly owner, her brother really took care of us too! This would be a great spot for friends to go out or to bring your parents but I would recommend making a reservation ahead of time as they were packed!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Incredible food made from scratch. Kind and welcoming service, and BYOB is fun too! Highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had a wonderful dinner. The food was incredible we did the chefs choice! In addition the service and atmosphere was amazing! Would totally recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The best food in service in Chicago it’s absolutely excellent and you get a great bang for your buck. Highly recommend to all!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brussels Sprouts, Guacamole and Chips
This place is absolute amazing. Taste bud overload. Best sauces ever. You have to try this place. Eddie is amazing!! Shareable plates and have them pick for you. You will not be disappointed. I will come back to Chicago just to eat here again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent on all fronts. Honestly, the best Mexican food I’ve had outside of Mexico. Everything was fresh and delicious. We had guacamole, green salad, 1000layer potatoes and floutas. Oh and cheesecake! Love this place and will be back!
Adding this: understand their liquor policy before coming…doesn’t hurt to do a little research(it’s also posted on the door before you walk in!) They serve pitchers of “limeade” for diners to add their own tequila to. You’re able to bring beer/wine too.
We were lucky to get a table as walk ins but I’ll definitely make a reservation next time.
Also cash or Venmo only…no credit cards.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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