Chicago Mexican breakfast options are a welcome change to the traditional fifteen stack of pancakes and twelve-egg omelets that are large enough that you could wrap yourself in it. The primary reason to crave south of the border before noon is chilaquiles. ‘What are chilaquiles,’ you ask? About puts it like this,”Say- “chee-lah-KEE-lays” Chilaquiles are tortilla chips (or fried, stale tortillas) cooked in a green chile sauce and topped with cheese. They have many variations just like burritos and enchiladas. Some versions top them with tomato sauce, a fried egg or a piece of chicken or beef.” In layman’s term, it is essentially a breakfast scramble that uses tortilla chips over hash browns.
Chicago Mexican Breakfast – Chilaquiles Style
Nuevo Leon Restaurant
Neuvo Leon Restaurant has been a staple of Chicago Mexican breakfast options since 1962. Their chilaquiles are insanely reasonably priced, and they do not sacrifice taste or portion size. Doused in a hearty portion of spicy green sauce, topped with cheese, and accompanied by two yolk eggs, creamy refried beans and rice.
The Bristol
The Bristol puts an American spin on chilaquiles – it escalates this dish to entirely new level. They still use tortilla chips, a yolk egg, and chile sauce that has a touch of smoke flavor to it; the game-changer is the addition of braised pork mixed in with queso fresco. The braised pork complimented by the smoke of the chile sauce and the yolk is almost like nothing you have ever experienced before. If you feel like going beyond traditional with your chilaquiles, this is a must stop.
Angel’s Chicago Mexican Breakfast Chilaquiles
Angel’s is a family owned and operated Mexican restaurant that prides itself on the home cooking style of food. They offer chilaquiles in a variety of fashions by offering it topped with tomatillo, ranchero, or mole sauces. They have one of the best patios in the city as well, which can be a very enticing reason to make this your next breakfast stop.
XOCO
XOCO is a casual Mexican cuisine restaurant from the food mastermind Rick Bayless. The chilaquiles here are unique, due to the fact that they are placed-in a wood oven to fully combine all of the ingredients into a casserole form. Hearty, spicy tomato-serrano sauce covers the chips, with fluffy scrambled eggs mixed in, and a blanket of melted cheese acting as a shield that you have to penetrate to get to the rest of the deliciousness.
Cafe con Leche
Cafe con Leche serves up pretty mean chilaquiles. They serve it the traditional style with your choice of egg preparation to tailor it, but they also provide the option of adding chicken, pica de gallo, steak, chorizo, and avocado. There is plenty of seating, as well as an outdoor dining area to enjoy the mellow morning weather.
Nana
Nana is an organic restaurant that serves some of the most fresh, local ingredients that can be sourced. Their chilaquiles follow the style of tortilla chips layered with black beans, poblano cream, salsa verde and then baked with cheese on top to melt over the entire plate – two eggs prepared to your liking are there to compliment. Nana is the perfect option for those that want to indulge, yet keep it on the healthier side of things.
Flo
Flo is a cozy, brick and wooden laden restaurant that serve up some amazing Chicago Mexican breakfast food – their chilaquiles are truly something else. The ingredients and preparation are pretty standard and follow the traditional methods, but whatever they do with their red chili-tomato salsa truly makes your taste buds dance. Considering the ingredients are simmered in this glorious sauce, each bite is packed with flavor.
Topolobampo
Topolobampo takes chilaquiles to a gourmet level. Their Chilaquiles Verdes is presented in a neat, modern, attractive fashion that is backed up by loads of flavor. Rather than traditional tortilla chips, they use thin strips that are cooked to mimic al dente pasta. Roasted tomatillo sauce is mixed with spinach, onions, and topped with a yolk egg to finish off the festival of flavor. They only serve this dish on the lunch menu, so this is the place to be for all you late risers that want to try something other than traditional.
DMK Burger Bar
What a truly great idea -DMK Burger Bar has thought inside the bun and transformed chilaquiles into toppings that accent fresh beef for a unique experience in both the burger and chilaquiles departments. The fresh beef patty is topped with scrambled eggs, jalape o, tortilla chips, tomatillo salsa verde, and jack cheese between two fresh buns – how can you resist that?
Ada Street
Ada Street is the sister restaurant to DMK Burger Bar; they serve up a gourmet skillet version of chilaquiles at a crazy affordable price. It comes to the table piping hot on a skillet. In-house made tortilla chips are topped with a spicy chipotle sauce, pinto beans, queso tetilla, and of course a poached egg. This is also for the late risers, as it is on their brunch menu.
Chicago Mexican Breakfast – Chilaquiles Honorable Mentions:
Danny’s Egghead Diner
Sunrise Cafe
Restaurant Cuetzala Gro
Taqueria Moran
Kristoffer’s Cafe
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