Chikatana

This Mexican restaurant in the West Loop is from a former chef of Mi Tocaya (one of our favorite spots in the city), and serves wonderful dishes like cochinita pibil, tlayudas, tuétano, and pato en mole, along with perfectly chewy tortillas. The big space has large tables perfect for groups, the bar area is ideal for grabbing cocktails with friends (the Paloma is excellent). Another great thing to know about this place? It’s still new enough that you can actually reserve a table before 11pm. Well, at least at the time of this writing.