Xoco

Xoco Review

By opening a third restaurant next door to perennial favorites Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, celeb chef Rick Bayless has taken control of this River North block. With Xoco, he's given the city the ultimate place for tortas (Mexican sandwiches) filled with spiced-up fare such as cochinita pibil (suckling pig with pickled red onions, black beans, and searing habanero salsa) and caldos, generous bowls of pozole and other Latin-inspired soups served after 3 pm. First timers shouldn't pass up the hot chocolate (available at breakfast, lunch, and dinner) made from cacao beans that are roasted and ground on the premises; a steaming cup is as rich as a chocolate bar and best consumed with a plate of hot churros. Enter around the corner on Illinois Street and join the (often long) line; orders are taken at the counter.