XOCO

XOCO pronounced “SHO-ko”—is the Aztec word for “little sister" and is a fast-casual restaurant from Rick and Deann Bayless that offers contemporary expressions of Mexico’s most beloved street food and snacks in downtown Chicago. 

We went to Chicago for a quick weekend trip and after checking in to our hotel early, we head out to grab lunch before exploring the city.  We were expecting a Chipotle-style set up, where you order from the counter yourself, but this was an actual sit down restaurant.  We started with Roasted Garlic-Tomatillo Guacamole, "fully dressed" meaning it comes with a little bit of spicy roasted poblano, chicharrón (crispy fried pork skin), grilled onion, smoky bacon, local MightyVine tomato, queso fresco, and pumpkin seeds on top, served with tomatillo salsa, three-chile salsa and chips.  It was pretty tasty, but all the toppings overpowered the avocado. I guess I am more of a traditionalist at heart.

Keith ordered a Pork Belly Torta.  This sandwich was filled with crispy Gunthorp Farm pork belly, salsa negra, spicy ginger slaw (Napa cabbage, tomatillo, serranos, knob onions, ginger, herbs), avocado mash, and black bean spread.  He found it to be delicious and it really hit the spot.

I ordered a Traditional Tlayudas - a gigantic wood-fired corn masa tostada (imported from Oaxaca) topped with Samuel’s Jack cheese, tomatillo salsa, poblano rajas, Añejo cheese, and black bean spread.  I was shocked when this arrived, as it was much larger than expected and looked like a pizza with a thin cracker crust.  The flavors were complex with smoky notes that I loved.  You can also order it with chorizo sausage or chicken on top, but I stayed with the vegetarian version.

All in all we had a great lunch on this rainy first day in Chicago.

Total Rating: 4.43

Food: 4.5, Price: 5, Service: 4, Ambience: 3, Accessibility: 5