During Chicago Latin Restaurant Weeks, celebrate fabulous fare — from regional cuisine to prix fixe menus

Hungry for something new?

Chicago’s robust Latino food scene is the main character during Latin Restaurant Weeks this month.

Guests can enjoy unique dishes inspired by and from the gastronomies of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Mexico, Puerto Rico and beyond from Aug. 16-30 from more than 40 restaurants across the city. The wide selection of Latino-owned restaurants offers discounted meals, ranging from prix-fixe menus and lunch specials to food trucks and bakeries.

Some, like Tsukiji Sushi & Sake Bar in River West and Polombia in the West Loop, combine traditional flavors with Japanese and Polish fare, respectively, for a distinct twist achievable only in a diverse culinary scene such as Chicago’s.

Bottomless mimosas and a brunch entrée (including French toast with sweet plantains flambéed in tequila, street corn avocado toast and chilaquiles) are up for grabs at El Mariachi Bar & Grill in Lake View on the weekends for $34.99 per person.

And if you’re trying new restaurants with a group in tow, Mr. Chilaquil is pouring up extra large cups of café de olla with giant conchas for $45 at their Archer Heights cafe — perfect for four to six people. But beware, lines can get extra long on the weekends, said co-owner Julieta Patiño.

In a recent interview, founder Karinn Chavarria said the best way for Chicagoans to experience the restaurant weeks is by treating it as a “choose your own adventure” quest.

Latin food is the third most popular cuisine in the U.S., according to research from consulting firm McKinsey & Company, and the Latin Restaurant Weeks are all about showing off the diversity of Latin food in the city.

Maibeilis Chan, co-owner of Sabe a Zulia in Belmont Cragin, said the restaurant opened just a year after she and her family arrived in Chicago from Venezuela six years ago.

“When we arrived, it was our goal to become independent,” Chan told the Sun-Times. “In Venezuela, we also had a restaurant. Venezuela is going through a crisis. [It’s] not only economic but social. Now we are about to open our second restaurant and we want to say that we are proud and happy to have the restaurant here in Chicago.”

Back home, Chan said, she worked as an attorney. As political tensions rose, she found herself in a situation where she needed to leave her job and eventually the country.

“We had to leave part of our family there, who at this moment … are also being persecuted. So we are a little bit upset because we are thinking about all of them and the situation they are going through,” she said.

Chan runs the restaurant with her sister and their respective husbands. They’re all from the northern state of Zulia in Venezuela, affectionately included in the restaurant’s name, meaning “Taste of Zulia” in English.

They’re offering two promotions during Latin Restaurant Weeks available after 4 p.m. on the weekdays. For $9.99, customers can try a six-piece tequeño special with a Coca-Cola. Tequeños are queso blanco appetizers wrapped in wheat flour dough and fried until golden-brown. They’re similar to fried mozzarella cheese sticks.

Their second deal is meant to be shared with another person: $14.99 will cover a two-cheeseburger deal, along with two cans of Coke. Don’t forget to try this one with their special sauce.

Sabe a Zulia is one of the many restaurants that can participate in the restaurant weeks thanks to the organizer’s free-to-register model, open to any Latino restaurant in the city. (Some have opted to pay $250 to secure a priority spot on the event website and socials. They can also choose between an influencer visit or a place in the newsletter for an extra boost, Chavarria said.)

The first ever Latin Restaurant Weeks was organized in Houston in 2019 by Chavarria and her partner, Warren Luckett.

“It really started just out of necessity,” Chavarria told the Sun-Times. “There were so many restaurants that we considered the backbone of the culinary industry. And in traditional restaurant weeks … we noticed that the Hispanic community was a little unserved and overlooked.”

Since then, their initiative has expanded to seven cities and has helped boost traffic to many of the participating establishments.