Restaurant Review – Bar Cocina

This week took me to Bar Cocina, a Mexican fusion restaurant in Lakeview (2901 N. Sheffield Ave.). I’ve been to Bar Cocina for brunch, but never for dinner, so I was very excited to try it out. Their website says, “Bar Cocina fuses traditional Mexican cuisine and various multicultural cooking techniques into modern Mexican fare. Our fresh ingredients and three distinct beverage categories will let out your sweet, smoky, and spicy side while you drink to the joys of life.” With that introduction, I knew I had to start with one of their signature cocktails. Because we arrived before 6 pm, their On Tap Cocktails were half off. I started with the House Margarita: Avion Silver tequila, cointreau, agave, and lime. It was delicious! It wasn’t too sweet, something I often find with house made margaritas. Their menu is separated into three sections: With Chips, Shared Plates, and Tacos. The “With Chips” section was also half off during happy hour, so we started with the Queso Fundido, smoky, melted cheese mixed with chorizo, poblano rajas peppers, and topped with a soft boiled egg. This dip was absolutely wonderful. The egg was such a unique addition and the texture was perfectly creamy. Then we decided on the Thai Chicken Quesadilla: chihuahua cheese, chiles, and a peanut sauce. This was very tasty as well. My boyfriend and I agreed that we would have liked a little more spice in the quesadilla, it would have created more contrast between that and the very creamy peanut sauce. Before we ordered our tacos, I decided to try the Blood Orange Paloma: Cazadores Blanco tequila, jalapeño, grapefruit juice, blood orange, agave, and lime. This was my favorite cocktail I’ve had in a long time. The blood orange was fresh and crisp and the jalapeño gave it just the right amount of spice. Our last dish was The O.G. Cheeseburger Tacos: a set of three tacos with spiced beef, smoked cheddar, cabbage, pickled red onions, and mango “catsup” sauce. We both loved them! I love fusion style tacos and the flavors were unique and delicious. We will definitely be back!

Bar Cocina is open Mondays through Wednesdays from 5 pm to 12 am, Thursdays and Fridays from 5 pm to 2 am, Saturdays from 11 am to 3 am, and Sundays from 11 am to 2 am. You can make reservations online, here.

RACHEL HOOVLER & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO