Frontera Grill

The story

Frontera Grill, Chicago: Rick Bayless's Award-Winning Mexican Restaurant

The Origin Story

In 1987, Rick Bayless and his wife Deann Groen Bayless returned from an extended stay in Mexico, where they had been researching their first cookbook. They wanted a restaurant that tasted and felt like their travels. So they opened Frontera Grill on Clark Street in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. The menu packed the foods that reminded them of their journey: tangy tomatillos, rich black beans, fiery chiles. That spirit remains at the heart of the restaurant today.

The Atmosphere

Colorful Mexican folk art lines the walls, Mariachi music plays, and the energy is warm and inviting. The restaurant has changed over the years, developing new relationships with Midwestern farmers who provide everything from summer squash to maple syrup to goat. But the food still transports guests to the vibrant kitchens of Mexico.

The Food

Frontera Grill serves lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch, plus a happy hour and a dedicated vegetarian menu. The menu changes regularly, adding authentic flavors while keeping the soul of Mexican cuisine intact. The restaurant also offers a “Frontera To Go” menu, catering, and nationwide shipping of favorites through Goldbelly.

Recognition

Frontera Grill has earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand, an award that recognizes good quality, good value cooking. It’s a fitting nod to a restaurant that, as The New York Times once wrote, has “nothing even remotely similar… anywhere else in America.” Whether you are a longtime regular or a first-time visitor, the experience is consistently genuine, rooted in the Baylesses’ deep respect for Mexican culinary traditions.