Can’t stand hearing about how great Cancun was from your friends who managed to escape the cold this winter? Why not take your own south-of-the-border excursion: From rich Oaxacan moles to fresh Gulf Coast seafood, these restaurants will give you a culinary tour of Mexico at bargain prices. Best part: You don’t have to worry about the water.
Oaxaca
A food-centered trip to Mexico should start in Oaxaca, where the famous chocolate-inflected mole sauce originated. With two locations in the city, Taqueria la Oaxaquena dishes up authentic cuisine for about what you’d pay at your corner burrito joint–and the quality is light-years beyond. Complimentary chips come with three homemade salsas–be sure to sample the creamy orange one made from roasted de arbo and costeno chilis as well as sesame and pumpkin seeds Then try a local dish, such as godornis con mole ($7.50), a Cornish hen draped with a creamy Oaxacan mole, or the shrimp and octopus in Oaxaquena sauce ($10.75)–sweet and smoky with a fiery ancho chili kick. 6113 W. Diversey Ave. 773-637-8709; 3382 N. Milwaukee Ave. 773-545-8585.
Pacific coast
In touristy Puerto Vallarta, trendy meets the traditional. Sleek West Loop taqueria De Cero offers the same vibe. It brings a modern take on the area’s coastal cuisine, with an emphasis on inventive–think braised duck with sweet corn salsa–along with tamales, tacos and other small bites. For a taste of the coast, order charred baby octopus ($8) with lime-cumin dressing and tomato, or a rock-shrimp-and-baby-scallop ceviche with jalapeno and citrus ($8). With cutting-edge cocktails such as the strawberry-mint margarita and the raspberry-basil daiquiri (both $8), it might not be completely authentic, but you won’t hear many complaints–especially if you finish with a smooth Jarritos float ($3), fruit-flavored Mexican soda served over coconut or lemon sorbet. 814 W. Randolph St. 312-455-8114.
Yucatan
Like the name suggests, Rique’s Regional Mexican Food in Uptown covers many different regions of Mexico. With yellow-and-purple walls and rough-hewn chairs, the storefront BYOB is bright and friendly, due in part to its enthusiastic chef-owner Enrique Cortes, who hails from Sonora in northern Mexico. For a taste of the Yucatan peninsula, order the chicken pibil, grilled chicken marinated in achiote (red annatto seeds), garlic and orange juice–it’s $3.75-$9.75 depending on what you have with it. Another specialty of the house is tinga ($8.75): shredded, slow-cooked chicken with oregano, bay leaves and onions served with a roasted-tomato chipotle sauce. On Saturdays there’s a special separate menu highlighting dishes from a particular region. 5004 N. Sheridan Rd. 773-728-6200.
Guerrero
Chef Geno Bahena named his two restaurants–Ixcapuzalco and Chilpancingo–after towns in his home state of Guerrero, on the southern coast just west of Oaxaca. Though both spots offer dishes from across Mexico, Bahena always includes at least one from his home region. On the menu at Chilpancingo this month is Gunthorp ostrich in mole Teloloapense ($23), a classic Guerrero red mole, served with greens and Yukon Gold mashed potatoes. 358 W. Ontario St. 312-266-9525.
Veracruz
Adobo Grill is best known for its excellent margaritas and the guacamole prepared tableside in a molcajete (mortar and pestle). But its huachinango a la Veracruzana ($24.95)–snapper Veracruz–is one of the best in the city. The whole red snapper gets the Gulf coast treatment with small chunks of tomato, capers and manzanilla olives, a tangy topping that enhances rather than competes with the flavor of this mild fish. 610 N. Wells St. 312-266-7999.
