Restaurant File: Chicago's Best Mexican Food

Gorgeous seafood is always prepared with delicate flavors at this modern day marisquería. Land-lubbers will want to try the impossibly tender lamb chops in mole negro. A charming patio is concealed in the back and becomes quite the destination when the warm weather hits the city. The rustic exposed brick and brightly painted interior is a subdued hacienda-cool setting in which to enjoy boldly flavored dishes. Top-notch service tops it off. This is a gathering spot for the city's hipsters, so don your skinny jeans, grab a friend and head on over.

This bakery makes what could very well be the moistest mocha tres leches cake you'll ever taste. It's obtained something near legendary status among the windy city's dessert coinnoisseurs, but others head there because they've come to know and love the breakfasts and tortas served in Bombon's other outposts in the West Loop or Downtown. Try the eggnog-inspired rompope dessert.

When it comes to Mexican food in an upscale dining room, Rick Bayless is the unofficial king. He uses organic local ingredients to whip up creative Mexican fare that's rooted in Mexico's deep seated culinary traditions. Specialties include wild game and other rare delicacies. Try trout filled with sweet corn and chilies and garnished with squash blossom puree. For something a little more low-key and casual, but the same great quality, try Frontera Grill, another restaurant in the Bayless empire right next door.

Alligator, rattlesnake and boar, oh my! These are just a couple of the items that leap out at you from the menu. This is an Indiana Jones-caliber adventure for foodies with exotic inclinations. The rest of us can watch in awe as we enjoy our delicious, if a tad more conservative, dishes. The chefs take their cues from the culinary traditions of Guerroro, a region on the southwest coast of Mexico. A classic example is the cecina de venado.

This is where the locals go for addictive carnitas and pork roasted on a spit until it's so soft that you practically want to eat it with a spoon. It's served with tortillas, salsa, cilantro, guacamole, and onions so carefully prepared, they practically steal the spotlight. The walls are festooned with pig memorabilia (in case you couldn't pick up on the kitchen's inclinations from a quick scan on the pork-heavy menu.) Order by the kilo, belly up to one of the communal tables and soak in the atmosphere. It's a carnivore's jamboree.

Come here for the delicious mole sauces made by Clementina Flores. Her skills in the kitchen—not to mention the resulting mole—have earned her status as nothing short of a local hero. Try the chorizo-laced mole manchamenteles with pork chops, or the tilapia in herby mole verde. An emphasis on Mexican tapas yields an authentic array of regional dishes. The dining room is a veritable tableaux of colorful art, making this a fun and vibrant place to tuck into dinner.

Don't be misled by Xni-Pec's location in a sleepy Chicago suburb. The spices here are guaranteed to wake you up! This Latin fare from the Yucatan Peninsula has a high heat quotient. Try the relleno negro, a plate of tacos filled with beef, chicken and eggs in a delicious spicy sauce. Well worth the trip from the city's downtown.