flo

wow. just, wow.

we can't seem to get past their brunch offerings, but i'm sure their breakfast and dinner staples are as amaze'balls as their boozy drinks and nap-inducing meals served on sunday mornings. go early, 'cause the line start to pick up around 11:30am - if you arrive later, know their tiny little kitchen and impeccable service gets the folks in, and out, pronto. your wait will be rewarded.

start off with a bloody mary or another boozy beverage from their bar, like one of the half-dozen or more flavored mimosas. the ever-wicked chile verde bloody mary ($8) requires the mandatory miller pony as a kickback to cool the burn. this concoction features a blend of smoky green chili and jalapeño, topped with an olive, lime wedge and a pepperoncini pepper - and you can mix yours with a very generous pour of either vodka, tequila or housemade bacon bourbon.

flo's red chilaquiles ($10) feature homemade corn chips topped with your choice of egg styles (over easy for me, please) black beans, corn and pico de gallo, all brought together in a flavorful tomato salsa, melty cheddar cheese and a warm, handmade tortilla on the side. go "hog wild" and add carnitas to this pile of awesomeness.

the amazing portabella quesadillas ($9) comes with perfectly seasoned and expertly roasted mushroom, smoky red pepper, fresh spinach, and jack cheese served with a guac-like salad and a spot of black beans.

the food is better than most of the rest of the places i have tried at midway. however the service was not very fast if you have short time to eat in. also the tables don't provide much room for any luggage you may have with you.

amazing green chili chicken enchiladas, plus best black beans i’ve ever had! portion sizes are great for the price, including the margs. definitely recommend!

chicago restaurant spotlight: flo. spring arrived in chicago on saturday (and then promptly left again, but that is another story). saturday was a sunny 70 degree day, so instead of lounging around at home cooking breakfast in my pajamas, we decided to go out for brunch. charles suggested that we go to flo, a mexican restaurant in west town, where we went on one of our first dates. we hadn’t been to flo in years – it somehow slipped off of our radar; finally returning an old date spot was a special treat.

flo was just as we remembered it. it is a casual restaurant with a laid back vibe. there is usually a crowd of people waiting outside for tables. free coffee is available while you wait, giving diners an extra incentive to patiently wait for a table. it was such a nice day that the wait flew right by.

the menu has several different breakfast cocktails, but i went for a mimosa since it sounded refreshing. we shared the chips and guacamole to start, because when you have brunch after noon, ordering an appetizer just makes sense. the chips are freshly made in house, and the guacamole is full of big chunks of avocado.

i had the huevos rancheros, while charles had a gigantic smothered ranchero burrito with potatoes. i love the simplicity of huevos rancheros. in it’s most basic form, huevos ranchers consists of tortillas, red chili sauce, black beans, and fried eggs. often the dish incorporates rice, cheese, and/or guacamole. at flo the huevos rancheros begins with cheese stuffed tortillas, which are smothered with red chili sauce, and then topped with fried eggs with runny yolks. black beans, pico de gallo, and extra tortillas are served on the side. this is the ultimate breakfast (especially if you indulged in a few beverages the night before) – it is cheesy, spicy, and packed with protein.

i will admit to reaching across the table several times to steal potatoes off charles’s plate. the smothered ranchero burrito was a lot of food. it was stuffed with eggs, beef, black beans, cheese, pico de gallo and sour cream. the entire thing was smothered in red chili sauce. charles must have been hungry, and this burrito must have been good because charles quickly devoured every bite.

i am sure we won’t be waiting long before we return to flo’s again. it is a fun and reasonably priced place for brunch. it is a little out of the way just because there isn’t much happening on that section of chicago ave, but it is easily accessible from the 66 bus.

flo’s is located at 1434 west chicago avenue. they do not take reservations.

red chilliques. amazing

great, friendly service despite how busy they were. the chorizo-tamale made my eyes roll into the back of my head! so good!

flo cafe & bar says that it brings a touch of the southwest to chicago.   after these cousins had the pulled pork tacos we felt more groped than touched and we liked it!  add red chilaquiles and pancakes with bacon & chocolate chips and flo better be out ring shopping!  brunch, lunch, dinner, whatever - go to here... click here to see more images... 1434 west chicago, chicago website

i can only speak for sunday brunch — which i’ve done here now three sundays in a row — but you should go. get the enchiladas.

we had a nice meal. simple, fast, cheap ($60 all in for the table) and tasty. those are the aspects that make a great neighborhood spot that makes you want to return often (and i think geoff and ashley qualify?) i'm very interested in sampling their regular lunch/dinner menu or something with salsa and chilies for brunch. next time.

good breakfast. was recommended to us by the gentlemen down the street at the noble grape. great little place, never would have found it without a recommendation. i had the new mexico style breakfast, and it was fantastic. good portion. and by good, i don't mean huge, i mean good. it was the right amount of food. emily had the guacamole breakfast burrito, and i thought that was even better. on another good note, you can order a bells java stout to sip with your breakfast. a great way to start the day off.

lisa, noam, and i went to brunch this weekend. one goal in mind was that lisa wanted to branch out from the regular wicker park destinations. in general, it seemed like lisa was in an adventurous mood. also, lisa's introduced me to such places as milk and

almost as good as being in santa fe!!. great southwestern -- rod really knows his chilis - the green chili chicken enchilada and juevos rancheros are the best!!

friendly, comfortable and eclectic. my goat cheese omelette was light and fluffy, alongside home fries that were not greasy and a delicious french75 brunch cocktail.

senor lanky and i had brunch with friends at flo, a great, affordable restaurant in ukrainian village (west town, if you’re a developer). he had the breakfast tacos filled with scrambled eggs, cheddar, portabella mushrooms & pico de gallo, under a red chi

hipster heaven. a great place to eyeball the latest vintage trends. eggs are fresh, delicately prepared, beans are vivid, guacamole fresh and not overly rich. owner is crabby in exterior but hopefully tender hearted. busboys endearing.