These new Mexican restaurants are reinventing a cuisine

On a stretch of Armitage Avenue that’s become a major hub of Logan Square’s dining scene, Topolobampo alums Brian Enyart and Jennifer Jones Enyart deliver joyful, inventive Mexican food. See, for instance, the juicy carnitas, crowned with an unorthodox tangle of cabbage ($17), and the lovely arrangement of grilled mushrooms and sweet chestnut corn bread anchored in earthy red mole ($14). End with glazed plantains and queso fresco over rich, mildly funky cajeta ($7), and sip on the Rosita ($10), a Negroni reimagined with tequila and Amargo-Vallet bitters. 

Service and ambience alike are warm at this easygoing BYOB Albany Park newcomer, helmed by Rick Bayless protégé Anselmo Ramirez. Start with a salad of octopus, crunchy jicama and green beans in fiery pasilla dressing ($9) and roasted chicken with avocado cream over tender masa picaditas ($7). Then move on to Ramirez’s specialty: complex slow-simmered moles paired with a roster of wood-grilled proteins like chicken or pork loin ($15.50).

Get your fix of truly creative tacos at Dudley Nieto’s Latin American spot in Albany Park. But first try the trio of brightly flavored salsas served with house-made tostadas ($3.75) and a perfectly steamed chicken tamal ($3). Then take your pick from taco offerings that play with expectations, like green curry shrimp ($3.50) and garlicky mushrooms with Oaxacan cheese ($2.50). Choose from $8 cocktails like a cherry-puree–sweetened Oaxaca Mule.