La Victoria Barra + Cocina Mexicana - Chicago

Modern Mexican Restaurant La Victoria Is Coming to Logan Square | Eater Chicago

"Scheduled to open in late May at 2445 N. Milwaukee Avenue, La Victoria is a casual, modern Mexican restaurant from Esam Hani and Frank Monroy in partnership with longtime Rick Bayless collaborator Carlos Alferez to commemorate a 25-year relationship with him; the name, which translates as “the victory,” also nods to Hani’s wife, Victoria. The partners say they want the restaurant to be approachable and to recreate experiences from childhood or travel to Mexico rather than be overbearing. Chef Ryan Wombacher’s menu (still being finalized) will feature regional dishes ranging from Oaxacan tlayudas to pescado tikin xic (a grilled fish dish inspired by the Mayans from the Yucatán), and the team will cook all proteins over a six-foot solid-fuel grill — including a brined and charcoal-roasted half chicken with chipotle glaze and red peanut mole crowned with a Nashville hot chicken wing and a sprinkle of chili-lime seasoned peanuts. The food will be paired with a tight bar program of draft tequila and mezcal margaritas, a handful of seasonal cocktails, beers from Casa Humilde, and nonalcoholic agua frescas. Housed in a former auto repair shop (the space that became Midwestern-themed Twain in 2018), the cavernous dining room seats 260; crews have installed a new back bar, a retractable garage door to a patio, wooden pillars transformed into tree-like supports, a back wall draped with pink bougainvilleas, and street art–style landscapes and scenes made with spray paint to give an indoor-outdoor Logan Square vibe." - Naomi Waxman