I really enjoyed my time at Topolobampo. This place gets really packed really fast so making a reservation is extremely recommended. They do however require you to put your credit card info when you book your reservation. We came for lunch during restaurant week, although I wanted to order off their regular menu, ordering off the restaurant week menu was tempting, so we went for it. Their service was also spectacular. Super attentive through out our entire menu, very professional, but not snobby at all. Everyone truly made me feel like I was being served in my own house. Being lunch time, we weren't really in the mood for some alcoholic beverages and opted for their agua de Jamaica and freshly squeezed limonada. Both very good tasting refreshing drinks. The wife and I both chose their Sopa Azteca for our appetizers. Here at Topolo, it's all about the presentation. They brought a plate with chicken, avocado, cheese, and crema covered with a crispy tortilla. The server will then tell you to brake the tortilla in half so they can pour the pasilla broth into the bowl for you. The soup was very flavorful but was just a tad bit salty. My wife ordered their Chilaquiles Yucatecos and were very tasty. It had crispy tortillas mixed with their very flavorful roasted tomato habanero sauce topped with a fried egg and served with avocado and frisée salad. And I ordered their Carne Asada. A perfectly wood grilled ribeye served with probably the best Oaxacan black mole, and the best part of it all...they served it with homemade tortillas! The ribeye was very juicy, perfectly seasoned and very tender and made for some very delicious tacos. I would without hesitating l, order this dish again and again. I rarely order dessert, but you get one when you restaurant week menu. We both chose their cajeta brownie sundae. Wasnt really too excited about it at first, but once I dug in, Jesus Christ...the most amazing sundae I've ever had. We got two scoops of ice cream on top of this Mexican chocolate brownie, yes MEXICAN CHOCOLATE! Covered in cajeta with whipped cream and meringue. Such a complex dessert jam packed with so many sweet flavors that meshed up well together. Usually you get a very sweet dessert that's almost very hard to eat but not this Sundae. Just the perfect amount of sweetness. I'll definitely be returning to give their dinner tasting menus a try. read more

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Came for dinner on a Saturday night. They say us in a waiting area before we got to our table, and they served our amuse bouche there while we ordered a cocktail. The vibe in the restaurant is a blend of modern and warm rustic, and the music playlist is superb. We had the "greetings from Chiapas" tasting with a drink pairing. Overall favorites were the handmade tortillas and the mole, and trying the different mezcals in the pairing was really fun as well. read more

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The most memorable dining experience of my life -- and it's true I don't get on the gourmet circuit much. Normally, I would be offended by spending $400 on a meal when there are starving children in America. And, I'm a foodie wannabe. So a friend was in town on business and wanted to eat at Frontera. There was a last-minute cancellation at Topolo and we tok it. We each ordered a tasting menu with wine. Everything was exciting, I remember none of it but that wasn't the point. The point was having a decadent, once-in-a-lifetime serendipitous luxurious dining experience. Instead of a t-shirt, I took home a cookbook.My friend, for whom gourmet restaurants are a hobby, might give it 3 stars for all the reasons the Yelpers who panned it did so. With this one, all the reviews are true, it's just what you're looking for. read more

Amazing service. Amazing food!! We went for my husband's birthday and it was such a wonderful date night. I highly recommend eating here at least once! read more

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Excellent meal with such amazing variety of dishes and preparations. Such an interesting experience with the three different tasting menus we had. Had the classic but others in our group had the other menus and we shared all. Unforgettable! The wine list is also very interested. I am a wine aficionado and had never seen wines from Baja California. I have had Mexican wines but not Baja. I had the Sauvignon blank that was really delightful. Fruit forward with a dry overtones. The som was very helpful. read more

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Topolobampo recently started offering a unforgettable tasting menu in its private dining room, "the Library." The space and menu is referred to as "Topolo 2.0." Just upstairs from the Topolobampo/Frontera/Xoco we all know and love, the space is intimate and feels very safe. The patrons are masked when not eating or drinking, and all tables are distanced appropriately. And the eating and drinking? Absolutely outstanding. We booked through Tock, so everything was paid for ahead of time, including an optional foie gras topper for the duck course and an agave pairing for my husband. At the end of the night? No bill! How lovely. It's the perfect spot for a special occasion. We went for our sixth wedding anniversary. It was our first time inside a restaurant since the pandemic started, and probably our last time for a while, as we have a baby due in just over a month. I feel very lucky that we got to indulge in such a special meal after spending so long away from restaurants, and before another spell without. It made it all the more special. You start in the bar for snacks and drinks. We started with an oyster cerviche that was so delicious, followed by a trio of plaintain and chorizo tamale, tortilla soup (I want this every day), and a chip with guacamole. Then, off to the library and test kitchen for dinner! Six courses with a few bonus surprises added in. Honestly, everything we ate was totally delicious and decadent. The butter-poached crab was a standout, as was the duck dish. The foie topper was to die for. We left VERY full. At the end of the night, we had a lovely chat with Rick Bayless who warmly wished us well as we prepare to welcome our second child in just over a month. He was kind and welcoming, and really made us feel at home. We were also presented with a parting gift--bags of Xoco's famous hot chocolate mix and sweet buns to enjoy in the morning. I'm sure my toddler will find the buns, but I am very much looking forward to an exceptional mocha tomorrow morning! read more

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A trance. Loved every moment of our experience. Greeted immediately and seated at the waiting section where we met a Chef who presented our amuse-bouche. Jose was our tequila sommelier and he was a delight. He had so much knowledge and it was a pleasure to learn from someone with so much passion for Tequila. Very unforgettable meal. All courses explained at every arrival and all courses came out in a timely manner. My partner and I cleaned our plates! Every bite showed the evolution of food. I love when food can take you a journey. read more

Topolobampo - Day of the Dead Menu - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Overall we enjoyed the evening - good company and good flavor. But pacing was very strange with waits between courses of around 20min and at least once where we were asked how the food was twice in between courses when no food had been served since the last time it was asked. Maybe the kitchen was running behind or something. In terms of the menu, we were there for the pre-Columbian menu. The dishes were very yummy, but I had a hard time differentiating them. All just one rich mole type sauce after the next. So although each was delicious, a series of 4-5 in a row was boring. We still had a good time, but with the bad pacing, uninspiring menu, and high cost, I wouldn't return. read more

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We try to visit one of Chef Rick's restaurants every time we revisit my home town of Chicago. This past evening we had an interesting and delicious Taste of Puebla dinner at Topolobampo. Your staff was excellent and Victor was exceptional. The dishes were amazing, and let us experience some flavors and chiles/spices we had never had before. We enjoyed this culinary tour through history and the Puebla region. read more

I guess l had built this place up in my own mind, that my mental hype was more than what I actually experienced. It was decent. But Nothing blew our minds. Nothing really all that memorable. Having had Mexican Michelin around the world varying in stars (Pujol in Mexico, Hoja Santa in Barcelona, even Taco Maria in Costa Mesa, CA is better) I have to say, this was just ok. It wasn't bad. But for the price.... I've had way better. We came during their "dia de los muertos" menu featuring Oaxaca, but couldn't find the authenticity of the region in the food. This will be much lower on our list of places to eat, unfortunately. The service was very friendly, but as the courses moved on, the service became slower and slower and slower. Dessert was decent, but again, below expectations I guess. read more

Yet another Bayless winner to go with Frontera Grill but this place exudes a bit more class. My go to dish here is mole and I could eat it pretty much everyday. This place helps keep Chicago up there as a top US dining destination. Cheers! read more

Finally got a chance to dine here while in Chicago for work. My husband and I opted for the tasting menu with wine and spirit pairings. We had great service that is attentive and our server was able to recommend additional specialty to try such as the seafood platter, Topolobampo oysters, and the addition of a foie gras dish. The server also had the bartender make a delicious and unique cocktail. Overall, the foods are unique. Some dishes are very good while others are okay. The spirit and wine pairings complement the foods. I wish that one of the wine pairing offered a Mexican wine. I think that would be a nice and thoughtful approach to highlighting foods from Mexico. If you haven't tried this restaurant, I would recommend dining here once to experience the foods and drinks in Mexico. read more

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A great spot to try flavorful dishes, particularly on the discounted prix fixe lunch menu. Came here for the $24 Restaurant Week lunch on a Thursday--all reservations were booked up, but one opened the day of. We were seated pretty quickly in the back room which was lively, with good music and overall good energy. I started off with the Sopa Azteca while my friend got the Ceviche trio. Our server first presented my bowl with just the dry ingredients before pouring on the broth, probably a standard procedure at such restaurants, but pretty exciting to be unrefined eyes. The soup was good--with a nice blend of different flavors and textures (throwing tortilla chips in a soup tends to give textural variety, but it worked well). My compatriot liked the ceviche, although she did find it to have a bit of a kick to it. For our next course, both of us got the carne asada with TBamp's famous mole sauce poured on before our eyes. The meat was certainly limited in terms of quantity, but every bite was exceedingly flavorful and delicious. The mole had a lot going on, to the point that I started just dipping my tortillas into it so I could basically eat it by itself. Quite good. For dessert we both had the Cajeta Brownie Sundae. Now, I've eaten quite a few brownies with ice cream in my time, and while this one doesn't stand out as an all-timer, I will say it was unique. The use of spices throughout added a bit of flair you don't normally get with this dish, while preserving the core experience of eating a big thing of warm chocolate with ice cream on it. Very solid. Overall, this was an extremely pleasant lunch experience, with rich flavors coming through in all courses. read more

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The whole point of Restaurant Week is to get people to try restaurants they haven't been to, and that's why I jumped to come to ......I'll call it TBo (hard to pronounce). Our lunch was fantastic. Ceviche was all albacore tuna salty-sweet mountain on top of delicate and precious chips. A standout dish. For entrees we liked the carne assada in mole a lot. Tender, soft and not too spicy. Great in tortillas. But, the best was dessert. Caramel, chocolate and plantain crepe! Magnificent. It would have brought tears to the eyes of Count Otto Von Crepe, inventor of the modern masterpiece. Delicious meal! read more

Topolobampo - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

From start to finish this is not the caliber of a tasting menu restaurant. The initial drink in the front room is a joke. I struggle not rating lower, it's only because I love Bayless' restaurants. read more

I have followed Rick Bayless for years and was excited to finally come to his restaurants. Alas, I was alone, but...the food was amazing. The service and choreography the kitchen and waitstaff do to bring a symphony/ballet of food to your tastebuds is awesome! This is a must experience restaurant in Chicago! read more

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Was in town for a conference and excited to be able to get reservations on relatively short notice. My friend and I were there during the celebration of corn menu, they change the menu every few months. It was a 6 course tasting menu with appetizers and drink pairings. First off, there is no entrance to this restaurant, you have to go inside another restaurant and then get let through a sliding door speakeasy esque. The decor and dining room itself is not extraordinary. The food was amazing, everything was flavorful and plated beautifully. The drink pairings matched very well. For the cost, I do not think it is necessarily superior to other similar restaurants in the city, but overall a great experience. read more

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First time trying Oaxacan food and mole sauce so why not try it from a Rick Bayless restaurant? I went for lunch which offers a comparable menu at half the cost. Jumped right into the 4 course chef's selection. The starter is a salmon sashimi with a spicy lime mole paste and jalapenos. The seafood paired well with the spicy lime flavors, super refreshing. Next came some blackened shrimp in their signature mole sauce. This was my first time tasting the savory mole sauce. Oh man I fell in love. What an amazing smoky, spicy, cacao-y concoction from heaven. Man oh man. Then came the medium-rare seared goat in the mole sauce. This was a bit meh for me. The goat chunks were way too chewy and sinewy. Does not melt in your mouth at all. Did have some of that goat aroma but chewing for 5 minutes ruined the experience. Last came the dessert which was sort of a sweet potato souffle and peanut cake and mole sauce. It was alright. I then ordered myself a brownie sundae a la carte. You can't go to an Oaxacan restaurant and not order cacao/chocolate flavored dessert. This was probably the best part of my meal. The brownies teemed with that cacao mole flavor and went oh so well with the ice cream. You get a scoop of vanilla and mole ice cream. The mole ice cream is on point! Its got just the right amount of cacao and smokey flavor. Overall a very average meal. The mole obviously blew my mind but the other aspects of the meal needed a lot of work. The main course having chewy meat is just unacceptable. read more

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Food was solid, nice presentation. But for me, the best dish that stole the spotlight was the grilled eggplants. For an omnivore, it says a lot. read more

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This is my updated review of Topolobampo, and the second time around was definitely not as good as the first. I'd like to start off with the fact that I am somewhat of a Mexican food enthusiast and a super fan of Rick Bayless. I've found all of his restaurants to be top notch, and the flavors representative of what Mexican cuisine truly is. Unfortunately this was not the case for our visit last Saturday at Topo. Our server was really nice and attentive, and asked if we could "trust" the chef to make the substitutions for menu items I was unable to have due to my food allergies. We both ordered the Winter Beach Vacation menu, and while my husband enjoyed his meal I can say the same for my own. I only had two dishes with actual protein. I was told that they would swap for other menu items that I could have so that I received the same number of courses as my husband. I said as long as I could have the carne asada, I'd be good with the arrangement -- but I didn't even get that! So, this meal was rather disappointing consider how much I paid for my dinner. I understand that there is still time and effort into preparing and plating each meal, but I left dinner feeling hungry. All in, it was over $400 for dinner, a glass of wine and a margarita. One of the items that I did receive that had protein was the lingua taco -- which I thought was positively vile, and had to choke it down and flush it with water. Maybe I'm just not a tongue person, or maybe it just wasn't good in general. My husband seemed to agree with my assessment, and we were kind of scratching our heads as to why it is on the menu at a Michelin rated restaurant. Also, the acoustics are awful in this restaurant so beware that if you have some high maintenance princess sitting diagonally from you complaining about her boyfriend the entire time she's at dinner with her friend that is ALL you will hear. Don't think we'll be back to Topo ever again, but we'll be sure to hit up one of RB's other restaurants in the area. read more

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I've had the opportunity to visit Topolobampo twice, but am writing this review for the recent visit. The theme of the menu was corn, an ingredient embedded in the DNA of Mexico's culinary history and modern cooking. I was excited to try this new menu and see what different techniques would be used to incorporate corn, and I am glad to say the dinner overall was a success! Mirroring the last time we went, my wife and I were first brought into a lounge/waiting area to enjoy cocktails and small bites before being seated in the main dining room. The lounge was contemporary in ambiance and had different regional Spanish music playing, going into different genres rather than sticking to one. Our waiter was excellent, being friendly, knowledgeable, and funny from the beginning through the end of our night. He took our drink orders pretty quickly after we were sat down, and they were brought out in an equally timely manner. I had their margarita and paloma, and while both were refreshing and tasty, I preferred the margarita for its smoky flavor from the mezcal. The paloma tasted good, with the grapefruit note being distinctly strong. For the small bites, we had an oyster, a tortilla chip with guacamole on top, tortilla soup, and an empanada. All of the bites were good, but the tortilla soup was seasoned perfectly and had a creamy texture that hit the spot. After finishing our bites, we were promptly moved to our table to continue dinner. Of the 4 savory dishes, the two that stole the show were the huitlacoche and the lamb. The poblano crema and truffle were a dynamic duo combination that lifted the dish to excellency, and was a beautiful tribute to a pepper that is a staple of Mexican cuisine. I love my mom's mole, thus, the lamb dish piqued my interest. I am thrilled to say that it went above my expectations! The lamb itself was cooked masterfully, the knife gliding through the meat as if it was butter, and complemented the equally tasty mole. Lamb typically tastes game-y, but this one had little game-y taste, and even the little it had meshed well with the concoction of spices and herbs in the mole. It did not have chocolate in it, which was unusual for a mole negro (at least the one my mom makes), but the dish did not miss it. The side of tamale couscous did remind me of an actual tamale, which was good, but it only tickled my appetite for an actual tamale. If there was a dish that did not live up to the rest of dinner, it was sadly the pozole, another dish I expected to be amazing. The ingredients described a wonderful seafood pozole that emphasized lobster as the main note, and while the lobster did stand head and shoulders above the rest of the flavors, it was because the rest were somewhat muted. It lacked the distinction of a pozole, and just seemed more like a seafood soup. Not bad by any stretch, but simply adequate where the expectation was a tad higher. The two sweet dishes that rounded out the dinner were great in their own regard, with the peach sorbet mixing well with the goat cheese with honey, and the chocolate-masa cake providing a fine balance of sweet and bitter to almost finish the night. The true end were a couple of sweet bites at the end that left me wanting more; thankfully, we did end up getting a mini concha and chocolate powder to make hot chocolate at home. All in all, the second visit was even better than the first time we visited, and left satisfied. Not all of the dishes worked completely, but it is good fine dining that is worth checking out for an upscale take on Mexican foods and flavors. read more

I enjoyed my meal at Topolobampo and found that the famed Rick Bayless was really able to give Mexican cuisine a bit of an upgrade while staying true to the root flavors and ingredients many of us know and love. Most of the components were homemade or grown on the rooftop of the establishment. You enter Topolobampo through Frontera Grill, another Rick Bayless establishment. Topolobampo and Frontera Grill are separated by a thin partition wall, which does little to drown out the noise from the latter dining hall. That's okay, though, Topolobampo can get a bit noisy, too. I ordered the Seasonal Embrace menu for July-August 2018 and was very happy with my choice. Amuse Bouche: 4 stars. This included a chip with guacamole and a gazpacho soup. The "guacamole" was the best version I've had anywhere. Green grape juice gave it a bit of zing. The gazpacho was room temperature but had good depth to it. Summer Salad: 4 stars. This included melons, tomatoes, panela cheese, peanut-macadamia salsa, and greens. Melons are not my favorite but I loved the freshness of each component and the depth in the salsa. Soft Shell Crab, "Funnel Cake," Local Corn Esquites: 5 stars. This was wonderful! The Maryland softshell was as fresh as could be, and I loved the corncob broth and añejo cheese. It was very crispy without imparting any taste from the frying oil. Enchilada a la Plaza, Rooftop Bounty: 3 stars. Basically it was a deconstructed enchilada. The corn tortilla was dipped in cascabel chile sauce and then seared, but it was blackened a little too much to the point where it tasted a little burned. The goat cheese, while mild, was too pervasive throughout the dish and overwhelmed the vegetables. Suckling Pig, Ancho-Sour Cherry Sauce: 4.5 stars. Oh, that sauce! I could bathe in that sauce. Smoky, spicy, sweet, and tangy all at the same time. What a great idea to combine sour cherries with ancho. The suckling pig itself was quite porky in taste but not overwhelmingly so. Peaches, Corn, Blueberries: 4.5 stars. A VERY good dessert. I loved everything but the pickled blueberries. The corn was a great addition to the dish. The cake was nice and moist, and the ice cream was very refreshing. Petit Fours: 4 stars. This included a very dark chocolate truffle and a gummy candy. A nice way to end off the meal. As for the ambiance, I was unimpressed. The tables were very close together to the point where, when entering or exiting from one's seat, the next table over would be bumped. Also, there somehow managed to be a fly in the restaurant, buzzing precariously close to my meal. The service was good, not great. The pacing was a tad bit fast (dinner lasted 75 minutes) and the descriptions of the dishes bordered on long. Overall, it was fantastic Mexican fare and a steal for the $95 price tag. read more

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Earlier the week of our reservation, I toured the garden behind Rick's house, which created a kind of heightened excitement about eating at Topolobampo (Bayless' highest-end restaurant). Really, I couldn't stop talking about it and it wasn't as if I was getting more articulate as I talked. The day of our Topolobampo reservation I had moved on to sounds, like: "Don't you think dinner is... just... I mean, it should be... just... mhmmm." Ridiculous. This reaction might have been slightly influenced by the last time my husband and I made reservations at Topolobampo and we arrived a WHOLE DAY EARLY. Seriously. My husband and I live and die by our respective calendars- and both of us thought our reservation was for this one Monday night. So, we ate a light lunch, got dressed up, and found parking... only to see that they were closed. CLOSED. I think some combination of shame and embarrassment kept us from making another reservation until now when we could no longer stand it. So, I didn't want to give words to what could have been another disappointment. (It all ends well, don't worry. Keep reading.) We had two of our friends, Leah and Marco, visiting for the weekend, so we all headed to our reservation together. Now, Marco is in the liquor business and has an affinity for all things beverage-related, but it surprised me when he yelled (good yelling) about the sparkling water option (Topo Chico). I mean, we were all pretty excited, but this seemed a bit early for THRILLED. Once it came to the table, I understood why he got so excited. Topo Chico has tiny exploding bubbles in it. I realize I am using a lot of post space for this water, but it was really, really good. Trust me. It was just after this, that we were settling in and ready to place our order. We all had one of the three tasting menu options: Topolo Classics, Regional Mexican Traditions (Local Ingredients), and Oaxaca (Perspectives). I'll break down the Topolo Classics in a minute here, but first I have to tell you that RICK WAS IN THE HOUSE. Very bluntly, while ordering, we asked if Rick was in the kitchen and our server told us that he was in the corner having dinner with his family. Just because I know you are anxiously waiting, I will tell you that we didn't go over. I am highly weird about being that close to a famous person. Any conversation turns into a ramble of you-are-on-the-lighted-picture-box-I-know-it-are-you-magical-isn't-life-funny-wow-you-are-amazing-why-am-I-still-talking. It's just better if I stay away. So, trying to leave the hard-working Bayless to his dinner, we dug into ours. We started with an amuse-bouche, which was an adaptation of esquites (a kind of corn soup). This little spoon was an explosion of a queso flavor with salt and chili powder surprised all of us. We continued to talk about it until our first dishes came. I am not sure how they made that amuse-bouche, but I am sure that it involved syringes and sorcery. Here is the Classics tasting menu (missing a few pictures because I got fascinated by mole-pouring and tiny chocolate cakes... also, sangria was involved): 1. Ceviche of Ipswich Razor Clam & Baja Bay Scallop (Spicy Tamazula Hot Sauce, Garlic Chives & Flowers, Sorrel, Charales). 2. Slow-Smoked Wild Alaskan Sable (Nichols Farm Arugula, Sun Gold Tomatoes, Slivered Nopales, Charred Knob Onion, Avocado Vinagreta, Smoke) 3. Pan-roasted Alaskan Halibut, Main Lobster "Torchon" (Creamy Squash Blossom Pipián, Corn Two Ways, Charred Baby Squash, Bayless Garden New Zealand Spinach) 4. (Missing photo because it really was fascinating watching the mole be added...) Wood-grilled 28-day-aged Prime Ribeye & Seared Foie Gras (in Classic Oaxacan Black Mole Beans, Smoky Green Beans) 5. (Missing photo because there was a fair amount of sangria that went along with this dinner) Warm Chocolate Mesquite Cakes (Mexican Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Sweet Masa Pudding, Toasted Almond, Cocoa Nibs, Masa Crisps) During one of my husband's courses, he had this consommé in his dish that had this salty/spicy combination that the rest of us could not stop sampling, so they brought us more. If they had brought us a gallon, it wouldn't have been enough. We devoured what was in that bowl. I want to drink it all day, every Sunday for the rest of my life. Amazing. You can get a great meal in other cities and in other parts of Chicago, but should you eat at Topolobampo? Yes. Will you also get a chance to visit the garden of one of the premiere chefs of our time? I hope so. But, more than that, I hope you get to experience what Chef Bayless seems to understand and that is: when it comes to creation, Chicago is a great place for it. read more

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I visited Topolobampo for Chicago restaurant week and overall enjoyed my meal! Most of the food items below are also available on their regular menus. Everything Nice cocktail -- 4/5 This is the cocktail for people who don't love the taste of alcohol, i.e. me. It was light, bubbly, and appropriate for a Friday lunch Classic ceviche -- 5/5 Delicious, tangy, fresh, served on top of tortilla chips. I inhaled my dish in a couple minutes. Salmon, charred pineapple escabeche -- 3.5/5 The salmon was good but didn't completely wow me. A little too one-dimensional for a Michelin-starred restaurant in my opinion. The escabeche sauce was a tad too sweet I think. Wood-grilled pork quesadillas -- 4/5 Loved the contrast between spicy and tangy pork and the decadent cheese inside the quesadilla. It went well with acidity of the arugula salad and tomatillo salsa. Plus it was a pretty large portion size compared to the salmon. It would be hard to mess up a quesadilla, though, but a good option for those who want a solid filling meal. Coconut pearls -- 5/5 I loved this little dessert! It was like tapioca pudding with a sorbet on top and a mint sauce. Cajeta brownie sundae -- 3/5 Tasted good but very basic, like I could make it in my own kitchen with grocery store ice cream. It even had sprinkles on top, which I think cheapened the look. In conclusion, I liked my food and would be willing to try some of their fancier dinner dishes. I think the restaurant week menu is mostly serving their less refined options, which makes sense financially. read more

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Wow! We made a reservation for restaurant week roughly 7 weeks out and only were able to get an 11:30 on a Friday for lunch - right as the restaurant opened. When arriving, the restaurant quickly filled. I was actually surprised that Topolobampo was only separated from Frontera by a curtain, but, nonetheless, it is seemingly a separate world. Our table for two was an elegant booth where we were far from the kitchen, but still able to catch a few glimpses of Mr. Bayless at work. Yes, Rick actually works in his restaurants.... he was there working along side the staff and tasting the food for perfection. For me it was an exciting brush with celebrity... yet he seems like such a normal guy. The staff was very friendly and attentive. I'm not sure if all the staff is Hispanic by design? Likely they were all from Mexico, but I'm not sure. I even dropped my phone at one point and a staff member immediately retrieved it for me - literally a 10 second reaction time. We started with the fresh guacamole... Guacamole is one of my favorite things on the planet and this happened to be one of the best I've ever had. Quite surprisingly it was similar in taste to the recipe I've concocted at home. It took about 5 minutes for us to polish off the delicious stuff. I had Sopa Azteca as my appetizer... Dark broth flavored with pasilla, with grilled chicken, avocado, Meadow Valley Farm hand-made Jack cheese, thick cream, crisp tortilla strips. The soup was served with everything in the bowl and then they poured the broth in. I'm not joking or lying when I say this is the best chicken soup in the world. I could eat this every day for the rest of my life. My next course was Chile Relleno. I was so happy and excited that it showed up on the menu for restaurant week because it is the standard dish I rate Mexican restaurants off of. The relleno was baked, not fried and deconstructed. It was served with both creamy and spicy sauces, mushrooms and fresh corn tortillas. Finally I had Torta Chocolate con Cerezas with Oaxacan chocolate steamed cake with red wine Seedling Farm cherries, canela ice cream and toasted almond. So rich and perfectly portioned. YUM!! I would love to go back and hope to very soon. In the meantime though, I'll be trying Frontera and Xoco - the other Bayless' restaurants on the block. read more

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Destination dining at its finest; underwhelming food, overwhelming prices. Topolobampo may be the classier sister of the cheaper Frontera, but she'll still leave you reaching for your wallet in the morning. Just know you're paying for the experience. Call it "destination dining" - premium prices for revised ancient Mexican recipes, all served in a modified "courses-only" format with amazing wine pairings. You will experience the "essence" of eating, because you will be hungry when you leave. Topolo doesn't offer individual entrées, just three variations; the three courses are $55 with a $35 wine paring. Five courses are $90 with a $60 wine pairing, and the "collision course" selection of seven items is $120 with an $80 wine pairing. Celebrating a wedding anniversary, we tackled the recent "Mexico City 1641" menu. And while the mid-1600's were bleak, rough and tumble times in Mexico, the food was, according to our waitress, "flavorful and hearty". It obviously wasn't "abundant"... Our waitress, Brie, knew the short menu front to back, and offered some true insights into the listings. The wife and I opted for the most popular "five-courses" approach, with wine, at $150 each. Before dinner, we started with a champagne margarita, $14, and the house margarita ($11). The alcohol pours were a bit miserly on the six and eight-ounce drinks, and don't expect a full bar at Topolo. Chef Padilla sent out a tasting plate of something that resembled a curled squash stalk. I openly admit I missed the waitress' description as owner/chef Rick Bayless walked right by our table to speak with his daughter, Lanie, and wife Deanne, seated just behind us - yes, it was the Topolobampo Trifecta of television celebrities! Bayless, decked out in chef whites, quickly popped out the fire exit nearest our table, never to be seen again. Our first course was "Yellowtail Cerviche" and "Portuguese Rock Hen", featuring an intense puree of green peas and a warm tomato salsa over three, quarter-sized disks of rolled white and dark meat hen. The fresh-tasting ceviche floated in a heavy puddle of lime juice, tiny slivers of red onion and chopped cilantro, all served in a simple, unadorned bowl most restaurants reserve for coleslaw or condiments. And while super flavorful and tender, spearing the fish bits directly from the shallow bowl was a bit cumbersome - maybe some small corn chips to top with the fish? Next up was the "Street Food 1671" with pork chicharron braised in a deep, dark sauce of chilies, mescal and garlic, served with candy-like grilled carrot spears and black bean puree. Offered up with freshly made tortillas, the plate's combination bundled nicely into a savory and smoky handheld pouch with an amazing range of textures. The wife's course was titled "Winter Walleye" and the matchbox-sized portion arrived atop a small mound of white beans braised in guajillo chile - the entire dish was far too salty, especially the fish itself. The highlight of the offering was a tiny sampling of white corn fritter hidden in the bottom of the trough-like bowl - light, semi-crunchy, with a super-intense flavor mimicking corn on the cob. The dinner's pace was perfect, and the wines truly stole the show - wine director Jill Gubesch, who visited our table several times during the outing, has matched Bayless's eclectic menu with a perfectly-paralleled selection of whites and reds that morph and change, bite for bite, during the meal. She even offered a couple of alternative tastings when she noted our courses had split certain flavor profiles. Attentive, receptive, charming and extremely knowledgeable - Jill was a treat. The next course featured a thin, six-inch long, stuffed pasilla chile with hedgehog mushrooms and a sauce blended of apples, plantains, prunes, black garlic and black olive. My plate featured a Post Note-sized piece of artic char, a fish that resembles catfish in flavor, but has the density of salmon. Finally, my "Carne Asada in Mole Negro" was the dinner's highlight, consisting of two (sigh!) half dollar-sized slices of 28-day dry-aged prime ribeye, served over a rich Oaxcan black mole sauce with smoked green beans. The meat was absolutely melt-in-your-mouth tender, leaving you longing for more. The additional bottle cap-sized portion of foie gras wasn't worth the $10 upcharge. But, that's OK. There were more tortillas arriving tableside as I finished my plate. Our dessert course consisted of a marble-sized ricotta-filled fritter with creamy carrot ice, beet cream and cocoa-dusted walnuts. The wife's bread pudding - "Queso & Fruitas"- was a brick-dense brioche bread slice, infused with queso anejo cheese and topped with perfectly-poached apricots, a dollop of persimmon puree and hazelnut crumbles. In the cab, I actually wanted to suggest we stop and pick up a pizza. But after dropping more than $385 (not including the 20%+ tip) for that "special night out", who wants to admit you're still hungry? read more

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This was my first time to this establishment. I had heard so many great things about it. We had ordered a classic menu. Of the five dishes three were what I considered to be good. This included: the black soft shell crab, wagyu Carne Asada, and the crepe dessert with raspberry sorbet. For $110, I expected perfection. I understand that this is only a one star Michelin restaurant. The chilaquiles were nothing to write home about. The chicken tortilla soup is overly salted. My portion of the wagyu, was overcooked and tough to chew. My friends portions of the wagyu, we're actually quite tasty. Overall, good tasting food. Not worth the price. read more

Rick Bayless is THE man! His talent for using Mexico as his inspiration for creating delightful and delicious food is unmatched. The flavors and textures and presentation are incredible. HIGHLY recommend for a special meal. read more

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Came for lunch and actually was excited to eat here after reading the reviews. I must say it was just ok. Nothing wow. Service was good tho. read more

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For $400 per person, this place was entirely underwhelming. The "sommelier" was new to the restaurant industry. The courses were not plated in an appetizing way. The temperature of the plates were usually not warm enough. The final dessert was virtually tasteless. This also was in an environment similar to a diner instead of an upscale environment. read more

One of those experiences when your stomach's full and your heart isn't! Amazing food, lovely & knowledgeable servers and great ambience. Spent 2 & 1/2 hours on their 7 course "Regional Mexican Icons" menu and didn't realize how time went by. Oh yes, they take care of your eating preferences and allergies as well. Special mention about their salsas & moles. I am in love with them. Must visit, if you're looking to taste some authentic Mexican ingredients and cooking. read more

Just had the "Topolo in 60" menu at lunch and let me tell you it was a bargain. I had the azteca soup that was incredible. Smooth and ceramy soup with deep flavors and some heat. My wife loved the ceviche she had of albacore. As a main my skirt steak with mole and veggies was just as good. The brownie dessert was very tasty even though im not a dessert person. Service and ambiance was also very good. Im almost taking away one star because the "Topolo in 60" menu wich was on the menus at the welcome counter was missing on both our menus. Was this a way of trying us go for the 49 $ set lunch menu or the more expensive a la carte? I dont know but it should have been presented as we knew this was an option during lunch only. At 25$ for 3 course delicious mexican Michelin food i cant fault them that hard. I cant imagine many set menus more priceworthy in a city like Chicago. With 2 beer, a glass of wine and a espresso our bill with tax but before tip was about 85$. Such a bargain! Go if you get the chance. Im sure the rest of the menu is as good. Ps: Would be great if they could offer non alcoholic beer for those who cant drink alcohol. read more

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Best anniversary dinner ever!!! Don't miss this celebration! Mescal delicious special menu delicious! Hamilton was awesome. All wait staff--excellence. Ambient--exactly what you want! read more

Really first class all the way with particular excellence in their mole sauces. This was an extraordinary meal. We started out with a sashimi grade yellow tail, pineapple two ways, achiote infused agave,amaranth-spirulina crisp and a hint of vanilla. DELICIOUS. Actually my second favorite part of the meal. Then we were presented with sea scallop, shrimp, a tomatillo sauce, prickly pear and crunchy sea beans. That tasted like a breath of fresh air from the sea. The butternut with pumpkinseed crust was my friend's favorite course (he had mine as well) but not mine. I thought it was a little too firm and robust, with the young purslane. The slow-cooked rabbit with spazote was delicious, but even better was the polenta style tamal of coconut cream which accompanied the rabbit. Unbelievably smooth, creamy and coconutty. Then came the duck - cooked as well as kind of raw, served with chile sauce, charred hen of the woods mushrooms (DIVINE!!)and amaranth leaves. I loved the duck, preferring the well done version. Dessert - the avocado sorbet was out of this world. I cannot even describe it. the sweetness mingled with slightly saltiness was well balanced and smooth as silk. Just perfect to end our meal. But it didn't end there. Our final course was the chocolate camote with coconut sherbet and agave sauce. Scrumptious. Unbelievable. We couldn't even speak after all that food. What an evening. read more

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I think Topolobampo suffers a bit from Rick Bayless's fame. People as of late seem to be starting to tire of celebrity chefs as a whole and his brand extension may not necessarily do what you want for Topolobampo which targets the high end. Nonetheless, I found Topolobampo's lunch offerings to be largely satisfying and an decently valued. Both the 25 dollar 'Topolo in 60' and the truncated 49 dollar Yucatan Menu had their highlights, and are definitely one of the better business lunch spots downtown. I did find the patty pan squash dish to be tasty but a poor usage of black truffle. Others have described dishes here to be a touch single noted and I think this is a perfect example of that, with the pumpkinseed sauce rendering the freshly shaved black truffle a bit dull. On the other hand, the mole was fantastic, and the smoked duck prepared as well as any I've had elsewhere. As a whole, a satisfying experience, but not one that would inspire me to return for the full Yucatan menu. With the closing of Naha, I'm surprised that the much better value 'Topolo in 60' hasn't become a new lunch hot-spot for River North retirees and middle aged housewives. read more

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For such an excellent restaurant, Topolobampo seems to fly under the radar. As a guest to Chicago, I had only heard of it from literally googling "Best Restaurants in Chicago" and linking to a Tribune article listing of their top 50, where Topolobampo was slotted at #3 (behind Alinea and the Smyth). I had been to Frontera Grill a little over a year ago and had no idea that slotted behind a sliding door in the dining room lay a truly exquisite fine dining restaurant with food unlike any I'd ever seen. The menu consists of three tasting menu options, "the Classics" (6 courses $110/pp), a rotating "Season's Embrace" (5 courses $95/pp) and the limited time "Pre-Columbian Menu - Palace Table 1491" 7 courses $140/pp). Note the spelling of the last option and you'll see it has nothing to do with Colombia the country, and note the date and you'll see it has nothing to do with the Ivy League university. As the waiter explained, this menu is inspired by foods available in Mexico prior to the arrival of Columbus, and therefore has no chicken, no pig, no cow, no cheese, etc. Intrigued by this, I opted for the Pre-Columbian menu and tacked on the agave spirits tasting (how could I not) for an additional $75. (Wine pairings were also available for each of the three tasting menus). The meal started with a wonderful amuse bouche of a small empanada with a fantastic mole sauce, next to a pressed cube of mango and jackfruit that was bursting with flavor. The first proper course was a very healthy of sashimi-style sea scallop that was rubbed in a spicy chile and served with small salted cucumbers and an herbal refreshing tomatillo sauce. Next up was their take on an al pastor taco (but remember no pork): creamy avocado and grilled pineapple rubbed with a chile powder sat on top of a smooth and complex sauce that includes chives and chaupulines (yes that's grasshoppers) with a heritage blue corn tortilla underneath. Course three may have been my favorite (though the attached picture does not do it justice), as an addictive corn masa and squash blossom broth was poured over perfectly charred shrimp for the best take on a shrimp and corn chowder you'll ever have. The fourth course served meaty and tender hen of the woods mushrooms over a lovely chile and roasted tomato salsa and cured venison next to rectangular prisms of a polenta style blue corn tamal, topped with a spirulina amaranth crisp. This was served along side some tortillas on par with the fantastic creations at Cosme in NYC. I would've liked a bit more of the venison (one of my favorite meats) but overall a really great and complex dish. Course five was the last of the savory dishes, and consisted of a very substantial portion of perfectly cooked ducked and roasted chayote squash with a "pecan risotto" which is much easier experienced than explained. A lovely black chile sauce tied everything together. The first of the dessert courses was a tomatillo, cactus and agave sorbet over a salsa of ground cherries and poblanos. The dish had a welcome freshness and was both light in the palette and complex in its flavors. Finally we were served a cacao amaranth cake amid pumpkin two ways and a pumpkinseed amaranth crisp used to sop it all up. The meal lasted just over 2 hours and the courses were timed perfectly in my opinion, never rushed but also there was never too much downtime between courses. I would highly recommend the agave pairing which consisted of 5 mezcals, 1 sotol, and 1 tequila. An explanation of each drinks course and how it was specifically chosen for each food course showed just how much thought went into this menu and the flavors worked together perfectly. I think the Pre-Columbian menu is only running until the end of the year, so get there fast to enjoy a truly unique experience. I will definitely be back to try their other tasting menus soon. read more

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My sister and brother-in law were both in culinary in FL and wanted to go here when they were visiting, so I lucked out that it was pig day which even I loved! It's always interesting to me to hear what chef's pick up in the flavor which I never do. It was stellar service! Just a bit too pricey for me personally. read more

How could you give this place anything but 5 stars? After numerous visits to Frontera Grill we finally got up the nerve to try "a dining experience" for our anniversary. After weeks of anticipating what magical concoction the chefs would whip up for our special day, it was finally our chance to pass through Frontera to the secret door leading to Topo. It was like a dream so I can't recite the full menu. I just remember tortilla soup that reminded me I can't boil water, multiple moles, reminding me I don't have the hours or days of patience to make even one, and finally... a private tour of the spice room. I've never smelled anything so heavily. Thousands of dried peppers and Mexican spices. It wasn't an every day or year experience, but one I'll never forget. Gracias! read more

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Topolobampo is an absolute delight! Every dish has its own personality and story, carefully curated by Rick Bayless. Topolobampo is housed within Frontera Grill, behind a door that leads into a separate room and a very exclusive dining experience. You choose from a set of perfectly coordinated chef tastings and it's a fantastic experience. I highly recommend the margaritas there, as well! At the end of the meal, you get a few nice gifts from the kitchen. I highly recommend ordering a dish that involves Rick's amazing mole sauce. I can't wait to go back! read more

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Came here during restaurant week, it's much better value than their regular dinner tasting menu, but for lunch, they normally have a "topolobampo in 60" prix fixe menu that is just a few bucks more, but it'd be easier to make reservation. For appetizer, the ceviche is ok with good flavours. The Azteca soup is pretty good, I liked the presentation of it, but it's a bit on the saltier side For the entrée, the trout is really nice, very tender meat with crispy skin (you can literally hear the cracking of the skin when you cut it). The pork quesadilla is ok. The tortilla wrap that came complementary of the dish is pretty good. Really liked both dessert, the avocado ice cream is very nice and the candied plantain complement it well. The other one is tropical fruit "soup", it is very refreshing. read more

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