Topolobampo

Topolobampo ("Topolo" for short) is the most sophisticated and upscale of Rick Bayless's restaurants. As with all of Bayless's restaurants, the products used here are local and seasonal. So whether you're eating from the marisquera (sustainable seafood bar) or choosing one of the platillos fuertes (usually a protein—hen, lamb, lobster—dressed in a complex, chili-based sauce), you know you're eating the best the season has to offer.

If you’re looking for a more upscale Mexican experience, you can’t go wrong at Rick Bayless’ Topolobampo. It’s his restaurant that’s most often frequented by famous people, including the Obama family, which results in the recommendation to make your reservations about eight to ten weeks in advance. Guests create their own three-, five- or seven-course menus from eight different categories of cuisine, which can seem overwhelming.

This jewel in Rick Bayless' crown welcomes a rush of diners for original Mexican food with an upscale twist. While you have to walk through cacophonous Frontera Grill to get here, the serenity that greets you is well worth it. The regional menu, boasting a panoply of flavors and textures, spins with the seasons all the while highlighting local cuisines and holidays.

Chef-owner Rick Bayless wrote the book on regional Mexican cuisine—several books, actually—and here he takes his faithfully prepared regional food upscale. Next door to the more casual Frontera Grill, Topolobampo shares Frontera's address, phone, and dedication to quality, though it’s a higher-end room, with a more subdued mood and a menu of tasting options.

Heaven on Seven for Cajun, Topolo Bampo (have I spelled it right?) for Spanish, and Dragon Court in Chinatown, and just-for-fun Asian, with good ambiance, any of the Big Bowl restaurants.

Enyart, who was chef de cuisine at Frontera Grill and Topolobampo for 19 years (most of them as executive chef), and Jones Enyart, Topolo and Frontera’s award-winning pastry chef, opened a Logan Square restaurant that takes the Frontera/Topolo conversation in new directions. The two have created a very personal slate of Mexican-inspired dishes; early menus combined sea urchin with tomatillo and chicharron-infused cream, and reimagined carnitas as part of a Mexican-Polish mashup with buttered potatoes and caraway-laced sauerkraut. On the sweet side, there is banana-leaf ice cream, perhaps carrot flan and a chocolate cake the whole city raves about.

Topolobampo is the most sophisticated jewel in Rick Bayless’s crown, offering three tasting menus for dinner and an ingenious 60-minute, three-course lunch menu. If you’re here for dinner, opt for the Perfect Seven, a seven-course hit list of Bayless’s spins on pozole, tacoles, mole and flan. Don Julio 1942, Grand Marnier 100, fresh lime and Agave syrup were used in the creation of the Splurge Margarita.

Having been around since 1989, Topolombampo is a Mexican Michelin star restaurant in Chicago complete with award-winning wine pairings and a reserve spirits list. It strives to bring the authentic flavors and cultures of Mexico to its guests thanks to the expertise of veteran Chef Meagan O’Connor and pastry Chef Jennifer Enyart.

A nice hot meal at a Mexican restaurant always hits the spot, but when the Mexican restaurant also happens to have a Michelin star, boy are you in for a treat. Their menu is full of creative and flavorful items that are sure to wow you. From carne asada to tostadas, you are going to enjoy any dish that you order here.

Clark St., Chicago (312) 661-1434www.rickbayless.com/restaurants/topolobampo.html. For an elegant twist on Mexican fare, try celebrity chef Rick Bayless' restaurant. The monthly changing menu features dishes like lime-marinated Hawaiian albacore ceviche, braised pork shoulder and pan-roasted duck.

Topolobampo is a higher-end Mexican restaurant in Chicago led by chef Rick Bayless. It was refreshed just before the pandemic and offers a tasting menu that spotlights locally sourced ingredients. The restaurant is also known for serving a quick, thoughtful business lunch downtown.

Topolobampois is another one of Rick Bayless’s restaurants, and it has won 9 awards. It is considered his most sophisticated and premium restaurant dishing out redefined Mexican cuisine. Did we mention that President Barack Obama and his family frequent Topolobampois the most?

Topolobampo is on North Clark Street, about a mile and a half north of downtown. This is another one of Chef Rick Bayless’ restaurants in Chicago. The restaurant is more refined and features elegant decor, with muted greens and yellow shades of furniture throughout.

Topolobampo – A modern look at Mexican cuisine, you’ll find a unique experience inside this fine-dining restaurant. With an ever changing, contemporary menu highlighting Mexican specialties, you’ll find a deeply rooted story amongst the dishes in Topolobampo.

The Michelin guide highlights Topolobampo’s memela divorciada, tamal colado and accompanying agave spirits. Prepaid reservations can be made online for parties of one to eight guests at $165 per person. Additional costs may apply for beverage pairings.

At Topolobampo, Chef-owner Rick Bayless has put together a first-class, seven-course tasting menu that may set you back $110, but with its emphasis on game, seasonal fruits, and cutting-edge treatments, it’s guaranteed to delight you regardless.

- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (444 reviews)- Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.0/5), Atmosphere (4.5/5)- Type of cuisine: Mexican, Latin- Price: $$$$- Address: 445 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654-4682- Read more on Tripadvisor

– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (447 reviews)– Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.0/5), Atmosphere (4.5/5)– Price: $$$$– Address: 445 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654-4682– Read more on Tripadvisor

Topolobampo is high-end and you will need a reservation (weeks in advance). Frontera Grillis somewhere in the middle and if you go at an off-peak time, you can probably get in without a reservation.

Frontera and Topolo are fine restaurants, but cheap they are not. I've eaten at both numerous times, and Topolo never fails to wow me, but even at lunch I end up with around $50/pp.

Topolobampo: It’s an NYE fiesta at this classic River North spot, which will pair elevated Mexican cuisine with rare agaves, live mariachi, Champagne, and more.