Sol de Mexico — Restaurant in Jefferson Township

I was looking for a place to eat with my kids while the wife was at work. I see this place all the time since Cicero is like the main road I’m usually on. Every time I drive by it I see the place pretty empty and now I know why. As soon as I walked the place is small lots of random paintings and masks and skeletons were greeted by the waitress sat down open the menu and boom nothing under ten dollars. I said ok I ordered the pollo rostizado 21 dollars by the way. I asked if they had tacos because my kids wanted tacos waitress said no. I accepted it and Just ordered the chicken and I asked if it was a whole chicken. The waitress said yes served with a side of beans avocado and tortillas. So in my head I’m thinking I’ll split it between us three. We also ordered horchata and jaimaca for me, little while later our drinks came which by the way that was no jaimaca it tasted more like red water the horchata was like syrup so I added water second red flag I said to myself I’m in this deep let’s see how far the rabbit hole goes. The food came and as nice of a presentation it tried to be the pollo rostizado looked like a mere appetizer. The chicken was the smallest game hen they could find the smallest portion of beans I have ever seen two sliced jalapeños and a one bite of cauliflower and four count them four tortillas. We ate our food trying to make the best of it. The chicken was a bit salty beans looked like they’ve been sitting somewhere in a dark corner, honestly I think the tortillas were the best part of our lunch adventure. As upscale as a place it tries to be it was in no way worth my time and moneymy kids are young and they were hungry but I wouldn’t even bring my wife back here for any reason not even if I was mad at her. I’ll always drive by this place and get a bad taste of disappointment in my mouth or maybe I’ll just never think of this...

⭐️ "A Road Trip to Regret"

We drove all the way from Chicago because—get this—the chef/owner was once Rick Bayless’ kid’s nanny. A fun fact that, in hindsight, was not worth the gas money.

From the start, things went south. Our server had the enthusiasm of a sleepy sloth and the menu knowledge of someone who had just learned what food was. Recommendations? Nada. Descriptions? Blank stare.

We ordered the gordita appetizer, which took a solid 30 minutes to arrive—probably because the masa was still trying to cook on our plate. Meanwhile, our server disappeared into the kitchen for what felt like hours, leading us to believe he might’ve been back there actually cooking the food himself.

When I asked for a dry white wine, the server vanished into the abyss for another 15 minutes, only to return with a Sauvignon Blanc like he had just discovered a lost treasure.

For entrées, we got steak and lamb chops. The steak, ordered medium-rare, arrived still mooing. The queso fresco on the plantain had a funk to it—like it had been aged… unintentionally. The beans tasted like they had lived through multiple presidential administrations. The only redeeming factor? The mole on the lamb chops. But let’s be honest, mole alone can’t save a meal.

Total time spent: 2 hours for 3 dishes. Total other tables in the restaurant: 2. Total patience left by the end: 0.

We were late to a party because of this disaster, which is ironic since this meal ruined any party mood we had.

Final verdict: Go to Cinco Rabanitos instead. Better food, better service, still a small business, and—most importantly—you won’t need a time machine to...

This has been my 5th or 6th visit to Sol de Mexico, and each visit ends with me saying “that was so delicious, we need to come here more often.” This hidden gem is found on Cicero meaning easy parking for a special dinner out. The chef explained the menu changes every 3 months, and the seasonality of the food can be found throughout the menu. Appetizers are hearty and filling - the ceviche was incredible. The carne asada was perfectly cooked and the black beans, guacamole, plantain and homemade tortillas that came with it paired perfectly. My husband had the poblano stuffed with shrimp, fish and scallops and highly recommends it. Very nice to see Seedlip based non-alcoholic cocktails on the menu, and the margarita options are fresh fruit and vegetable forward- the cilantro margarita is my favorite. Some reviews say this restaurant is pricey- only if you compare it to a taqueria. Any other nice restaurant - Upscale American, European, etc the prices are similar but the quality and flavor profiles far surpass what you’ll find at those places. This place seems family owned and you definitely feel welcome when...