Frontera Grill

My wife and I have watched Rick Bayless on WTTW for years. We always said we'd dine at one of the restaurants. Sunday evening we had tickets for a show at a local theater and that provided us with the opportunity to visit Frontera.We arrived early for our reservation and were impressed with every aspect: Friendliness and professionalism of the host, bar and wait staff.Margaritas were excellent - wife had a classic while I indulged in the Mezcal offering.When we arrived at our table we ordered Ceviche Trio to start followed by Canarones Escabeche for her and Tinga de puerco for myself. Everything was presented well, flavorful and filling.4 Stars only because we didn't like the 20% surcharge. Everything else was magnifico!

Went there for my 40th birthday. The evening started with confusion over the wine and the check. The waiter initially said both were covered, but later corrected himself: the wine was a gift from Frontera, but we still owed for the check. It turns out my friend had called to cover the wine, highlighting poor staff communication.My dinner was forgotten and arrived 20 minutes after everyone else's, lukewarm and overcooked. The server didn't check in about my meal or overall experience, and it wasn't until my friend raised our concerns that the manager came over, after we had finished eating.The half-melted ice cream with a candle at the end was a disappointing touch. Overall, the lack of professionalism and care from the team was disheartening and has left a lasting negative impression with me and my guest. I contacted Frontera afterwards but never got a reply. I hope this feedback helps improve future experiences.

Very unsatisfying. We have been there before and it was amazing. Seemed like we ordered, and about 3-5 minutes later. Our food was ready. We had apps and meals, and we're done in 30. Felt it was already made in the kitchen.Carne asada had very little taste. Mole was great, but I didn't order it, someone else did. Very very very loud. Could barely hear our friends across the table. For the price, pass.

I visited on a weekday and had the $29 lunch special. I got the Bayless Garden Salad, Baja Fish Tacos, and Tres Leches and everything was fine. Because of the Bib Gourmand status I was expecting more but it was just ok. The salad was delicious. The tacos were plentiful but I wasn't a fan of the sauces. This version of tres leches is interesting but I would have preferred the normal version.I would recommend ordering from the standard menu. The options looked better.

We went for lunch and it was such a good experience! We started with the chips and salsa (salsa verde and a red chili salsa). Both salsas are so deep in taste. I also got the Mezcal Margarita, which is my go-to. Love it!We chose from the lunch in 60 minutes menu. For one price you choose an appetizer, main dish and dessert. I started with the Ceviche, which has so many layers of flavor and was almost a meal in itself. I had the Carne Asada, which is a habanero -marinated flank steak. It came with 2 tamales and roasted tomatoes and onions. It was so delicious, and I highly recommend! I finished with the chocolate pecan pie, which is so rich and decadent. Of course, I could not eat everything, so I had enough for lunch the next day. My husband had the Carnitas, which came with tortillas, black beans, salsa verde and guacamole. He said it was really good.The service and the ambience were excellent. We ate inside and the noise level was fine. We could easily have a conversation.

Visiting Chicago during the National Restaurant Show. Our group went to Frontera Grill for the 1st time and it didn't disappoint. The food was excellent overall. The classic Frontera ceviche was so refreshing and the trio ceviche offered different seafood spice levels and taste. Service was very good but there was a gap in time between appetizers and main entree dishes. We were a big party of 12 so it didn't bother us too much. The champagne margarita was an interesting twist and as a champagne drinker I don't think I cared for the mash up between the 2 drinks but that's just personal preference.I ordered the skirt steak tacos with the homemade tortillas and beans. The skirt steak was marinated, tender and had great flavor. The beans were some of the better beans I've had in awhile.Finally, we ordered several desserts to share and my favorite was the coconut horchata cake. Overall 4.5

We were so excited to visit Chicago and finally try one of Rick Bayless' restaurants after watching finding his cooking shows years ago. The menu has something for everyone and there are enough dishes to satisfy several visit. The food itself deserves five stars and enjoyed a started, two entrees and a dessert, plus four alcoholic beverages.However, service is a big part of the dining experience and Frontera really missed expectations on this Saturday evening. One of us ordered a beer right away but it took another 20 minutes - after asking two different floor staff to send our server over - to order my cocktail. The server wanted our food order but told him we'd wait until drinks arrived.Then, it took about another 20 minutes to get anyone to come over and take our food order. When it came time to pay, it took extensive amount of time to get the bill, then I watched the server go to the kitchen with our credit card thinking there must be a system kiosk in the back. However, when I next saw him about ten minutes later, he headed to the front of the restaurant where the kiosk is located but he didn't return for another 10+ minutes so we waited about 20 minutes to get our credit card. Aside from the extended wait, no one these days expects to see their credit card disappear for this long for no reason.I shared my disappointment with service with one of the hostesses on the way out and she acknowledged and apologized adding that this was one of their most senior servers. Perhaps this server was just having a bad night, or is too comfortable with his ability to be aware of the status at his table. But, there is no way this server would have received a 20% gratuity had it not been a mandatory add.A really disappointing event and not one we intend to revisit again anytime soon.

I've been wanting to come here for a long time. I love Rick Bayless and I finally got to check off this bucket list place. The space was nice and lively. The service was fantastic. We had the short rib mole, camarones de la diabla, the enchiladas, carne asada tacos, the ceviche trio, and chips/guacamole. Oh, and margaritas. The drinks were great. The food was great. The ceviche verde and the camarones were the highlight. The carne asada was a little tough.I will say this place was maybe a little too spendy for what it was especially since I'm from California and food like this is more readily available. I would def try their Michelin star sister restaurant ,Topolobampo, next door. I am glad I tried this place.

I had high expectations for this restaurant, given its connection to Rick Bayless. The menu offered a classic Mexican food lineup, including an entirely separate menu dedicated to vegetarian dishes. My choice was the portobello mushrooms for tacos, which were well-prepared and delicious when assembled. They were generous with the tortillas, too.While the food was classic Mexican, not particularly elevated, it was undeniably fresh and of good quality. The margaritas were a highlight for me, especially since they were made tableside, adding a touch of elegance to the experience. However, I felt the prices were a bit steep for the standard dishes offered. Overall, it's a good spot if you're looking for reliable and tasty Mexican cuisine with excellent drinks.

Excited to come to Frontera Grill when I was in town but was definitely disappointed. Feels very 2020 inside, bar and bar area seating is extremely limited. They have the bar sectioned off for social distancing still with only 6 total bar stools that you have to see the hostess to even sit at. I ended up sitting at a small table in the main dining room that was on an uneven floor so it felt like I was leaning over! Overall service wasn't bad, food was good but nothing that I have to go back for.