Libertad

Fantastic food and atmosphere. We ordered the Strip Steak, Acorn Squash Risotto, and Crab Cake… All three were great. Our daughter who is a picky eater ate all of our Serrano Soup, which was a pre-​meal «on the house» teacup of soup, very delicious.
I highly recommend Libertad.

Still a 5 star! Came back during the week and the crowd was dead compared to last time with the weekend over crowd. I tried the octopus this time around which was great. A little on the salty side with the chorizo bits but totally up my alley and the octopus was super tender and delicious.
Although the carne with yucca fries is a must this time around the meat wasn’t as tender and a little more on the hard/​chewy side. Still great and powerful flavor and the yucca fries are just the cherry on the cake! We also tried the risotto dish and although I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin it was pretty good.
Service is great. Super friendly staff, fast and efficient. We were with a group of people and we orders several different dishes. Our waitress was nice enough to suggest she would bring everything out in doses/​spread out for us compared to all at once which was perfect.
Def one of my favorite places. Great food and great service.

This is the best tapas place in the Chicago land area. Ask for the Arturo Special or get a cocktail from the menu, and do NOT skip the squash risotto or desert.

One of the cooler restaurants for Skokie. Been here twice now, the service is great. Make reservations since its a small restaurant. I’ve tried a lot from here now. They give you new plates and utensils often, so things never get too messy. I’ll start with my favorites first, the pulpo, the octopus isn’t chewy, cooked just perfect. The calabaza is full of flavor wish I got this again. The pollo and asada are both great as well. The first time I came I loved the flautas but last night when I tried it, it was okay. The lamb meatballs is very good, but only has 4 of them. The veneras is okay, I liked the pulpo way better. The poblano to me wasn’t one of the best, I wouldn’t get it again. The aguacate is good if you want a salad. For drinks, I had the margarita ahumada which I enjoyed, the guys that got it thought it was a bit too much of a smokey flavor. My husband had one of their manhattans but said wasn’t much liquor in it. Would come here again, it’s a good spot for couples and groups (but I think you would have to make reservations way in advance for a large group). For groups its good because you can try so many of the dishes.

I’ve heard the raves of this place but I wasn’t too impressed.
I thought the prices were high especially for the the vegetarian entrée (Had the squash…$ 18). Also had the calamari and asada those prices were more in line at about $ 20 ea. Calamari was extremely salty. Asada was ok
Cocktails were $ 10 each and only one beer on menu that was $ 5 per can.
Service was excellent
I don’t mind paying these prices in River North or Lincoln park but I thought it was expensive and average tasting for Skokie.

Really amazing customer service and food.
The drinks left something to be desired. There wasn’t a cocktail that excited me.
BUT. I loved the service clean utensils.
Loved the soup we received, steak was awesome, shrimp also good.
Octopus amazing.
All in all great time.

The best restaurant in the Chicago area is in… Skokie? No, I’m not kidding.
I have never had anything less than an incredible meal here. I live in the city, but I actually bring visiting family and friends to Libertad because I know it won’t disappoint.
Get the hummus! And then order whatever you want. You can’t go wrong.

Love this place
The service to food and clean taste is 5 stars
I would recommend this to everyone!

Great spot off the beaten path in Skokie! My wife and I went there last night for a date night and were supper impressed. Started with a Margarita Roja which was very tasty and my wife had Red Wine. Complimentary squash and poblano soup shooter was delicious. Crab cakes with a ton of crab which is way better than a traditional crab cake with filler. Wife had mahi mahi which was very lite, in a good way and I had Asada which was awesome. Chocolate Dessert was insanely good. Hugo was great on the service side.
I would highly recommend for date night or taking people out for a business dinner.

Ok let me start off that I was so hungry so I apologize for not having more pictures than what I am going to post. Met up with an old high school friend here at Libertad being that it has good reviews and the bonus of it being close my work.
This place is nicely decorated with dark wood, candles, and romantic which would be perfect for a date night. Nice ambience.
Started off with an Horchata cocktail which contained a mixture of Saki, vodka, cinnamon stick garnish and something else. Had two of them because they were good. Easy on this drink if you don’t think it will hit you. It snuck up on me. lol
My friend has been here numerous times so he ordered for us. We had a pear salad that has arugula, goat cheese, asian pear, and candied pecans with a balsamic vinaigrette. Nice peppery bite of the arugula with the sweet goat cheese and pear really hit the spot as a starter. yummy.
Then we tried the Veneras which consisted of scallops, black rice, long beans, and a yuzu-​habanero-​butter sauce. Damn! it was delicious. Nicely seared scallops with a tiny spicy kick of the black rice and the butter sauce. The scallops were huge and tasted so fresh. The mild scallop accompanied by the black rice and a smear of my fork across the habanero sauce was to die for, and hooray for the my green beans. delish.
Also had the Asada. Carne Asada cooked medium served on top of tomato slices and topped with shoestring yuca fries and a chimichurri sauce drizzle. It was downright delicious as well. Those yuca fries were great and the steak was cooked perfectly.
Lastly for dessert we had the pannacota. It was served with a berry sauce and topped with whipped cream and an edible flower. Great presentation.
The presentation of each dish was lovely, the food was executed perfectly with each dish tasting just as good if not better than the first. Truly satisfied and happy experience. Price point is great for good quality food. Nice little Latin gem in Skokie. I felt I was somewhere in Downtown Chicago. Such a great place.
Will be visiting this place again!

I really like Libertad. Besides Skaliwags in Algoma Wisconsin, Libertad may be the midwest’s best hidden gem. I had never eaten in downtown Skokie before… didn’t even know Skokie had a downtown but what an oversight on my part. Last night we came in w no reservations. This meant eating at the bar which is what I prefer anyway. (The location is small which helps give it a busy appearence) The lighting inside and out is dark which adds to the mystery I spose. They limited their menu to a few items for quality control purposes. The nice thing is the menu offers something for every dietary need. My wife the vegetarian couldn’t stop raving about her dish. My steak and it’s sauce were muy good. I’m still hungover from the mezcal… I’ll go back… also this isn’t a place for kids.

This review has been a year and a half coming now. After discovering this gem in the heart of Skokie about a year and a half ago, I have been back with family and friends about 10 – 11 times and I have never left with a bad taste from Libertad. Their precise cooking techniques and bold flavors ensure your taste buds are in for a treat! I love their blended soups, hummus, aguacate salad, squash and mushroom risotto, the chicken dishes. Desserts. They also have a cute little seating area outside which is open during the warmer months of the year, it’s super cozy and inviting. Everything about my experience here has been top notch and I couldn’t be happier to have discovered this place. Libertad has also easily won over everyone that I have brought along with me to try it.
P. s. Must try their drinks. Salut!

Had such a delicious dinner with the family at Libertad! We came in on a weekday night and had no problem making a reservation. However, I definitely recommend getting a reservation as the restaurant is very small. I’ve also heard many people love sitting outside in the warmer months. Our waitress came over quickly and took our drink orders, all of their cocktails were delicious. They complimented the food really well and weren’t overwhelming sweetness. For foods, we decided to share a bunch of items.
To start, we went with the chipotle hummus which was easy to share and very flavorful. The smoky chipotle flavor was unique and we loved the tortilla it came with. An unexpectedly AMAZING item was the roasted acorn squash with wild mushroom risotto. So many complex flavors going on here, I highly recommend ordering this dish. It was a very generous portion, so easy to share, and hearty. We also had the scallops, halibut, asada, and chicken flautas. The halbut and asada were the clear favorites. Flavors on the halibut were unique and so tasty, this was my personal fave. We had to order dessert and the chocolate tres leches cake with pistachio ice cream was the winner. Great way to get a little sweetness after your meal.
Overall, highly recommend Libertad for a nice dinner in Skokie. It’s definitely a little pricey, but perfect for a special occasion or date night. Sharing is key so you can try many of their offerings!

There ya go, 5 stars. Hands down, the best Latin themed/​fusion restaurant in Chicagoland. It is small, in Skokie, not the The City, and devoid of all pretension. Yet, the roomies attractive and vibrant with that Latin energy. We sat out back in the patio for Wednesday dinner and drinks, and we will do it again before the summer is out.
The four of us shared at least six plates. Scallop, crab cake, a carne asada, grilled octopus, and the poblano peppers are a must, stuffed with goat cheese and tofu.
The custom mixed cocktails are outstanding. My favorite was a Spice and Ice. There were also a couple of different margaritas on the table.
This is a must go to place.

Originally I had wanted to come to Libertad to celebrate a friend’s birthday since we were going to be in the area, but that didn’t workout, however, the rave reviews stuck with me and we decided to stop by after a party with 10 minutes to spare! I’m never a fan of dining at a restaurant while they’re about to close, however, Libertad was more then happy to greet and seat us before they close to prep for dinner service.
Libertad has a cozy and modern feel with wooden decors and beautiful artworks and outdoor seating in front or a back patio to enjoy the beautiful Summer days. We opted to sit at their bar with a bloody Mary each. Now Libertad would easily get 5 stars from me base on their food alone, however, this had to be the WORSE bloody Mary I’ve ever had. We make better ones at home using premixed bloody Mary and the worse part is the bartender made our drinks, stirred it with a straw and even tasted the straw to make sure it was drinkable, not the case. My boyfriend described it as, «watered down vodka with pepper water.» This left a bad taste in our mouth so we only hope our food would make up for it and thank goodness they did!
My first bite of the crab Benedict put me on cloud 9, the sweetness of the crab cake with the saltiness of the Canadian bacon and creamy hollandiase sauce is the perfect combo. The boyfriend enjoyed his steak and eggs with his steak being cooked perfectly to his liking, rare with a side of wet eggs, kudos. Our food was so good that we loathing did not want to drink our bloody Mary, however, didn’t want to waste $ 16 ($ 8 each) so we both chugged our drinks so we didn’t have to worry about it later, sigh, glad we got that our of the way.
We enjoyed the rest of our meal in silent as we devoured our scrumptious brunch that came with a side of roasted potatoes and onions, a perfect ending to our not so good start. We will definitely come back for brunch, but I’m hoping to convince the boyfriend to make the drive for dinner one night because if brunch is already this good I can only imagine what the menu is like at night. HmmMmmmm. (I’m salivating just writing this post.)

We came back here for their Skokie summer special 20% off on Wednesday night. They are still a vibrant and busy place, and a good date night sort of place. It was a bit chilly in the main dining room, and I think they have to keep the A/​C running that way with the heat from their open kitchen, so bring a light jacket or sweater if you are thin skinned. The rear patio looked inviting but also booked on this pleasant summer evening (if you want to book it, ask specifically for patio seating). I had their skirt steak with yucca frites, and wife had their scallops with black rice. Both were decent but on slightly salty side. They now offer an expresso size cup of cauliflower soup as their complimentary appetizer. One of the best things about dining in Skokie is their free, nearby, and easy street parking.

What a gem! Who knew… in Skokie!
Small quaint place. Blink and you’ll pass it up.
Went for dinner on a sat. night at 6:30 and the place was packed. Thank goodness we had resv.
Most of the crowd at 6:30 seemed like locals who walked over for an early dinner. An older crowd of seniors. Then about 7:30 the younger crowds strolled in so there was a good mixed crowd.
Service was great! Our server Gabriel was knowledgable when it came to the different kinds of bourbons cuz that’s what the hubby likes to drink.
Food!!!
2 people, 6 dishes!
All delish!!!
Squash risotto, stuffed pablano, scallops, salmon tartare, duck n steak were all fantastic!!! BUT the duck was the fave! It was served over this amazing carrot purée that I could have eaten a whole bowl of that purée as a soup!
Can’t wait to go back and try some more!

So my wife and I came here for our 6^th wedding anniversary. It was a place that I wanted to try for a long time, but we really never made the effort to get there.
So I made a reservation and a few weeks later we went there. For those that do not know, it is in Downtown Skokie, which has become much nicer over the last few years. We parked right in front, a nice perk that always seems impossible when dining in Chicago proper.
We were seated inside, but asked to move to their outdoor dining as it was such a beautiful day. Out there we were given an amuse bouche of cauliflower and serrano pepper soup. Great flavor, and this is coming from someone who really doesn’t care for cauliflower.
So now that food has started to coat our bellies, we wanted some cocktails. I got some sort of horchata booze thing and my wife got a caipirinha. While my drink was great, and tasted very close to a horchata (without using Rumchata), I did prefer my wife’s drink. With these drinks we ordered our first share plate, skirt steak with yucca fries and a chimichuri sauce. Cooked to perfection with the chimichuri adding just enough special flavor to the beef. Everything was on a bed of tomatoes which soaked up the drippings from the steak. And the fries on top were perfectly crispy shoe string fries.
For our second course, we got the Spanish pulpo (octopus). It was served with fingerling potatoes, tomatoes, chorizo, and chickpeas. The flavors were all amazing together. But what was amazing to me was the textures. Tender octopus, little chunks of chorizo, and crispy chickpeas. I’m not sure how they got the chickpeas crispy but damn they were good.
We were getting quite full and decided to go to dessert at this point (we had a few more cocktails as well). So we decide to get the flan and guava cheese cake. They also give us the chocolate tres-​leches cake with pistachio brittle and ice cream. Hell I wasn’t going to complain, and neither did my wife. The guava cheese cake took the top spot hands down. Now the other two were good, and I would recommend trying them, but I feel that a quality normal tres-​leches would be better than a chocolate one as it sort of tasted like a soaked oreo (nothing wrong with that) and not tres-​leches.

My new conclusion to myself: stop Unilocaling if I want to visit a good restaurant ever again. Lately i have been trying to check off restaurants from my bookmark list and its been bad. Grrr
Been trying to visit Libertad forever now. The place is little, cute and inviting. The bar is really contemporary looking and they have a ton of liquors. I didnt have any alky because its Ramadan this month but I wonder if it would have helped the food taste better. We had the hummus, aguacate, flautas and asada. I give the presentation a 5 and the taste of the plates a 2. I wasnt impressed at all, it was sad. How can such gorgeous food taste so plain?
The service of the bussers and the server was impeccable though. My water was always full and I had clean plates and silverware on demand.
I cant say it was an awful experience. I had a great time with my husband but not sure I plan on returning just for the food.

I could have sworn I reviewed this already considering I posted photos months ago, but I guess not. Anyway…
My college roommate and I rushed here at 9pm on a Friday night after seeing a show at our alma mater. It was amazing. She had the chipotle hummus, and I had the pear arugula salad. They brought out an «amuse bouche» of some sort of split pea soup. It was all delicious. The prices are a little high for the quantity of food (if I remember correctly my salad was $ 9 or $ 10), but it was worth it because I was able to try something new, fall in love with it, and then figure out how to replicate it at home for like $ 2 per serving, so it all works out.
I will definitely be back.