Zentli — Restaurant in Evanston Township

We went @8:30pm on a Friday night. It was crowded, which is something for Evanston that late not downtown. We were asked if we had a reservation, and we didn't, but still were seated at a cozy table almost immediately. We were excited to be there based upon all the buzz in the local Facebook groups. The menu had interesting dishes on the left and tacos on the right. I was being wishy washy about it, but remembered being chastised at another place for playing it too safe. My wife ordered the enchiladas & I got the dish with the black bean stuffed tortilla and chose the mushrooms over the meat (I think it was tiacoyos) . We also got chips and salsa and wife got a cocktail. Chips were fresh and crispy. Salsa was medium hot, where it's got, but tasty, but the kind you have to keep eating to somehow cool your mouth. I ate all the salsa. Her cocktail looked and tasted fabulous, it was the one with the purple corn. The food came fast. She liked her enchiladas. We both loved the dish I got. I was glad I didn't play safe with tacos. I will try another off left side next time and tacos on visit #3. The room was buzzing with conversation and people were still coming in to eat. We split a flan. This an was an experience. After I took the first bite, I had to put down my fork and stare off into space and thought to myself that this was a life changing flan, and that life was really good and renewed my faithing the world. I went from crust to point, my wife went the other way. Tastes subtly changed as we went in either direction. You must get this flan. The waitress was great, her assistant (he was more than a busboy) was also very attentive. For sure exceeded the buzz and is worth a visit. I follow 3 chefs careers in my life, Chef Chris DeBarr and Chef Marc Bruckel in New Orleans and Chef Johnny Park in Chicagoland. I may have to add the chef here to my rouster.

Revisited today a year plus later, and it's...

this place is in plain site and so hidden at the same time, it took us a minute to find it. there is a dedicated parking lot across the street which is nice if you drive. the place inside is spacious and has such pretty decoration. a beautiful mural, festive and very colorful. it’s a very comfy setting. you can make reservations but we walked right in at 1pm on a sunday. the service was fast, and our waitress was welcoming. we started with homemade chips and salsa. i always love when chips come out hot and fresh, and it came with a fabulous roasted salsa, spicy but not burn your mouth spicy. I got the pambazo and this sandwich is stuffed. the sandwich was soooooo flavorful, the first bite melted in my mouth. the salsa guajillo soaked bolillo was a great touch to pull all the flavors together. the sandwich came with escabeche, and the pickled carrots went well with the sandwich. there aren’t many places around north side that has authentic mexican food but this place has some of the best....

Great food, great servers, really cool room and not too loud!

I just love this place. The space itself is super cool with amazing, art on the walls - especially behind the bar, WOW.

The servers are attentive, helpful with suggestions and knowledgeable. The food is not fancy but boy is it good. Full of great flavors, and perfectly balanced. The tacos are off the hook good and are sized perfectly -Two will leave your feeling satiated but not stuffed. And the house-made blue corn tortillas are soft as clouds and just the right texture. The guac is so fresh and has just the right amount of spice and seasoning. We also loved the Esquites. It too balances sweet with a little touch of spice and a fresh, creamy texture.

And finally, we loved that the volume in the room was spot on, with enough "buzz" to make it feel lively but not so much that we couldn't hear one another. This is a great place to ENJOY a meal with friends and actually chat without shouting. Can't recommend this place...