Mambo Grill

This place was an unexpected delight. As soon as you walk in, you feel just chilled and relaxed. The plantain crusted halibut I ordered was to die for and I wished I had more room to finish it!
The service was great — attentive to our needs, filled the water glass every time it neared the bottom, and made sure to keep an eye out for any requests we might have had.
Definitely going back for some more of that halibut!

Meh, is right. First of all, I should have taken the train. It would have been a short walk, even in the rain. I drove around for nearly half an hour looking for parking before finally just deciding to valet it ($ 12 for 3 hours)…
The atmosphere seemed lively enough. Music was a little loud so you had to shout a little bit if the person wasn’t right next to you, the place was packed (but not overflowing) for a weekend night. The service was pleasant and friendly, but relatively slow. It seemed like they had enough staff and the place was small enough that it should have been more efficient. Our water glass was always filled, but it took forever to place our order, get our drinks, get extra glasses, get our food, get our bill, etc…
I was a little iffy about the crispy roast pork because of the mixed reviews, but (alas!) fell victim to the hype. The crispy roast pork is NOT crispy. The meat was kinda dry. And rather bland. It’s served as shredded pork on top of a mound of jalepeno mashed potatoes (jalepeno spice was VERY subtle, could hardly taste it), sitting in a pool of buttery, sweet corn cream. The panama style empanadas were cheesy and fluffy (my panamanian friend tells me they’re supposed to be more chunky with filling, less cheesy, and flatter). The margaritas are decent. The mojitos are overpriced at $ 8 and weak in a small whiskey glass with ice.
Shortly after finishing my meal, the ceiling above me started to leak (YES, leak! NO WONDER they are moving! They should’ve closed just one day earlier). For that, the manager (?) came out and apologized and put a wet cloth where the leak was dripping to absorb the water and re-​assured us it was not a bathroom above us, but rather the bar (yes, that makes me feel tons better– thank god it started after I’d finished eating, it would have dripped right into my food! ew!!!). Then they gave us complimentary desserts and a margarita pitcher (the pitcher being requested).
It seemed to take a long time (10? 15 mins?) for the valet guy to return with my car… they only had one valet so another couple in our party had to wait even longer (after me).

Mambo Grill… wow.
As I write this, I am eating the other half of my leftover Guava Pork sandwich from yesterday’s lunch at Mambo Grill. Let’s just say I am ready to cry over this sandwich because it is so good and encompasses my favorite flavors: sweet + meat.
Think of the Guava Pork sandwich as a BBQ pulled pork sandwich, but «done right»: guava saucy sweet pulled pork on an onion roll, with a side of fries, and Mambo Grill’s homemade guacamole and regular old ketchup for dipping sides. Even better, take some of the guacamole and smear it onto your sandwich. What a great mix of flavors and textures! And with tax and tip, only $ 10. Shoot, why bother with chains like Corner Bakery for the same price!
I couldn’t help but also observe other people’s food while I ate at the restaurant yesterday. Someone ordered a salad with mangos (!!!) and avocados, and a cup of the black bean soup that was ornately surrounded with tri-​colored tortilla chips. Wow, I know I’ll have to try those next time! Someone’s mambo burger also looked pretty thick and yummy for those beef eaters out there.
They also have $ 3.99 bar appetizers starting at 4 pm, and are reputed to have the best mojito in town. I’ve never had one before, let alone Mambo Grill offers a mango (!) one.
Also note about lunch, it wasn’t busy when I went! So you have no excuse if you work in the area not to try this place.
I will definitely be back to try other items on their menu. AND… YOU HAVE TO COME HERE BEFORE THE END OF MARCH! Mambo Grill is closing its doors in preparation for their move to a location two blocks west of the restaurant (why oh why oh why, now that I’ve found you?) They’ll open again in July so ACT FAST NOW.
And finally, major props to bartender Frank. He’s really nice!

How many people can you cram into a doorway? I don’t know but this place surely tries to find out with their nonexistent waiting area. I was a little put off by the fact that my reservation seemed to have become lost but they got us in fast and in pretty comfy accommodations in the downstairs area. The floor manager seemed very stressed out at such an early hour in the evening but I must say the place gets packed so stress is understood.
Once seated, our waitress was pretty quick to stop by and introduce herself and get us mojito-​fied! I must say that I’m really not a huge fan of mojitos or at least I wasn’t but the Mambo mojitos were pretty tasty.
For dinner I had the Dominican bombas de camarones, delicious croquettes of potato and shrimp with a side of the tastiest black beans I’ve had in a long time. I assumed the drinks would be good but figures the food would be mediocre. I was pleasantly surprised.
Overall a pretty good time, I think the upstairs is a bit too crowded and possibly a bit overwhelming, but if you’re cool enough to get seated downstairs then you’ll enjoy yourself.

M-​o-​j-​i-​t-​o. Say it with me, won’t you? M-​o-​j-​i-​t-​o. Have one with me, won’t you? No? How about it if I mention that on Fridays, mojitos are half-​price? Still no? Well, move along, then. Yes, they are half-​price, and that special applies to either by the glass or by the pitcher. Uh, a pitcher, duh!
I joined the dance class dropout crew last night for mojitos, food, and good company. I remember the last time I was here (awhile ago), I had the BBQ ribs, which was delicious. This time, I went with the chicken taquito from the appetizer section. The waitress assured me that I made a very good choice, and she was right. For an appetizer, this thing was huge, and I just finished the leftovers for dinner tonight! For those who dislike cilantro, this was sprinkled with a very small amount of it. I’m not a huge fan, but I was able to pick off what I could. No biggie. Everyone else seemed to enjoy what they ordered as well.
For larger parties, there’s another room downstairs. It worked well for us because it wasn’t as loud as upstairs. Plus, the bathrooms are down there, so you won’t be stumbling up/​down the stairs if you’ve had one too many mojitos. *wink* Service was fine — no complaints here. Our waitress was able to divide our checks individual for our party of 10 (?). Valet is available, and the #22 and #36 buses are within walking distance as well.
(Thanks to Ralph and Jaik for making sure our mojito glasses were never empty or half-​full.)

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago. Whenever anyone comes into town I always bring them here. Fridays are half-​priced mojitos and it can get busy-​definitely make a reservation. The mojitos are a little stronger on other nights, but still good either way. They also make a pretty good Sangria.
The chips and salsa and guacamole as a starter is great. I’ve also had the calamari appetizer and it is good as well-​the breading has a little kick to it.
I’ve ordered the Taquito de Pollo appetizer as my main course several times and it is really good-​most of the time I can’t even finish it.
My favorite dish though is the Crispy Pork on top of mashed potatoes and sweet cream corn-​it is one of the dishes the servers usually recommend and it is amazing!
If you’ve never been here and live in Chicago-​you have to go! Love love love this place!

Mambo you make my mouth happy. Thank you. One of my favorites is the Flautas de Puerco, Three flautas filled with shredded pork & potato, Chihuahua cheese & guacamole. I also enjoyed the Brazilian Steak Kabobs appetizer, it comes with grilled pineapple and I sure am a sucker for grilled pineapple.
There is a waitress and waiter who work the lunch shift who are excellent. There is another waiter at lunch who phones it in. When I ordered hot tea the one waiter brings out the whole selection box, honey and a lemon and asked if I wanted cream. The phone-​it-​in-​guy just placed a regular old black tea bag next to the cup. No lemon, no honey and seemed to get a little ‘tude when I asked him to bring the box. In general he doesn’t stop by to see if you need anything or if everything is OK. But like I said the other two are great. The bus man is on top of it too. Your water glass in never empty.
I was disappointed the last time we were there because I had a taste for their Mariquitas, (crispy plantains with pineapple salsa and black bean dip) and they were out of them. I am not a fan of their Plántanos Maduros which are the sweet plantains, they are just drowning in the honey. bleh.
Their mojitos and sangria I thought were decent. My friends are fans of their sandwiches. It is a great little escape at lunch.

Date of visit: 01/​23/​2008, roughly 6 pm.
So the Mambo, if you were looking for a big airy, lit environment, this is not the place for you. It had the feel of a «McDougal» pub you’d find anywhere in the city with dark heavy wood accent, super low lighting and a loud crowd. I couldn’t hear my dining companion a few times and we were sitting right up front, away from the back booths where all the «action» was.
It was good to see the restaurant fill up. Reading all the news it’s not hard to imagine restaurants like this dying from lack of patronage. But no, this place was packed, and the later the hour grew, the more customers filled up the small entrance into the place. Reminded me of Orange, and how people would dutifully wait in the small waiting area for a table, no one could get out unless you pushed your way through.
Once seated it took about 10 minutes, maybe a bit longer for the server to take care of us. I was a bit bitchy at first, instead of just saying hello when he asked how we were doing; I said «It took a while for someone to notice us.» He responded that he wasn’t told he had a new table to serve. Now when I worked at Orange, no one had to tell me twice that I had a new table to serve. I was a little miffed at his response. Here’s this kid working a really sweet job, probably making a sweet dime and he can’t even be bothered to look on his own to see if his tables were ready for service? Bullshit, I want his job.
Anyway, after I got over myself we both ordered beverages. I had the Mojito (stormy) and my friend had some sort of Sangria mix. I don’t recommend the Mojito. It was all lime, a little mint, and not enough Rum! Maybe on another night when the Mojito isn’t half priced, it’s better.
For the eats, we both went for the three course option, I chose the Ensalada de Aguacate y Mango Avocado, ripe mango slices, red onion over baby greens and drizzled with a citrus vinaigrette to start and then a Crispy Roast Pork entrée with the pork topped on a rounded shape of Jalapeño infused Mash Potatoes, and surrounded with a light amount of sweet cream corn. Actually there was more sweet cream than corn and the cream was really sweet, but it mixed well and absolutely delicious with the Jalapeño mashed potatoes.
So what’s up with the fru-​fru potato presentations? I suppose if you take a relatively cheap ingredient like potatoes and spice it up and make it look weird you’re immediately allowed to call it «fine dining» and granted license to charge a higher fare. I mean c’mon, just give em to me properly cooked and seasoned.
It seems like most restaurants are doing these little things in hopes of enticing a higher table count. To me, it’s just a waste of time. I suppose with high food and operating costs across the board they want to attract the kind of clientele that cares about this sort of thing, so viva le power to the round shaped mash potatoes if it brings in revenue.
I honestly can’t remember anything about the pork, as it was dwarfed by the quantity and spicy factor of the potatoes. Well, spicy by my standards anyway. It’s interesting when you think about it how much food can be packed when you use one of those round molds for food. Orange uses them as well for its potatoes and eggs (if you were to get them just scrambled). I didn’t end up finishing my dish, too many potatoes, but I did take it home. Waste not, want not! Always a good cliché to adhere to, especially on these rare occasions dining out! BUT, with all that said, the entrée was pretty delicious overall.
And then desert; I should have picked the Chocolate Chipolte cake that my friend had. Instead I had the Brazilian Guava Cheesecake cheesecake. It was okay, if forgettable. Chocolate never goes out of style in my book
Overall, if I have the opportunity, I’d go back. I hope they stay in business during this nasty ass economic micro-​depression.

Great Place to break away from the River North Tourist Trap Location.
My cousin is located right in River North on LaSalle. She is surrounded by tourist restaurants after tourist restaurant. For the locals of that area, I recommend Mambo Grill! Great Menu away from the Lalos crazyness. It is more of a sophisticated menu. My cousin and I have visited Mambo Grill multiple times. Great mojitos, great salsa, great flavors in the main dishes. If you are a fan of flavor Mambo Grill is your place.
Important note! Because it is in the River North on the edge of the River North Dist. and the Loop, be ready for it to be busy. I would make a reservation. If you are looking for an early dinner, around 6, you should be fine.
I would also note that groups of 6 or more might want to consider somewhere else. It is a small place.

Ummmm… YUMMO!
My coworker ordered the pan seared chicken, and I ordered the shrimp curry with coconut milk and rice. Soooooooooo GOOD! I always thought the whole coconut milk deal was a thai thing, but apparently, I was wrong. It’s also a Latin thing too. Flan was also a good choice if you’d like to add sweetness to your tooth towards the end of a great dinner.
And let’s not forget… THE SANGRIA!!! YUM! YUM! YUM!!!

A party of 6 of us got a table in the banquet room downstairs for our colleague’s surprise birthday celebration. Overall, the experience was pleasant and fun.
Food: Pretty awesome. We started off with some app’s (the guacamole is quite yummy and HUGE in portion) and a couple of pitchers of mojitos (meh). For entrée, I had the coconut curry tilapia which was impeccable. I sampled others’ dishes and was particularly wow’d by the bbq ribs with sweet potatoes.
Atmosphere: Casual and sort of cozy (in the banquet room). I enjoyed the low-​lit lighting and the elbow-​to-​elbow table arrangement which was rather reminiscent of my favorite dining spots in NYC.
Service: The staff seemed overwhelmed at times (a busy night?), but generally, our server was very attentive and friendly. Had it been a bit less noisy in there, though, she could have screamed a bit less in our ears through the thick noise.

Went to this place with some co-​workers on a couple of occasions and I’m not sure I was impressed. I had some wierd chicken sandwich that did not really do it for me. The drinks were ok except for the mojitos. I could have sworn there was no alcohol in it.
The best thing about this place is the staff that greets you when you come in and the best thing of all… The Brazilian Guava Cheesecake. That alone makes this place worth coming to. I had other drinks besides the mojito and they got the job done. After a while and many drinks, the placed pretty much filled up, but it wasn’t bad.
This place is worth a try and the Brazilian Guaza Cheesecake is a must

1.) Lazy lunch on the lovely patio. +1 star.
2.) Delectable lobster quesadilla with queso blanco. +1 star
3.) Well-​priced lunch menu with generous portions. +1 star
4.) Great service (free tortilla soup as they ran out of black bean). +1 star
5.) Mojitos: epic fail. Tasted like flat soda water with weak hints of lime and mint. Even though they’re half off on Fridays, I want to taste my mojito! –1 star
Bottom line: a solid 3 stars.

So someone at my work had suggest that we go here to celebrate the September birthdays in our group — me being one of them, so I checked to see what Unilocal had said.
Pretty decent reviews, so I figured we probably couldn’t go wrong. As well, I asked Tom S. on a recommendation any he stated that the Chips and Salsa were a go.
So when we ordred, we started off with Chips and Salsa, as well as a couple orders of the Ceviche. Now, the chips are pretty standard Tri-​Colored chips, nothing to make me pine for more — however, the salsa itself was amazing. Both the pico de gallo and the hot salsa hit the spot. Perfectly flavored, and not over the top with the spice. The Ceviche as well was excellent. I have never tried it before at any other place, so by default this ranks as the best — I am not saying it is, but it was good. You could taste the seafood and the vegetables, which was almost like seafood and pico de gallo.
On to my meal — I wrestled back and forth between chicken, then steak, then pork, then back to chicken, then some pork, then steak. which is where I landed.
I went with the Carne Asada Steak cooked medium. I have to say, I was actually disappointed. The only real flavor that I got from the meat was burnt/​char. It was chewy, and stringy — which I understand from this cut of steak, but it just seemed a bit over the top. The tomato guajillo sauce that it was served on did nothing to mask the charred flavor, and actually almost enhanced it.
Normally, I can handle the char flavor if the meet is cooked and seasoned well, but the char won. The rice and beans served on the side were very good, and nicely prepared, but the portion was so small. You would think for a $ 17 dish you would get more then a spoonful of rice and beans.
The service was a little off at time too. We had two people that ordered soda. One who ordered a diet, and one a regular. The waitress kept messing them up! Yah, they look the same, but that is usually a pretty standard thing at tables– multiple drinks in various levels of diet and not diet.
In all, it was ok. i would probably go back and get take out and order strictly off the lunch menu as it is cheaper, even if it has smaller options.

Very whatever for the price. Fridays is half off mojitos (glasses from $ 8 to $ 4; pitchers from $ 30 to $ 15). Between three girls, we shared a pitcher, ceviche appetizer, 3 entrees, and 1 dessert. It came to $ 35/​pp after tip.
I don’t agree with Metromix claiming that Mambo Grill has the best mojitos in the city because I only tasted flat soda water and mint! The complimentary jalapeño crusty bread was good with the hard orange spread (cheese?). The ceviche was really good and addicting ($ 10), but everything else was on the bland side (coconut curry tilapia, roasted shredded pork, and guava glazed chicken which tasted like BBQ). Most entrees range $ 15 – 25. The chipotle chocolate cake was a little spicy, if you can imagine that.
I don’t plan on coming back, unless it’s for their happy hour specials only at the bar from 3 – 6 PM on M-​F.

Mojitos, no way; pork, OK!
I’m not sure if Mambo Grill is sleeping in Metromix’s bed or it’s the other way around, but there are about a hundred versions of the mojito in and around Chicago that are 10 times better than this watered-​down mint-​less concoction. The Brazilian Margarita, on the other hand, is pure perfection [even if I didn’t get the salt as requested the last visit].
While the chips, mild salsa del árbol and Pico de Gallo are not plopped onto every table gratis like many places with the same vide, they are worth paying for. The tri-​color chips are fresh and crispy and the Pico de Gallo is pure perfection: the perfect combination of chopped tomato, chili, onion and cilantro with just the right amount of tart lime juice.
Don’t pass on the Ceviche of the day either. The fish is perfectly ‘cooked’ in a vegetable-​rich brine, also perfect with the chips [though you do get chips with the Ceviche order].
The menu is a bit misleading when they tout the Brazilian skirt steak kabobs as «four marinated skirt steak and pineapple skewers» and you get two of each. Not a big deal, the 6 inch kabobs are stuffed full and at $ 7.95 I wasn’t about to complain. The skirt steak was decidedly DONE but not to the point of being chewy.
I think Mambo does pork better than they do other proteins and while I love their batter-​less Chiles Rellenos, I will usually opt for something from the pig. Their pork and potato filled flautas are rich and crispy with succulent pork and melty Chihuahua cheese; the guacamole to accompany adds further to the rich mouth feel and deliciousness. Too, the Mango Chutney Pork Loin is highly flavored thanks in part to the chipotle rub. The play of sweet and hot works perfect with the tender pork. More please.
The room is fine, nicely appointed and decorated. I’ve never had an issue with bad service which has always been personable and served with a smile.

I tried Mambo Grill when we had lunch catered at the office. For a Mexican place, I would have thought that they would make great Mexican signature dishes, but I unfortunately was proved wrong.
I ordered a shrimp quesadilla that was too salty and too fake! They don’t use regular tortillas. Instead I had much more doughy tortillas that were almost bread-​like. The serving was also very small. There were only about three pieces of shrimp in my entire quesadilla!
Maybe I went the wrong route by choosing such a simple dish. But now I worry that trying a much more complex and more expensive dish will just leave me more disappointed.

Visited: 03.12.08
Came to this quaint place for a work-​related lunch. Had no idea is was Cuban food, but overall — the food I has was great (Pan-​Seared Chicken). The nachos are a meal in itself… and I treated myself to a Mojito… for a non-​drinker as myself, I enjoyed it mucho!
I would definitely go back again!
REVISED 3.14.08
Found out after being taken out for the lunch, that the Mojitos (pitcher we had) was actually $ 37! Sorry, but that deserves a star removed for that price! — The food, 4 stars for sure!

I went here recently for a bachelorette party dinner. The mojitos and the chips are great. The guacamole was a little on the flavorless side, but the salsas were good.
My shrimp entrée was pretty good. I’d go back there again because we had great service and good food.

Came in with a reservation (side note — spent half an hour looking for parking and ended up parking in a structure — $ 18 for an hour and 20 minutes) and waited about ten minutes at the bar (had the luck of coming in at the same time as a large group of women) but the bartender was fabulous.
Fridays is half off of their Mambo Mojitos — YUM! Their pitcher seemed to be endless for the two of us and it was great — not too sweet but just with enough kick!
We started off with their guacamole — OMG — so good and it came with two other salsas that were equally as good, too. The guacamole was simplely scrumptious. We also started off with their calamari and it was simply amazing. The calamari was fried with some sort of spice in it and the dipping sauce was something out of this world. I think that it might have mango in it! Maybe even a touch of jalapenos?
The SO got their tequilla marinated skirt steak which was worlds of flavor and really cooked to perfection. It kinda melted a little in my mouth. I got their roast pork over the mashed potatoes and the sauced that was around it was sweet with a kick.
Service was fabulous, drinks better, and food was delish — can’t wait to come back again!