Brioso

I think this place is closed now… another restaurant snatched up the space and was open basically before I realized Brioso had closed…
The times I did eat here, I thoroughly enjoyed everything on the menu — from the tuna tacos to the pork, guacamole and everything in between.
The drinks (margaritas and mojitos), while highly priced, were outstanding. I did peek at the menu of the «new» restaurant, and it looks like it’s not all that different, which will be a good thing!
The food was priced higher than typical Mexican food, but I did appreciate Brioso for trying something different and having a tasty end result.

Part of wants to give Brioso 4 stars. The pom-​tangerine margarita is SO TASTY. I enjoy the modern, simple décor. The menu provides a lot of options without being overwhelming. Food is served on Fiesta Ware; a nice cozy touch.
But a few little things keep me from tacking on another star. Overall the food was pretty salty… and spicy. I was pumped to see a BLT taco on the menu! I order BLT’s whenever possible (love ‘em at Lula). The bacon on my was rubbery and not crispy like I expected. And I just didn’t find the staff to be super speedy about anything.
I’ll definitely go back and give it another shot. Next time I’ll order more drinks and less food!

Last February, an ex-​boyfriend and me were feeling crappy about being alone for Valentine’s Day. We decided to solve that little problem by hanging out together on V-​day and going to a nice restaurant.
Interior — clean, modern, intimate, very nice.
Service — Very attentive.
Wine — decent selection for such a little place.
Food — Worsts Mexican I’ve had in my life. I realize their food is supposed to be «modern» Mexican cuisine but it was gross. Like barely palatable gross. I ordered steak tacos and pork nachos. The meat was tough and ill-​flavored. Ex ordered chicken fajitas or something similar to that. His food was almost flavorless so that was an improvement over mine, I guess.
I don’t know if they were having a bad evening but I can never go back. Blech.
It was pretty pricey too…

This was the very first place I ate in Lincoln Square/​Ravenswood area, and was quite impressed with the food.
I first ordered a pomegranite tangerine margarita, which was delicious (really…how could it not be?), and that was followed up with the salsa and chips sampler which was small, but decently priced and FANTASTIC! Love trying new salsa.
I ordered three different tacos, and the butternut squash one made my entire night. It was one of the best food items I have had since moving to Chicago 4 months ago, and I can say that with complete honesty. And our waiter was prompt, friendly, and helpful.
I have brioso 3 stars because yes, it is a bit pricey and yes, the quantity left a little something to be desired. However, I recommend you go and order the butternut squash taco, and then sit back and enjoy. Fabulous.

Let’s face it. I have bad luck dining in Lincoln Square. Add brioso to the list: Overpriced and underwhelming. if I’m paying more than $ 10 for steak tacos, they’d better be so good that they’re the only steak tacos I’ll ever eat again.
Sorry, not here.
These tacos were soggy – wet – so wet that they fell apart after a few bites and had to be eaten with knife and fork. I guess the caramelized onions are supposed to fancify these things, but not enough to keep me from resenting the price I paid for this meal.
Prickly pear/​key lime margarita was nice, but nothing special. «Roasted beets» appetizer was just a salty salad garnished with four tiny slivers of beet. Guacamole was eh. Avocado salsa was bland, useless. Potato-​corn hash was just OK. I’d much prefer properly made Mexican rice and beans any day – and that would be well worth the money I shelled out last night for this less-​than-​mediocre attempt at Mexican food.
The reason brioso gets two stars instead of one is dessert: banana cream pie in an oreo crust with fresh bananas AND fresh whipped cream – decadent yet light, and a lovely combination of filling & crust. Even better was the Mexican cinnamon bread pudding with dulce de leche sauce. Not too wet, not overwhelmingly powdery-​cinnamony. Imagine the richest, moistest cinnamon roll you’ve ever had, replace the icing with caramel sauce and give it a flavor ten times better than you can come up with. It was THAT good. Since service was not bad, I might be tempted to stop in for dessert one of these days.

I have never thus far in my life met a mojito that I have not liked. I love ginger, and do not recall a ginger anything that I disliked. I can’t remember the last time I left a mixed drink unfinished at a restaurant. Tonight I left a ginger mojito on the table at Brioso, and it made me sad to know that such a thing could be done poorly. (To be fair, a friend of mine got a watermelon and key lime margarita that was fine, but not great.)
This, alone, I could have written off, but our waiter was a jerk and the food was mediocre. The shrimp and mango taco was way too sweet and the shrimp were rubbery. The chorizo taco was gritty. Again, to be fair, the steak taco was pretty good, but didn’t save the dinner.
Meh.

I love Mexican food and margaritas and living in the area, I had always wanted to try this place out.
We sat outside and ordered some AWESOME little margaritas. Score! And when I initially looked at the menu, I thought it didn’t have a lot of options (and I am kinda picky).
We ordered the duck tacos without duck (i don’t do duck) and they put black beans on them. Awesome. These were the best nachos that I have had in years! Then I ordered some sort of fish while the BF had the 3 taco plate where he picked from a choice of things. He didn’t really like it but he also is still in love with his mom’s chicken tacos and hard to break out of that.
I will def go back for their nachos and margaritas although I will be sure to get there early as the space is small and I hate to wait!

Hey, wow. This Brioso place is excellent. It fits in with the Chicago Mexican Food Phenomenon. Let me explain.
Mexican food is best in Chicago. I challenge anyone to come up with better. I have been to San Diego. I have been to New Mexico. I have even been to Mexico, where I hear Mexican food comes from. And I say, from this traveled and experienced place, that Chicago has the best Mexican food of anywhere. This ranges from the storefront burrito place to the highly worked stuff that they serve at Brioso.
There is a taco on the menu that has, as a principal ingredient, butternut squash. These squash may grow in Mexico. I’m not sure about that. I’m sure some Mexican somewhere has made a taco out of butternut squash. Perhaps it was in a pinch. «Eh, Pablo — we are out of pork and steak and everything. All we’ve got are some taco shells and some of this weird squash. I’m going to try it.» It may have been good. But I do not imagine that it was as good as the one I had at Brioso, because this one was amazing. Obviously, someone MEANT to make the taco that way. They thought about it, added some other stuff that would help it taste extra yummy, and then served it to me on purpose.
Also, there is this tuna thing there. I cannot remember exactly what it was and by that time I was pretty tanked on the incredibly good mojitos and margaritas I drank there. But this tuna dish tasted really, really, really good. Tuna sashimi, I think. Maybe it was an appetizer? I don’t know. Essentially, the mojitos were my appetizer and they were excellent.
I like the tables. They are good colors, some kind of well set acrylic shellac over oil-​base deep fields of color. The space is not big but they make the most of it; outdoor seating is nice but I find Lincoln Ave. sometimes a little too raucous for sitting outside.
Try Brioso. Maybe it’s the excellent mixed drinks talking, but the Mexican food upholds it’s end of the Chicago standard.

Interior is warm, but not frilly… very clean and comfortable. Great location in Lincoln Square.
The food! Oh, heavens me. Delectable. Fish tacos for the mate, Tilapia in banana leaf for me. Many glasses of Wine. Flavorful, crispy, spicy nachos with guac perfection.
Great meal. Good service, excellent spot. Perfect for a date or dinner with the girls. This place flirts dangerously with «out of the square» in a sometimes repetitive LS.
A little pricey if you are used to «dive» Tex-​Mex. (which I also love, so I’m not judging). So be prepared. :) Parking not so delightful during prime dinner hours.

When someone wants to push off «modern» [insert cuisine here] to me, I almost immediately get turned off. Like, what makes «modern Mexican» modern? Are they no longer making stone-​ground tortillas? Do they use abstract jalapenos? What’s up?
But I love going here and being so very, very wrong. I almost always get the taco trio, though the variety I choose varies. Shrimp and mango is maybe my favorite, as is homemade chorizo and the slow-​roasted pork (with bacon, white beans and dried red chile salsa). Their guacamole is creamy and delicious, with a spicy kick. And any place that has the sense of humor to use the word «ginormous» on their menu is okay in my book.
Drinkwise, I always get the mojitos… but the last time I was there, they seemed incredibly strong. The sweet, minty taste was overpowered. Hmmm, maybe they were breaking in someone new? This one off night is not nearly enough to make me consider never returning. So I guess you can now consider me a Modernist of Mexican cuisine.

We went to Brioso recently and were disappointed. The service was very slow and we had to ask for the free chips and salsa that everyone else was getting with their water. My friend and I each ordered the taco trio and they were served to us very soggy. I wonder how long they were sitting before they came out to us for that much sauce to seep through the tortilla. I also about choked on the the horrible chunk of meat they used in the steak taco. It was very tough, fatty and chewy and not tasty at all. After we paid for our meal we had to go to another bar to get some real food.
If I ever have to go back I will just drink because their margaritas are good.

I don’t venture much out of my comfort zone — if you’ve read my Unilocal,you’ll know by that I mean I’m not a big fan of «contemporary» or «eclectic» any kind of cuisine. If I want Indian or Mexican or Chinese, I go for the real stuff. I don’t want my curry gussied up with confit or reduction or spices by way of France.
But I like trying and giving peace a chance, and sometimes it works, especially when the soul and spirit of the cuisine isn’t lost somewhere along the road to Michelin stars. Brioso does put a fancy spin on Mexican, but I appreciate it because it enhances the flair that comes with the cooking. My favourite (and really, the only thing I’ve ordered here) is the taco flight — you pick three tacos from a selection. Sure, the shrimp and mango salsa taco isn’t typical Mexican street food, but plump, juicy shrimp evokes the Veracruz ocean blue and sweet and tart mango salsa reminds me of a balmy summer evening in Puerto Vallarta. The steak taco is the majesty of Mexico City in the palm of your hand, and the homemade chorizo taco is the gutsy Guadalajaran keeping a taco honest.
And lest you think Brioso is too cool to be regular Mexican, its Lincoln Square provenance keeps it in line — pretension just doesn’t stand a chance here where great neighbours come together to enjoy a pleasant and chill night out.

I haven’t been to Brioso since last summer. This is only because I tend to dine out more in the summer months. Each time I dined at Brioso, I left satisfied. I’m a fan of their nachos and tacos. I enjoyed their margaritas, too. I was told that their mojitos are excellent. I’m giving Brioso five stars because the food has always been consistent and the staff has always been very friendly and accommodating.
Update 04÷06÷07: I went back with some friends. I think the prices went up a bit. But, the shrimp & mango with mint taco is EXCELLENT. If I go back again, I’d order a trio of those instead of mixing them up. So fresh!
UPDATE 03÷03÷08:
Has re-​opened under the name Jack Rabbit’s.

Great experience here last night.
Unique twist on Mexican food (Goat cheese & eggplant enchiladas and Butternut squash tacos)…very delicious.
The service was good & the margaritas were strong.
Cute décor — not a very big restaurant, but on a Tuesday night there wasn’t any crowd to speak of.

Was here a month or so ago, and was slightly disappointed.
I was really excited because I thought the area needed an upscale Mexican place.
Nice appetizers. I had a taco platter and it was OK.
However my problem is with the bus boy.
My plate still clearly had 1 ½ tacos on it & he kept trying to clear the table. Like three times.
Now, it was no where near closing time.
We were eating at 8pm as we were going to a 9:30 show at the Davis.
I will however go back to check it out again.

If you are in the mood for good Mexican food and don’t mind spending a little extra money, try Brioso. It’s a cozy little restaurant in the heart of Lincoln Square. If you go there, try their quac and chips. In fact, I often go there just for their guacamole. I also like their tacos, but they could benefit from more selection.

Not bad. It’s a very cozy place to have dinner. They have very interesting spins on traditional Mexican food that are a hit or miss. I had the Steak Nacho special which looked really good but didn’t taste as sensational as you would think it would. It was topped with fresh avocado and cheese. I also had the Ribeye Special with a side of cheesy tomatoes and supposedly asparagus but I got this cheesy square that was a bit too cheesy for my taste. The Ribeye was okay but kind of boring. It didn’t seem like it was marinated and that they only put mild steak sauce on it.
I had two different margaritas — the blood orange raspberry and the key lime pear margarita. not too much difference except the key lime pear was a bit more tart. those were the stand out part of the menu for me.
The prices are decent for the atmosphere. An appetizer ranges between $ 5 — $ 9 and entrees are $ 10 — $ 21.
Overall, I’d probably come here again but I really wish that the food was a lot more flavorful.
The music they were playing was pretty awesome — they played The Pixies, Cake, Beck, and Blur.

Having only moved to the US two years ago, Mexican food is still a rather new experience for me. Until Brioso, most of the Mexican food I’ve had has been of the greasy spoon variety (which has its own virtue). Brioso was a nice change from my usual Mexican choices.
Brioso is small and cozy but also fills up quickly. Fair warning for those who don’t like small crowded places.
The food is excellent. Having a low tollerance for Mexican spices, I was breathing fire the whole meal. Guacamole is fantastic, and the nachos are of perfect shape, crispiness, and saltiness. A wide variety of libations are also offered.
Brioso gets top points on service. Another one of those rare places where they genuinely give a damn what you think.
If you’re in the mood for Mexican, but something different than the norm, check out Brioso.

Great little addition to Lincoln Square (though on this site it’s listed as Ravenswood– it’s basically on the border).
Lovely margaritas and mojitos, and great tacos. A little pricier than what I expected but the quality was definitely there. I have to hesitate a bit about spending $ 7.25 on a marg, but you only need one– these things pack a punch.
I had the chicken nachos, which were on special, but next time I’d have the tacos. My friend loved them.
Would definitely go back. Do not miss the mojitos!

I love Brioso! Charming little place. We went for Easter Sunday brunch. Food was absolutely delicous. Service was fast and friendly. Can’t wait to try other dishes!
Update:
Was back here for dinner and I thought it could be better.