Salpicon

Don't expect burritos, chimis and enchiladas here, although they may exist as a special appetizer. This restaurant specializes in the presentation of great food accentuated with mexican spices and decor. The shrimp queso appetizer reminded me of a dish found in downtown Cancun. Grilled shrimp in Chihuahua cheese served with homemade corn tortilla's. Excellent. My wife had the grilled shrimp entree. The shrimp were very tender and bursting with flavor. I had pork tenderloin with salsa plus avacado sauce. Also excellent. The tequila and wine list is extensive if a bit expensive.

Pros: Meal Quality, Meal Presentation, Entree Prices

Cons: Wine/Teqila Prices, Somewhat Loud

Posted 10/22/02

I had no problem making reservations on a Saturday early eve for 3 friends. The restaurant is colorful and kind of cozy with the dim lighting. My guests were not familiar with authentic Mexican. But they ordered polle con mole poblano, lamb chops, pork chops, and I had the pescado al carbon. Everyone liked what they ordered. Food was flavorful and very good. For dessert, tried the trio de pinas. If you like pineapple this is a good one! Total tab was $45 per person. I will definitely try Salpicon again!

Pros: any main dish, presentation, tequila selection

Cons: chairs

Posted 10/19/02

Can't be beat. I haven't found anything yet that matches quality, ambiance and availability (getting a reservation!). Execellent selection/knowledge of tequila's and drinks are made very well.

Posted 08/26/02

everything here is hot, from the food to the waitstaff!!

Posted 08/21/02

An excellent restaurant where the atmosphere and service are first rate. The food is great and always enjoyable. My favorite restaurant in the whole city!!

Pros: Tasty, Well presented

Posted 08/20/02

Simply the best upscale (or any) Mexican food in Chicago! Great wait staff, wonderful owners, and the chef--Priscila Satkoff--has created a superb menu. Jaime at the bar is the best! This is the gem of Old Town dining. Don't miss it.

Posted 08/13/02

Salpicon is consistently WONDERFULl! We always feel happy and proud to show Salpicon off to visiting relatives and business associates (my husband eats out for business 3-4 days a week). The food is creative, beautiful and most importantly TASTY! The servers are very well-trained, professional and genuinely friendly. The wine list is a treasure trove of delights (with both great bargains and hard to find gems). If you're into tequila you will find their selections both numerous and diverse. Salpicon is truly a delight!!

Pros: great food, consistency, wine & tequila lists

Posted 08/09/02

This is the kind of restaurant I would love to love--chef-owned, small and nonsmoking (hooray!), but the place is noisy (!), and staff could use some attitude adjustment: they really don't like it if you don't order expensive tequilas, wine, etc.--and they let you know it. Too bad, because Salpicon has a lot going for it and the food really is excellent.

Pros: Nonsmoking, Great food

Cons: Noisy, Staff attitude

Posted 08/07/02

Heard good things. Not many choices on the menu appealed to me. And no one in our party really enjoyed what they got. Nor did we enjoy the bill. One thing though...good gaucamole

Pros: Gaucamola

Cons: Food, Price

Posted 08/04/02

The food is excellent, the service friendly and competent and the array of tequilas awesome and so tasty!

Posted 08/04/02

Excellent everything. Extensive winelist ranging from great values to rare bottles, and even a list of tequilas. Not the typical burrito menu - wonderful grilled fish dishes, the halibut enchilada appetizer is a must try when it's included in the specials. The filet is great, too. Salpicon is a pleasure, my favorite place.

Pros: wine (Reidel glass!), good portions of food, excellent flavors

Cons: no live music, needs more flowers

Posted 08/04/02

Salpicon offers everything that the professional side of Mexico City has to offer. That's right, Salpicon is true latin cusine. Besides having the freshest selection of fish dishes, they also have the largest selection of tequila around.

Excellent host that truly leveraged their culinary experiences of Mexico.

Do not come here if you are just looking for a burrito or fajitas. Sorry charlie that's southwestern.

Posted 08/01/02

Had dinner last night with 3 friends. Food was amazing (especially the quail in chile sauce, tuna with red papaya sauce and mango and the pear and mango cobbler! Service was friendly, professional and very knowledgable. Our waiter recommended a delicious Austrian Riesling that complemented everything well. The wine list is spectacular (their selection of Alsatian wines was over 100 (watch out Everest!) This is a one of a kind restaurant that I would recommend in a heartbeat!! Thank you Salpicon!

Pros: great food!, service, wine list

Cons: very popular (crowded

Posted 07/28/02

Great place for a fun date! Extensive wine and tequila list. Great dinner and appetizers. Desserts were not fantastic but all in all a great experience.

Pros: Tequila, Wine List, Food

Cons: desserts

Posted 07/22/02

My second trip to Salpicon proved to be as good as the first. I love the small size of this restaurant and the colorful decor. Don't miss the grilled tiger shrimp as an appetizer. I had the shrimp for dinner since it is also offered as an entree. Wonderful desserts as well and our waitress was extremely knowledgeable about each dish on the menu as well as which wines to complement the dishes.

Posted 07/16/02

Had dinner last night with 3 friends at Salpicon. Everything from the reservationist to the valet was exceptional. The food had flavors I never imagined possible! We all ordered different items. We started with the shrimp with 2 different salsas, the jalapenos stuffed with cheese and served with a black bean sauce and a special of squash blossoms stuffed with crab and avocado (delicios!!) Entrees were lamb loin chops with a garlic and pasilla chili sauce, Salmon with a tomatillo sauce, grilled quail with a mole sauce, and a super-tender beef tenderloin with a spicy chili sauce. Everything was perfectly cooked and very well presented. Service was attentive and professional, but not hovering. If you think the list of tequilas is impressive, just open the wine list! No fewer than 12 countries represented with excellent wines in each price category. This is a one of a kind restaurant!

Pros: food, service, take reservations

Cons: very popular, crowded at peak times, not good for kids

Posted 05/21/02