Chicago: A mecca for great Mexican?

Chicagoans just might have a right to boast that their city is now “the best place in America to unravel the complex regional nuances of Mexican cuisine,” said Jeff Ruby in Chicago. With more than a million Mexican-Americans living in the area, “the streets teem with taquerías, birrierias, torterias, and mole houses.” Celebrity chef Rick Bayless still runs three of the city’s best Mexican restaurants, but he now also has plenty of competition.

Amelia’s Mestizo Grill This out-of-the-way BYOB seems well worth the trip once you try the trucha en papa cruzada, “a delicate farm-raised trout topped with a crisp, almost caramelized potato in a roasted tomato and guajillo brown butter sauce.” 4559 S. Halsted St., (773) 538-8200

Chilam Balam Rising-star chef Chuy Valencia draws crowds nightly to this “cramped basement” restaurant for such “innovative small-plate wonders” as oven-roasted bone marrow with caramelized chilies toreados. 3023 N. Broadway, (773) 296-6901

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Mexique Chef Carlos Gaytan’s whimsical take on circa-1864 French-occupied Mexico City is a “polished Gallic-Mex mashup” that includes sopes with escargots or braised pork shoulder rillettes. 1529 W. Chicago Ave., (312) 850-0288