There’s the East Pilsen dotted with chic art galleries and a growing number of shiny-penny new buildings on Halsted and 18th. And then there’s the East Pilsen only a few blocks west, closer to Ashland, the one with the proud street murals and hand-painted mami-y-papi store signs. This vivid alternative to the trendier, quickly gentrifying east East Pilsen stands as one of Chicago’s largest Mexican American communities, where you’ll find some of the best cultural gems, emerging arts scene and authentic Mexican eats. Step off the vividly painted 18th L platform and most any store or restaurant is a sure bet. However, if you’re a shy first-timer, here are some of our picks for a buenisimo time.
Transportation tip: The Blue Line L doesn’t run to 54/Cermak (the line where the 18th Street stop is) on Saturday or Sunday, so the best way to get there on weekends is the #21 Cermak or #9 Ashland buses.
Safety rating: During the day, the close-knit roots of the community show, as kids play on the sidewalks and families sit on the stoops of their homes. East Pilsen’s proximity to University Village also means that there are plenty of students that hang here. At night, walk with a friend or two. (A Spanish-speaking friend is a plus.)
Panhandler rating: Panhandling and pickpocketing are rare, though it’s good to use common sense at all times. North and south of Ashland can get a little dicey at night, but east of 18th Street from the L stop is pretty busy at all times.
In-the-know spot
Nuevo Leon
There’s nothing new about Nuevo Leon (“new lion” in Spanish) for longtime Chicagoans. Nearly a neighborhood institution, this restaurant has been a hefty anchor of East Pilsen’s identity for more than 40 years. Emeterio and Maria Gutierrez opened shop in 1962, and the restaurant continues to serve inexpensive classics under the leadership of their four sons.
Nuevo Leon is a can’t-miss, both in the quality of its food and its venerable spot on 18th Street. The vivid, detailed facade calls for a festive decor inside, and Nuevo Leon delivers. The small main room opens into a much larger area through a hallway lined with dining accolades from the likes of Zagat and Chicago Magazine. Both areas are outfitted with bright terra-cotta walls, Mexican artifacts, one rancheros-playing jukebox and plenty of tables. Weekdays pack in after-work folks and even suburbanites, and weekends are a family affair for many locals. Waitresses clad in Mexican blouses and skirts serve piping-hot traditional favorites like the fajitas nortenas, carne asada (broiled skirt steak), caldo de res con arroz (beef soup with rice) and machacado con huevo (a steak-and-egg breakfast specialty). Not a meat-eater? Then try the homemade flour tortillas, which redefine the word “authentic.”
Where to chill
Jumping Bean
Jumping Bean has received so much attention as of late that you might feel inclined to say that it has overstayed its welcome in Popularity Land. Taking that attitude would be a great mistake. Step into this quirky, artsy coffeehouse and you’ll immediately see what all the hullabaloo is about. The cafe’s handful of hand-painted tables and bright pink chairs occupy a small room made bigger by the sunlight filtering through generous-sized windows. Along said windows are three vintage, truck-stop tin tables advertising Coca-Cola and Squirt. Those that like the look of the place can even take some if it home: Jumping Bean doubles as an art gallery, with rotating exhibits for purchase refreshed every six weeks.
The crowd is equally as eclectic. Patrons, ranging from families playing chess and friends catching up to punk kids and artists, sit and sip on innovative faves like the white satin mocha or the screaming bean (coffee concoctions well worth the trip). Fans of food must try the focaccia and chicken salad sandwiches.
Best of the nighttime world
Skylark
Skylark is a low-key respite from chic bars uptown and run-down beer palaces on the South Side. Located a few blocks east of the 18th L stop, you can be sure that this character-filled one-year-old bar is worth the walk (or at least the $1.75 bus ride east). Reasons to love it? The menu offers tater tots instead of fries, fried chicken with waffles, collard greens, sausage-stuffed wings and catfish sandwiches. Bartenders play at being DJs, playing just about anything so long as it’s not on the top 40s, rotating indie, hip-hop, metal, rock ’n’ roll, downtempo and experimental. Cheap beers run the gamut of choices, from cult favorite Spaten to good ol’ PBR and Guinness. A pinball machine, a TV to catch baseball games and a mall-like photo booth capture your progressive demise into debauchery.
It must be stressed that Skylark’s appeal is its no-pressure, no-attitude vibe, so leave the designer duds at home. Just go in, hunker down at one of the few retro-diner tables or at the no-frills booths along the wall and enjoy being yourself.
Dinner-date destination
May St. Cafe
May St. Cafe proves that upscale, contemporary dining in a hip-cum-casual atmosphere can indeed exist in the South Side. This “Small Restaurant That Could” is a good spot for couples, as a party of two probably fits best in the eatery’s cozy quarters. Those with a first-date-gone-bad situation on their hands can take refuge in the food: Chef Mario Santiago has been garnering praise for his innovative, exotic eats that interplay Mexican, Cuban, Nuevo Latino, Puerto Rican and contemporary cuisines to create masterpieces like brie and pear quesadillas, salmon with chipotle, lemon, butter and tequila-cream sauce, and a salad mixed with nuts, goat cheese, dried mangoes and balsamic vinegar. Cap the night off with the mango coconut flan with champagne grapes and wild berries. The sweet-tooth sensation is a secret family recipe passed down by Santiago’s grandmother.
Cheap eats
Los Comales
If the first thing that comes to mind when you think of cheap Mexican food is Taco Bell, then a trip to Los Comales is obviously past due. This bare-bones taqueria has satisfied the neighborhood’s late-night munchies for well over a decade, with no-nonsense authentic dishes and low price tags to boot. Try the platillo de cecina (the most expensive item on the menu at $8), a brimming platter of steak with Mexican-style beans and rice. The house specialties are tacos, little rolls of absolute heaven for only $1.25 each. Adventurous folks can try the tripe, tongue or brain variations, though tacos al pastor (pork and onions) is what catapulted Los Comales to fame and inspired its expansion to 20 nearby and international locations. The interior feels a little like a cafeteria, but if it’s what’s inside your tummy (and wallet after the meal) that counts, then Los Comales hits the jackpot.
For the artiste
Cafe Mestizo
“Mestizo” is a fitting moniker for this eclectic, versatile cafe that moonlights as a showcase for artists. The Gallos opened the corner coffeehouse in spring 2003 on a modest strip of Ashland and have since attracted a flock of jazz musicians and artists from the neighborhood and beyond. The cafe’s mission is “to create a place where art, poetry and music could come together over a great cup of coffee,” and it shows. Artwork by local and international visual artists hang on a backdrop of electric blue, piercing yellow and hot red walls. Wednesday night is open mic night, with budding poets, musicians and comedians taking the stage to try their luck at amateur fame. Perhaps the best-known artsy venture at Mestizo is the burgeoning jazz jam session on Sundays from 6-9 p.m., hosted by Chicago jazz scene mavens Nicole Mitchell and David Boykin.
Choice menu items and daily specials include creative takes on Mexican and American traditions, like the Mexican corn on the cob (topped with mayonnaise, butter, salt, Mexican cheese and the ultra-spicy chili de arbol), the fresh Mexican fruit cocktail (watermelon, pineapple, grapes, papaya and honeydew sprinkled with lemon, salt and chili), the tamale oaxaquenos (spicy or mild tamales served in a banana leaf) and the horchata smoothie.
Place to be seen solo
Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum
The Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum stands as a symbol of East Pilsen’s appeal in its fine balance of art awareness and cultural celebration. A blocky, brick structure on the outside, the MFACM opens up to seven well-preserved galleries that host contemporary and traditional Mexican artwork. Past exhibits have included the wildly popular Frida Kahlo/Diego Rivera showing last year and this year’s Gunther Gerzso show. Additionally, the MFACM hosts two performing arts festivals throughout the year that celebrate Latin American culture, the Sor Juana Festival and Del Corazon Festival. Past participants and guests of these festivals include hefty names in the modern Latin America scene, like Octavio Paz, Isabel Allende, Carlos Fuentes, Rigoberta Menchu, Sandra Cisneros and Elena Poniatowska. Of course, nothing less should be expected of a museum that proudly proclaims itself “the nation’s largest Latino arts organization.”
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