Bar Takito

-Weekend Brunchin'

I've been brunchin' a bit more lately and decided to start this new series of posts because of it. First stop up is the oh so cool Bar Takito. I call it cool because that's what I said upon entering. They designed a very vibrant dining room that works great for brunch. Plenty of sunshine coming in thru the windows. Located in the West loop just a stones throw from the Morgan Station this place is the sister restaurant to Bar Takito, an upscale taco place I've enjoyed in the past.

Newly Opened in the West Loop

While Takito focuses mainly on modern contemporary Mexican flavors Bar Takito pays homage to all of Latin America. For starters we went with the Carolina Gold Rice. The top shelf grains are mixed with big juicy pieces of choclo corn, pickled veggies, basil and pistachios. One of the more satisfying non-meat rice dishes I can remember. Light but full of flavor.

Carolina Gold Rice 

Bar Takito boasts designer tacos on both their brunch and dinner menus. Some of the options are on both menus and others are on one or the other. The pork belly option is on both as they should be. I either love or hate pork belly tacos and these got love. In classic Takito fashion they take an array of ingredients I never would of thought up and turn out some stellar tacos using  made in-house tortillas. In this recipe the tortillas are made with turmeric and the pork belly takes a slow 8 hour braise before becoming crispy on the exterior with a moist and tender interior. Toppings are smoked queso fresco, aji amarillo, pickled jicama, locally grown arugula, and pepitas. They know upscale tacos.

Pork Belly Tacos

My entree option was steak and eggs. This recipe was a Colombian play on my favorite breakfast plate. I was disappointed when shortly after I ordered I realized the guy taking the order never asked how I wanted my steak done but it was pretty much smooth sailing other than that. It came out a tad past what I would've liked but with my usual way of attacking this type of plate it basically meant it didn't matter. I like to cut it all up and mix the scraps together into one big disaster and it worked real well for this dish. On top of the grilled steak there was crispy extra thick Colombian bacon, a hearty cheese arepa, pickled vegetables, peanut aji, and cilantro. Safe to say I'm a fan of the Takito team.

Arepa, Steak, and Eggs

Bar Takito
201 N Morgan St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 888-9485
Website