Momento Cantina

Someone needs to hear this; THE FOOD IS AMAZING. I chose the express route for my first time, saving the dine in experience for a hot date. The venue overall is very nice. Open seating area has kiosks scattered around with the full menu. You will be asked to attach your main card to the card assigned to your table. Use the card to place your food and drink orders. Don’t let the little bowl of chips fool you as an appetizer- that valentina sauce was absolutely delicious. Will be returning soon. Like, soon.

This is the best Mexican Restaurant in Downtown Chicago! My beautiful partner and I went out for a night on the town, and came across this amazing place. We had a reservation, but arrived early. Even though it was busy, they were able to sit us down within a few minutes. Once we sat down, our waiter, Gustavo, took amazing care of us. We never had an empty drink nor empty salsa and chips. Gustavo's sense of humor had us laughing all night. We ordered the QuesaBirria and they were to die for. Definitely will be coming back to enjoy this amazing experience. PS. If you like hot salsa, ask Gustavo for the Habanero Salsa. It has a nice kick.

It’s a new restaurant in downtown however it’s not your typical Mexican restaurant. Each plate was done with every detail in mind. As a starter you get complementary chips and refried beans with three sauces you have to try. I had the luck of having Fiona as my server as she took her time detailing every special thing about the menu and making my time special. I would’ve loved to try the deserts but unfortunately I was too full by the time I was done. Would definitely be coming back!!

I recently dined at Momento, a fantastic new Mexican cantina at 44 S Wabash in Chicago, and it was an outstanding experience! The service was exceptional -friendly and attentive staff who offered great recommendations. The food choices were impressive, featuring delicious traditional and modern dishes with generous portions that left us satisfied. The beverage selection was amazing, with refreshing cocktails and classic margaritas that perfectly complemented our meal. The lively atmosphere made it a wonderful place to relax and enjoy. I highly recommend Momento for anyone seeking a delightful dining experience in the city!

This is such a great idea for a restaurant! Two seating options- tables with a sit-down feel and full service, and tables with kiosks you can order from, for fast dining. I stopped in for lunch during my break, and sat in the fast dining area. The food was delivered within 10 min of me ordering, and during the wait I was given some chips. The tacos were amazing, and I can’t wait to go back and try more! The payment card was also so innovative for a quick lunch, kudos to Momento!

A miss and a hit! After trying to eat somewhere else, unsuccessfully, a quick search brought us to the recently opened Memento. We were specifically looking for Mexican (and are regular proponents of SoCal Cali-Mex cuisine). What we encountered was a lovely surprise - head chef from Mexico City (CDMX) and flavors reminiscent of our recent trip there. The margaritas are flavorful, the tacos were delicious, and the presentation was detailed. Colorful interior, with a tasting area for mezcal. Honestly, we were not sure what to expect, especially realizing they had opened recently, but the staff was great - our server, Colin, was attentive and friendly, and made great recommendations. We were happily surprised - located right across from the Palmer House Hotel - great location for drinks!

The atmosphere was amazing. The artistic vibe is beautiful. The food was so so. The tortillas were hard as a brick. The servers brought out all the wrong food. We waited almost another 15 mins for the bills. My overall experience was not good at all. 3/10 would not recommend!

My friends and I are visiting from Virginia and stumbled upon this place leaving our hotel. We were immediately impressed by the decor and even more impressed by the kind staff especially Sebastian, the bartender. A smile goes a long way in making guests feel welcome and Sebastian doesn’t hold back from making you feel welcome and comfortable. To top it off the drinks and food are amazing. My friends and I are already planning another visit before we leave!

So tasty, affordable and convenient! Was given two options: fast self serve and cantina (sit down dining). Chose self-serve; they had easy ice cold water available at thw ready. Ordering was easy, got the Guisado Taqueria and Pescado Baja and the cebollitas Toreadas. That fish taco was absolutely delicious! And the charred onions were so delicious witht he green salsa provided. The prange salsa provided is pretty spicy so beware if you arent acclimated to spicy food. Everything served with limes and was really delicious. Was slow when we got here and it felt like a crime for how good they are. Music was nice and not too loud, great window seating in the "fast" area.

Tried Momento yesterday for the first time. I ordered the four taco plate and most of it was inedible-- the meat was hard, cold, and old. The tortillas were stale and hard. I will never come back here. The service and drinks were exceptional but will definitely skip the food.

Welcome to momento - a new eclectic dining experience with their take on fine Mexican dining. My personal opinion is that this place is for how it makes you feel and what you see during your time and little about the food. I took a risk on this place and decided why not with my mentee. We ordered the chicken Tinga sopes along with two fish tacos for me and two steak tacos for her. If you get the basic tacos, it's 2/$11 or 4/$20. No sides. Each order of tacos comes in two so you're given the option to mix march and share. While I didn't indulge in drinking it was $18/ cocktail. The food was good. The flavor profile and textures were there - no doubt about it. It was too expensive for my taste buds. Then again, this is an elevated dining experience. I wouldn't turn down the opportunity to go again however I wouldn't choose, on my own, to come back.

I was walking home debating what to eat when I walked past the both momento had outside their wabash location. Wasn't sure about 4 tacos for $20 that had presumably sat outside for a bit, definitely a bit steep of a price, but they were really tasty and still warm. I'd love to come back, the gentleman that sold me on them was a great salesman and super kind. Highly recommend! Giving this a 4 because it is a bit pricey and there were one or two pretty large choingers. It's not the greatest photo I took- really tasty food & loved the tortillas

Came for lunch on a Thursday. For this being a common corporate lunch area in the loop, momento has a complicated ordering system. We each had to get a card (which the host links to your credit card) before sitting down which you then place on a kiosk to order. It was a little confusing and felt kind of like those breweries that you serve yourself with based on your card. The tacos were pretty good, just a little overpriced for what it was.

Have you ever paused and said to yourself: "Name, you're being an insufferable curmudgeon." Yeah... I did that today. It's almost like I was looking for reasons to dislike Momento, but to be honest, I couldn't find any, not a valid reason, anyway. I will tell you now, everything you think you know about what a Mexican restaurant should be, take it and throw it out the window. Whether you're expecting onion and cilantro, or lettuce tomato and cheese, put all of that in a box with a lock. Let me first talk about the chips and dip that are included with the meal... these were among the best chips I'd had in a Mexican restaurant. They were house-made, light and airy, not greasy, and seasoned not only with salt but also something flavorful (though I couldn't tell you what). This was served with a lovely black bean dip. For us salsa lovers, there were three sauces served with the tacos (which one could easily use with the chips: a mild green, mild roasted tomato, and spicy Chile de Arbol. All were distinct and interesting, with the spicy bringing some proper heat! For the tacos, I tried both the sirloin and octopus. Now, remember how I said to remove yourself from your expectations? Expect three things only: balanced proportions, terrific assembly (don't fall apart), and next-level flavors. Well, the sirloin tacos had only meat and house-made potato sticks. After turning off "curmudgeon mode" I found it doesn't need it. Not that it would have hurt, just wasn't needed. The meat was beyond tender and flavorful - some of the best I've experienced in a taco, ever! The potato sticks added a little crunch while not interrupting the meat's flavors. The octopus tacos were a little different in that they also had a sauce that complemented the protein. Otherwise, the meat (mollusk?) also shined - and wasn't rubbery in the slightest. Potato once again bestowed crunch. For dessert I had the Fondant de Maiz. What made this so delightful is that the sweetness came primarily from the ice cream/gelato, with the cake having little. Thus, flavors other than sugar could come through. Great combination of textures also! With alcohol, I am in awe of their system. The card you're given allows you to try 15ml increments of tequilas and mezcals, from entry-level to fancier pours. IIRC there are 16 bottles, but only four were available as they are still in their opening. For beers, these are per ounce at a self-serve tap. Thus, one can try sip-sized amounts of each one for a nominal cost, and then go ahead with whatever they like, or nothing at all. Finally, I want to give big points for the service. It was kind, friendly, welcoming, attentive, and quick considering the freshness of everything. With all of this, I can't wait to see what's in store for Momento as they iron out any kinks and start working as a well-oiled machine

New tacos spot in the of Chicago. The Picaña Trompo tacos were my favorites--so flavorful. The self-serve tequila and mezcal setup is super unique and fun. Our server, Fiona, was amazing--friendly, knowledgeable, and made sure we were well taken care of.

The food took one hour to get to the table and when it finally got there, it was old, stale and not a good flavor at all, the only good thing are the salsas. Don't come here if you want good food

Popped in on Tue evening around 7pm. Place isn't busy at all, however I am not offered a table due to not having a reservation nor allowed to sit at the completely empty bar. Have to go through the curtain to the back where a self-ordered tables are. Kinda ruins the mood but fine. Sit down, get a card and order my own food on a tablet. Margarita comes in a plastic cup. You get your own water, also in a plastic cup from a cooler. Utensils - you guessed it. Complimentary chips are that, potato chips that you would get at the supermarket, not restaurant-made tortilla chips as you would expect at the fusion Mexican establishment. Overall this felt like a mediocre food court experience, not a restaurant one. Food took forever so I just paid for my drink and left. Sorry, not coming back.

First step inside and I was excited. The decor is really interesting and took you away from being in a big city but not really. If that makes sense. Super cool decor. The staff was amazing and friendly and their recommendations were spot on! It wasn't super busy so we got a lot of attention. The choice of tacos was many! We ended up with fish and ribeye. Both delish! Seeing as it was my birthday dinner, my friend told the server and I was presented with what I thought was flan but it was a corn cake! So so so so so good! We both got a margarita to drink. Yum! Start to finish, walking in to leaving, just a wonderful experience'

Celebrated our anniversary. From the moment you walk in, the decor really sets a beautiful tone and atmosphere. Bright colors and fixtures that represent beautiful Mexico. We had the octopus, pichana, fish tacos. I would rate them I. That order. The salsas all have something special to offer. Also had the gorditas and I loved the texture of the masa and the flavor. Wish I could have hours to taste all the cocktails, but you can't wrong with any choice. If you like espresso martinis the Carajillo is a must. Our server Colin was attentive and very kind.

We had the good fortune to find Momento Cantina. We loved all of our selections that we shared--tacos and small plates. The staff was appropriately attentive. And the decor is lovely with many references to Mexican food and culture. Highly recommended!

My first experience...one of the most authentic Mexican cuisine experiences I've ever had. Every detail, from the greeting at the front door...to the ambience...the service...to the food and drinks was exceptional!!! Coming back for more and bringing friends!!

Came out during lunch break and waited more than 30 minutes for one ribeye taco.. Other people who ordered before me were also waiting 40+ minutes. One person had to just leave without getting his food. They are also backed up for Uber scheduled eats. Don't waste your time.

The food, drinks, and service were great. I highly recommend the plantain croquettes. I appreciated the wide range of margaritas on the menu (I think there were 16?) so that there's something for pretty much everybody. I really liked that they had tequilas and mezcals on tap so my date and I could sample multiple. I think one area for improvement would be either changing how the tacos are listed on the menu or not requiring that tacos be ordered in pairs. It says "2 for $11" in a way that makes it sound like you can pick 2 different tacos (e.g., one ribeye and one fish) for $11, but it's actually that each type of taco comes in a set of 2. The 2 people in my party and the 2 people at the table next to us all read it as "select 2 from the list." In a lot of restaurants I don't think this would matter much but for a restaurant with such unique offerings I wish there had been a way to try more of the tacos on the menu by just getting one of whichever tacos we ordered. The menu sounded really good and interesting so it was disappointing that we couldn't sample as many things as we thought we could without paying twice as much and ordering way too much food for 2 people (each taco is big/filling enough that 4 per person would've been way too much food for us after getting an appetizer) then wasting a bunch of food. Short of that, it might be helpful if the menu more clearly said that you get 2 of the same taco, you don't get to mix and match for the price they list. The table next to us seemed to have the same issue but didn't know before ordering, so they were confused to get 2 of each of the first round of tacos brought to their table and I think they ended up canceling 2 of their orders because they didn't realize they had ordered 8 tacos for 2 people (and would be paying $44+ rather than the $22+ they thought they were spending on tacos when they ordered). Also to be clear this is not a complaint about their pricing--2 for $11/$13 is totally reasonable given the quality and quantity of food. I would've gladly paid more per taco if I could've ordered 2 different ones.

Had a tasty meal here is the fast dining section. The cochinita pibil bowl was delicious and they bring it out in stacked bowls which was fun. The suero was a refreshing drink to complement the food. They also bring you tajin dusted potato chips as a starter. Service was super attentive. I'll be back to try everything on the menu (yes even possibly the lengua!).

The food was amazing and the experience overall was fantastic. Very friendly server and the self-serve tequila shots were on point. The attention to detail in the decor was fantastic. Great handmade corn tortillas as well. Definitely a must to see!

Nicely decorated, good looking restaurant but the food was just ok in a city where you can find good Mexican all over the place. Birria tacos and the chicken sope were pretty good but when they served plain white rice with beans they lost me. Was good to try somewhere different but they are way better options out there...

The tacos here rival what you can find in San Diego. They are not your typical tacos. The sauces were flavorful and unique. The octopus, ribeye, and chorizo tacos were amazing. My least favorite was the shrimp and didn't really match the description in the menu. Definitely will come back next time I'm in Chicago. This is actually my first yelp review!

Good atmosphere , margaritas and tacos. Had the ribeye tacos and chorizo and beef tacos. Guacamole and nacho flavored chips were good addition. Staff was friendly.

I can't explain how amazing and innovating Momento is. the service was better then u can explain so caring and always thinking ahead I would definitely come here again