Fogon

The menu on the site is not accurate. From the menu it looks like it’s upscale Mexican. But the actual dishes and actual menu is more street food Mexican. I tacos, burritos, and the like, but it just was not what I was expecting.
Service is lacking. Food is rather bland. Went in on a Saturday night and the place was virtually empty.

I agree with James R… we read the reviews and thought, oh lord this isn’t going to be good but we had the Groupon so we gave it a shot and my husband and I were both pleasantly surprised at how fantastic the food was.
We tried the Grand Margarita and the Prickly Pear, both good and reasonably strong I’d say. We started with the empanadas and ceviche, husband wanted to just eat the ceviche with a spoon and share none of it with me. The chips are warm and homemade and kind of have a Fritos taste to them which was interesting. Good interesting.
We shared the carne asade and a side of plantains for our entrée and it was cooked absolutely perfectly. The pepper and beans and tomatoes as sides were awesome and the plantains were amazingly caramely (it’s a word) on the outside and soft on the inside and great with the cheese and crema on top.
I don’t know why it’s not more crowded, honestly. I think the prices are a bit high but it’s a nice atmosphere, relaxing with good service and a nice view out onto Grand and Ogden. Maybe a bad location for people driving in? I dunno but you should give it a shot.

Why’s everybody always hatin’ on this place?!? And why was it only ¾ full on a Saturday night at 8pm when my wife and I went?
I think some of my fellow Unilocalers are a bit too snooty to review a place like this. Fogon isn’t Alinea or Next or Girl and the Goat… nor do they try to be any of those places. If you want white glove service at a $ 300pp, or a scene with Chicago A-​listers strutting their stuff among arrogant waitresses, go elsewhere.
But if you want FANTASTIC upscale Mexican food served by knowledgeable and attentive waiters in a simply-​decorated but attractive space, Fogon is for you!
Go to Fogon for the food — it is truly phenomenal. From the appetizers to the entrees to the side dishes, you can’t go wrong. And make sure to wash it down with an Ogden margarita, Fogon’s personal play on the classic Mexcian drink. Portions are about right and so is the price… the bill for my wife and I came out to about $ 110 for two appetizers, one shared entrée, a side dish, four margaritas, and 20% gratuity. Perfect for a Saturday night date night!
The service was great too — we had Ricardo, who was attentive to our table and made sure our water (and margarita!) glasses were always full, and knew the menu inside and out.
The space itself is pleasant as well, with white-​washed walls, dimmed track lighting, candles and white tablecloths on every table, and a few nice paintings on the walls, but nothing to write home about.
But again, you go to Fogon for the FOOD experience… it’s awesome! So stop hating on Fogon!

Why good for a 1^st date? It’s easy to find, sitting on a corner across from the outlandish Twisted Spoke (which has a skeleton on a motorcycle on the roof). The place isn’t packed so you’re not straining to hear about her worst first dates. The service is attentive but not obtrusive, so she can finish the story of her 12 cats. The drinks are reasonable and tasty, so you can get her sloshed yet stay in budget. Best of all, the food is interesting and delicious. Try the ceviche for some shared quasi-​intimacy. The fare is not run-​of-​the-​mill Mexican revealing yourself as a patron of the unique. A shared dessert will set you on the road to a second date

Nick and I decided to brave the soggy November weather on Tuesday and enjoy a tasty dinner at Fogon.
The space is open with several large windows, which can add to «people watching» on Grand and Ogden (or the rooftop at The Twisted Spoke).
We started our meal adventure by ordering two salads: ensalada india and a beet salad. Both were abundant and extremely fresh. We enjoyed sharing them and barely spoke, since we were enjoying the fused flavors. Next, Nick had the pistachio crusted chicken and I enjoyed the salmon with spinach, plantains, and HOMEMADE corn tortillas. Holy yumminess! Again, all ingredients were very fresh and melded well together. I loved the fact that the chef was not afraid to add a kick of heat to each food item. There are some Latin restaurants who may shy away from adding a bit of spice. Finally, we decided to tackle the tres leche bread pudding: What a wonderful way to round-​out the eating experience!
The service was impeccable; the waiters knew how to work as a team and my water glass was never empty. And, the bartender did not believe in measuring the liquor for the cocktail. Nice.
This corner does not always bode well for restaurants and I hope this place will break the curse!

I went with a friend for brunch using one of those neighborhood coupons you get in the mail. We went rather early so the restaurant was empty. We loved the space. Spacious, bright and airy. Needless to say, we had no problems with service. Our server was quite attentive. We had started with the Ensalada India which was really good. For our entrée, we had the Salmon Al Carbon which was really yummy and moist. Not dry at all, the way I like my salmon. As a side we had the potatoes. I’m not a big potato fan, but these were actually good. There was a cilantro type seasoning on top of them that gave a boost of flavor. I was happy with my meal and service and would definitely give Fogon another try. The other great thing is that it’s just down the street from me.

We went for brunch and it wasn’t bad. The food was good. Service was fine. Their guac is good. I had the eggs benedict. It was a very odd combo but for some reason it worked… and it worked well. Smoked salmon on corn cakes with baby arugla, poached eggs, and tomatillo salsa. Their b-​fast potoates kicked ass!!! So good. Cranberry juice was really wierd tasting. Not too sure what was up with that, but oh well.
We’ll go back for dinner cause we have a coupon but I’m afraid this place isn’t going to last too long. Unfortunately, the location just doesn’t like to have a permanent resident… and from what I can tell, dinner is kind of pricey for upscale mehi-​cana food…

This place had been getting a lot of flak, so I thought it best for my boyfriend and I to see if it really did suck or if a bunch of a-​holes jumped to review it right when it opened and didn’t give it a chance. We also had a $ 25 off coupon, so the timing was perfect.
It seems that I was right about the a-​holes. One thinyg that I really hate about Unilocal is people that rush to a place right when it opens and then slam it publicly on the internet. A new restaurant needs to be given time to figure out what works for them and what doesn’t, and from what I’ve seen so far, Fogon has done a good job figuring out what doesn’t work for them.
The only mediocre thing that we ordered was the beet salad, and this is only because the beets weren’t sufficiently marinated before they were put into the salad. Beets are delicious, but can be quite bland without some of the simplest seasoning. The greens and dressing that accompanied it were delicious, but the beets themselves really just needed a little something more. The ceviche was more like coctel de camarones, but that was okay with me, as I love coctel. But that’s it — everything else was delicious.
We got the carne asada and the camarones a la diabla, and both were outstanding. The rajas that came with the steak were delicious and the spiciness of the shrimp was just right (and we like spicy food — I think that the person who said that they had no flavor other than shrimp was already upset from other things that happened and was therefore inclined to hate everything else about the place).
The margaritas are also totally reasonably priced, but I ordered the «Ogden» and it was pretty simple. It was just fine, but it could’ve used a little less sour mix. However, I got the prickly pear margarita right after that and not only was it the most beautiful pink I’ve ever seen (and I’m not generally one to order girly drinks), it was outstanding. Not nearly as sweet as it looked like it was going to me.
Finally, the service was great (maybe a LITTLE overbearing, but I think they’re overcompensating because of all of the flak they’ve gotten) and the outdoor patio is one of my favorites. I’ve honestly never really understood how so many restaurants have failed in this location with such an appealing outdoor space. We’ll definitely be back.

I had a Gilt City deal for a 3-​course meal. The choices were very limited AND of the 3 options for entrée, one was not available. I wasn’t interested in neither the vegetarian option nor the salmon so I asked if I could get something else and pay the difference. The chef said it’s a $ 10 up-​charge for something else. F THAT!
Because of poor planning on their part, customers can’t get what they want. What an AMAZING customer service policy.
I’m not even going to write about the food as it was mediocre. Better to go to Zocalo.
I’m giving it two stars as our waiter/​messenger was calm and very polite despite delivering senseless news. It was also 106 degrees that day and the dining room was a sauna and he was still professional.

Went to Fogon with a friend last night and used the Gilt deal. The food was DELICIOUS. Here’s what we ordered:
Appetizers — guacamole and croquetas (highly recommend the croquetas)
Entrees — salmon and pechuga de pollo (both we’re amazing… cooked perfectly)
Sides — hand cut fries and mexican sweet potato (both so good… i liked the sweet potato better though)
Dessert — pastel de queso (guava cheesecake… so freakin’ good!!! best part of the meal)
Drinks — margaritas (not strong at all… kind of tasted like margarita mix with no tequila)
Even though the food was great, the dining experience was super uncomfortable. On a 90+ degree today, I would expect a restaurant to be running their A/​C. It was SO HOT inside the restaurant which kind of ruined the whole experience for me. Also, the service was not so great. It took forever for our server to bring us drinks/food…we had to flag him down every time we needed something.
Total bummer… I really wanted to like this place.

I really hate to compare my dinning experience to sex (Ok, I’m lying. I actually love it), but It’s the only way to describe my experience at Fogon.
There’s nothing wrong with dropping trouw and going right to the horizontal hibbidy-​dibbity. But it’s much more fun when there’s a little romance involved. The nookie is always better when you have to work for it. Unfortunately, the people at Fogon failed when it comes to the romance part. That little something extra that curls your toes was lacking. The food was good. They made a tasty Queso fundido and the Lomo De Res Arceila (grilled Rib eye) was delicious, but the service left a lot to be desired. Our server was distant and did nothing but take our orders and disappear. When I wanted another beer, he was nowhere to be found. To be honest, he acted like he had no interest in his job.
I was hoping my experience would resemble a romantic evening that included a long walk on the beach, candles and foreplay, followed by hours of passionate love making. What I ended up with felt like a quickie in my old 77 Gremlin with a Motorhead cassette playing in the background. Oh well, you live and you learn.

Step right up folks, yes, step right up and satisfy your curiosity! Come and see the STRANGEST THING YOU WILL EVER SEE. Nine dollars is all it costs — such a small price to pay! You don’t want to miss this!
Folks, all I am going to tell you is this — if you have never seen, or heard of Corn Smut you are going to want to pay this low, low admission fee to have a ONCE in a LIFETIME chance to see the freakiest thing you will ever see!
Fogon’s World Famous Corn Smut is unlike any other! NOWHERE else will you see it paired up with Epazote, Chihuahua Cheese, Salsa Rustica and Crème Fraiche — NOWHERE else will you have such a delicious, rapturous experience! Nowhere else will you be so amazed, so disturbed, so thrilled all at once!
You have heard it called huitlacoche, you have heard it called Corn Truffle, but folks, this is the REAL DEAL here. Step right up, it’s all here, it’s all real, it’s all on the inside — come on in!
Don’t miss your chance to see the STRANGEST THING YOU WILL EVER SEE!

Worst meal I’ve ever had in Chicago.
It is hard to come up anything positive about the group dinner. meal took 3 hours. Food came out in ways that were disorganized, for example the first entrée came out 30 minutes before the next one. So 9 of us watched our friend’s food get cold.
The food was well presented. However it tasted horrible. Given the prices here, Taco Bell looks superior in every way.
Oooh. actually, if this goes bust, who wants to put a Taco Bell there? I assure you it’ll do better.

It’s hard to get past the horribly cheesy sign but the food here was pretty good. We came on a Saturday and were seated right away. We started out with the pork masa cake thingys… can’t remember what they are really called but we both devoured them. I had the salmon and my husband went with the shrimp diabla. He asked for is spicy and I think was a little let down but we both wiped our plates clean. I ordered a side of plantains and they were all cold in the middle.
The service was a little iffy. Our server didn’t tell us about any specials unless we asked. He came up and wanted to know what we wanted without even offering up the specials on the menu… very odd. We’re glad we asked since the app we ordered was a special. He talked up a dessert special that was a lime flavored ice cream that they DOUSED in cinnamon and totally ruined it. Thankfully it came with this amazing hot donut. I’d give this place another shot because the entrees were good. Hopefully they train the servers to let diners know about specials though.

Looking for cheap tacos, burritos and other «Americanized» Mexican fare for cheap prices? Well Fogon is NOT your place. For what Fogon is, is beautifully crafted Mexican food served in a white table clothed environment.
Owned by the same people that bring us Amelia’s down in Canaryville (and you know what great food you get there), Fogon is their newest venture, this time in the near west side.
The logo for Fogon and exterior were a bit of a disconnect for me, for when you pull open the front, black door– you find yourself in a contemporary, nice restaurant with the bar to the right and the restaurant to the left facing Grand Ave. And they have a large, simple patio out front– again that feels a bit casual for the kind of food they are serving.
So it is no wonder that during my dinner there the other night– patrons were coming in, being seated, looking at the menu and at the $ 22 entrée prices and walking back out. The fare is a little simpler at lunch but know before you go that this is going to be a dining experience and not a quick refuel stop.
We were seated in the perfect table in the window. Our server quickly brought us our drinks and went through the specials for us. Since this is a sister restaurant to Amelia’s — I was ready for a great experience and Fogon did not disappoint. And the best news? This location has a liquor license so no need to BYOB as is the case at Amelia’s.
We started with the calamari over jalapeño ailoi sauce. Spicy with just the right amount of kick and a large portion to share. Fabulous! We were off to a great start.
Next up– the entrees. I was torn between the skirt steak special or the Camarones a la diabla. The spicy shrimp won out. Plenty of jumbo shrimp with bacon, red peppers and a spicy valentina sauce that had quite the kick to it! Served with a side of corn risotto and tortillas, this was a terrific dish! My friend went with the lobster stuffed empanadas and a side of the corn risotto. Also very good!
Service was attentive and friendly. It took a while to get our first course– but once that was out– the pacing for the rest of the night was spot on. Again– go knowing that you are having a dining experience not grabbing a quick bite to eat.
Dinner for two with drinks was about $ 90 and there are so many other things that I want to try on the menu, you can bet I will be back.
If you are looking for upscale, Mexican food served in a contemporary environment, check out Fogon, a great addition to this neighborhood. If you want a cheap taco try a taquiera!

Just looked through my past reviews to confirm… yep. This is the worst dining experience I’ve ever had.
Have you ever seen an episode of «Kitchen Nightmares» (the US version)? Every episode is pretty much the same… Gordon Ramsay visits some restaurant and everything about it is terrible. No one’s there even during the busy hours, the service is atrocious to the point where people walk out, and the food is lackluster. Ramsay then takes over, changes everything, and business becomes brisk.
I lived through a Kitchen Nightmare tonight.
It was probably a bad sign when a restaurant at a decently busy intersection has only three tables with customers. A restaurant with a large outdoor patio and a whole second floor. On a Friday night in Chicago.
Of course, we didn’t know this coming in. My co-worker’s girlfriend planned a wonderful surprise birthday dinner for him, and we were all happy to patron whatever place she picked. But I digress…
Another bad sign we had was the lights in the main dining room flickering as if someone didn’t pay their electric bill. Then another sign was when our waiter didn’t understand the concept of taking the entire table’s order at one time.
Everything fell apart from this point on. Mind you, this is an empty house. After about 45 minutes… two entrees come out before the appetizers showed up, mine being one of them. Got the diablo shrimp, which weren’t spicy at all and honestly had no discerning flavor to them besides shrimp.
Half an hour later, the apps finally show, along with some of the most stale and chewy tortilla chips I’ve ever had, along with a couple more entrees. Half an hour from THERE, the rest of the entrees finally show.
Surprise surprise… with the last round of food, they had duplicated the entrees from the second round. How disorganized must that kitchen be?
Finally, after we had all finished, it took another 20 minutes for us to just get our bill. Was this some sadistic ploy to get us to order more food out of pure boredom? Not gonna happen.
I’ve never been so passionately angry about a restaurant. I’m just sad that all this work is going toward a restaurant that will inevitably close down in a month or so

Fogon is the latest entry in the upscale Mexican/​Fusion trend that is taking hold in Chicago. You won’t be finding tacos or burritos on the menu, instead the emphasis is on upscale dishes at upscale prices. I found the menu to be scatter shot to the point where it loses some of its Mexican focus, at which point Fogon becomes Fo-​gettable.
The truffle quesadilla will be the star in most Unilocalers reviews. You could put truffle on a possum and people will swear it’s the tastiest thing they ever ate. I found the quesadilla to be above average, but certainly not worth the price tag or the hype this dish is bound to receive.
Don’t bother with the guacamole – too many tomatoes and too much water, not enough avocado. Call me crazy, but guacamole should be green in color. If you like a bowl of pico you’ll love their guac, if you want to be able to taste some avocado, you won’t. Also would have been nice to see some homemade salsa served with the chips.
For main courses we tried the pork tenderloin and the shrimp diablos. The pork tenderloin was excellently prepared. However, the pork tenderloin was served with some sort of mushy vegetable medley that wasn’t particularly attractive or delicious. The shrimp diablos was supposed to be spicy and I saw at least 5 chili peppers in there, yet for some reason it still tasted bland and the shrimp themselves weren’t something I would try again. The shrimp came with a rice of some sort that was pretty bland and not very Mexicany.
Fogon would be better served if they went with more traditionally Mexican sides. The sides took too much away from the Mexican fusion element and made Fogon just seem like a regular restaurant that also happened to serve guac and chips and a truffle quesadillas for appetizers.
The chocolate tres leches cake was not quite as good as more traditional versions. The novelty of it being a chocolate cake wears off after a couple bites and left me wishing I had ordered something else. The crepas locas were sort of a mish mash of everything sweet they could find rolled up into a crêpe. It was messy, delicious, and very sweet, but definitely seemed like somebody threw a bunch of sweet stuff together and called it a dessert.
Our server was so friendly that I really wanted to like Fogon, but at the end of the day, I really wasn’t particularly impressed. If Fogon could improve on some of the side dishes and shape up the guacamole, I’d have no problem endorsing this place. As it is, Fogon is trying to be too many things at once, perhaps at the price of putting out fully realized dishes. For the amount you’ll end up spending, Fogon just isn’t putting out a good enough dish to make the trip worth while. Right now, file under room for improvement.

Once upon a time this little bird ventured in Canaryville and fell in love with a lovely girl named Amelia.
She was beautiful, exotic, Mexican and had a restaurant.
But then the little bird migrated toward Ukrainian skies and it wouldn’t see the gorgeous lady that fed it magical food anymore.
It was sad and thinking of its old friend with nostalgia but knew that such was life and that it also does us apart from the good things.
Until it realized on a glorious morning in Spring that its lady had followed him and was opening a new restaurant very close to him.
It started singing again, and flowers bloomed and butterflies flew around.
(I thought that we all could do with a Spring-​y little story here given the sad week we just experienced…)
Anyway, back to hard-​core business.
If you have been to Amelia’s you know you will like this place. Same great people, same good soulful food — without the BYO. There is really not much wrong in this establishment as people will soon realize. The menu is not endless but that’s always a plus in my book: you can really focus on what you are doing, and do it well.
The quesadilla con huitlacoche is not only mega delicious (cheese and corn «truffle» as they elegantly call it on the menu — even though it’s technically nothing more than mold but the best tasting one you will ever encounter), it’s also a real work of art. Topped with crispy julienned vegetables perfectly dressed — it’s a great way to start you meal, and it’s generous enough to share.
I continued my meal with the scallop special — 3 big-​sized wonders, seared to perfection and bathing in a spicy sauce and accompanied by a oyster mushroom and spinach risotto. Flavors were spot on. It was slightly under-​seasoned for my taste but other than this detail, a good dish all the way.
Olga is an amazing waitress and recognized me right away from my previous visits to their sister restaurant. She treated us like queens, and Mexican tiramisu was on the house. A perfect way to finish our dinner, chatting about boys, travels and new lives while sipping on our wine.
Nice atmosphere, really cute bar (love the black tile) and a steady stream of diners all throughout the night.
A very nice addition to the neighborhood!

By pure dumb luck, we stumbled on Fogon on its opening night. One of my gal pals wanted to hang out and talk in this neck of the woods, and we realized that neither of us had eaten yet. We were familiar with the previously existing restaurant Fiesta Mexican through the haze of many, many margaritas. So we ventured to this upgraded restaurant, as drinks were definitely needed for this heart-​to-​heart conversation that was going to take place.
Staff was on-​point with attentiveness and service. Server Martin was kind and patient as he assist us with our selected appetizers we ordered as a tapas-​kind of meal. We ordered the guacamole and queso fundido for the first round. First impression via taste buds was that it tasted fresh and «clean” – not overpowered by seasonings, just balanced, enough balance between the savory garlic and onion with the creaminess of the avocado in the guacamole, the cheesy mellowness with the meaty-​tinged pinto beans. Second round of appetizers: The calamari with a garlic-​cilantro aioli, and a green salad with ginger vinaigrette and jicama. Again, the taste balance of sweet-​savory-​spicy-​tangy was on-​point. The aioli was underneath the calamari, fried crisp yet tender and flavorful without over-​flakey breading. The ginger vinaigrette had a upfront sweetness with a slightly biting aftertaste to let you know that this was the real deal, freshly made. Mexican-​zen goodness.
Oh, and the mojitos… yes. YES.
See, a good mojito is one of simple design, good quality ingredients, and no b.s. Rum, simple syrup, soda, fresh mint, lime. That’s it. Not a cosmo-​pomegranate-​like mojito, just keep it simple and good. Real good. I mean it. And they did it right. Hot dang, they did it right. Hadn’t had a mojito that good since Vegas (and I can’t share anymore, because, you know, what happens there…).
But a special thumbs-​up to Donnie, the ringmaster of this soirée, who swooped by our table with contagious, upbeat happiness. Whatever his role is with this restaurant, and whoever is in charge, he is a keeper. He struck up good casual conversation, insured our food was to our liking, kept the waitstaff circulating, and just made the evening more entertaining with his joyous presence. As my friend said, «He has a good heart, he’s good people.» Yes, yes indeed. We left satiated and curious to experience more of Fogon.
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We live in the neighborhood, and went to Fogon last night for their opening night. Great experience!
The interior has been remodeled and redecorated in a far more upscale way than the previous restaurant that was in this space. There were a lot of people and the energy was fantastic.
The food was delicious. We had the quesadilla appetizer, as recommended by our waitress when we tried to order the guacamole. She said it was the chef’s specialty … and I can see why. It’s not your typical quesadilla, and the sprout garnish on top was great too. Definitely worth a try. For entrees we tried the chile relleno and the Camarones Diablas. Both were fantastic.
The service was great, especially for opening night. And it was nice to see that they kept on a few wait staff from the previous restaurant. The manager/​owner was friendly and stopped by our table a few times.
The only negatives were that the lighting was a little bright (tho they actually pulled out a few light bulbs from the chandelier nearest our table when they realized it was shining right in our faces … now that’s service!). And the main girl greeting the guests looked like she could not have been more bored. Everyone was running around working hard and she looked like she was annoyed for having to be there.
Overall, tho, it’s a great addition to the neighborhood! I’m sure they’ll work out the few minor kinks in a short while. Great food, nice atmosphere, and an outdoor patio for when the weather gets nice again.