La Victoria Barra + Cocina Mexicana - Chicago

"La Victoria is a big, boozy Mexican spot in Logan Square with food that’s better than you might expect from a place decorated with neon cursive and plant walls. The menu has tacos, tlayudas, and entrees like mariscos veracruzana that’s not shy with the spice. Anything with the handmade corn tortillas (like the Mexico-city style quesadillas filled with lamb birria) will be reliably good. The sprawling space has a giant bar, a back patio, and an angled mirror above the tortilla station so you can watch the action. Service is friendly but hit-or-miss, which is to be expected for a quasi-party restaurant that’s good for fun brunches and loud dinners full of margaritas." - adrian kane, john ringor, veda kilaru

"La Victoria is a big, boozy Mexican spot in Logan Square with drinks that are better than you might expect from a place decorated with neon cursive and plant walls. The sprawling space has a giant bar and a back patio. Both stay surprisingly uncrowded, so walking in is an option even if you happen to roll in with your entire clog art trivia league. All six of you will each be able to get different takes on a margarita, including a few smoky and well-balanced mezcal-based options. But the classic tequila-triple sec-lime juice combo is the best—refreshing, lightly tart, and just strong enough to make round two of trivia a little more interesting." - john ringor, veda kilaru

"La Victoria is a new Mexican restaurant by prolific restaurateur Esam Hani and business partner Frank Monroy, with managing partner Carlos Alferez. The restaurant aims for a casual dining experience, offering regional Mexican dishes prepared by chef Ryan Wombacher. The establishment features a renovated interior with a capacity of 260 seats, a new bar, a retractable garage door opening to a patio, and decor inspired by Mexican culture and street art." - Naomi Waxman

"Casual new modern Mexican restaurant La Victoria is open at 2447 N. Milwaukee Avenue in the former home of Hemingway-inspired restaurant Papa Cenar. It’s the eighth neighborhood spot from restaurateur Esam Hani, who operates La Victoria with business partner Frank Monroy and managing partner Carlos Alferez. A wide-ranging menu from chef Ryan Wombacher includes tacos guisados, coal-grilled pulpo a las brasas, and tlayuda con cahpulines." - Naomi Waxman

"La Victoria’s chiles en nogada stays true to tradition while incorporating local ingredients and flavors." - Brenda Storch