Chicago’s Essential Mexican Restaurants

"Founded in 1989 by celebrated chef Samuel Linares (lost to COVID in 2020), La Casa de Samuel is an established destination for authentic regional Mexican plates.  The Little Village restaurant features an impressive range of options that seamlessly bridge the well-known with the exotic, which this eatery reminds us, can be relative. Tortilla soup and ceviche can be enjoyed along with iguana, rattlesnake, venison, frog legs, cornish hen, and even bull testicles.  Some seasonal dishes are served during festivities, such as the emblematic chiles en nogada (chiles in walnut sauce) and romeritos (a wild, edible plant usually served with mole and shrimp), can be found here year-round. Don’t miss their handmade tortillas." - Brenda Storch, Eater Staff