With six cookbooks, his own TV show and two wildly successful restaurants, Rick Bayless's efforts to showcase authentic Mexican cuisine in the United States are immeasurable. His first restaurant, Frontera, has provided a contemporary take on flavors from south of the border to Chicago since 1987, and it won the national 2007 Outstanding Restaurant Award from the James Beard Foundation. The monthly changing menu, inspired by Mexican traditions from many regions, features moles, chile-thickened braises, and organic and often custom-grown vegetables. When available, try the duck enchiladas with roasted tomato-serrano sauce or select from the Marisqueria, the "sustainable seafood bar" featuring fresh oysters as well as fish and shrimp entrées. Full bar. Serving lunch and dinner Tue–Sat. Sat brunch 10:30 am–2:30 pm. Closed Sun–Mon.
Where the Locals Eat Rating
Best Mexican
Top 100 Restaurant, Chicago
"You've never stepped into a grill so energetic, so on the edge ... so on the frontier ... as Frontera Grill."
– Frontera Grill website
"Walking into Frontera Grill, nearly 20 years melted away. I remember the first time I was there, visiting friends and discovering whether all the buzz about this new Mexican restaurant was true. I remember being mesmerized by the food, and I visited twice in the weekend; it became my personal standard of what a Mexican restaurant should be. In effect, I've been idealizing this Mexican restaurant for two decades."
– Michael Bauer, San Francisco Chronicle
"With a diverse and interesting menu, food that bites deep into flavors, and a knowledgeable service staff, this is the crema of Mexican restaurants in Chicago. Just don't expect the same tired Mexican food, though; this is much more interesting, a lot more creative, and very enjoyable."
– Chicago Sun-Times
"Next door to the more formal Topolobampo, in a room covered with folk art, Frontera delivers a changing menu of exotically elemental stuff rarely represented on menus north of the Rio Grande."
– Chicago Reader
"Our tip: Arrive early for the Saturday-only brunch, and don't miss the enchiladas mole and the Iroquois white-corn pancakes [when available]."
– Chicago Tribune
"If Mexican food were a sleek passenger train and each car were a flavor, the Frontera Grill would be a hundred cars long." – Gayot
How Others Rate Frontera Grill
Chicago Tribune
***1/2 (Excellent to Outstanding)
Zagat 2009
27 Food Rating (Extraordinary to Perfection)
James Beard Foundation
Most Outstanding Restaurant Winner, 2007 (national)
National Chef of the Year, 1995
Best Chef: Midwest, 1991