Earlier this week, Colleen and I battled the construction of Uptown to visit Chef Jorge Guzman’s new spot, Chilango. Located in the former Calhoun Beach Club spot that was previously Urban Eatery, the space has been updated with beautiful art and had a nice Mex-Tex vibe. That said, the menu seemed to be heavy on the Mex and light on the Tex. We also agreed that having daily specials make up half the menu meant your options seemed to be more limited than they needed to be.

We had high expectations, based on Stephanie March’s glowing preview story in MSP Magazine and our past experience at both Brewer’s Table (RIP May 2015 – August 2018) and the excellent Petite Leon. Chilango opened on April 18, 2024 and chef was there on our Tuesday night visit (not sure how he splits his time between the two spots).

I drove from work to meet Colleen and was glad I made it in time. I had no idea that Hennepin Avenue is half torn up for much of my journey from downtown (and completely shut down once you hit Uptown). I was detoured west to Lake of the Isles, which of course goes one way the opposite way I needed to go to get to Chilango. And since everyone was diverted to side streets, things got very backed up the further I went. Thankfully, there was a small MINI-sized parking spot on the marathon route a block over from the restaurant.

Here is the list of things we ordered (along with the menu descriptions):

• Chile con Queso: melty cheese, roasted chiles & charred onions served with tortilla chips $9
• Enchiladas Verdes: heritage breed chicken, cheese, chilessalsa de tomatillo verde, cilantro, crema y queso fresco $26
• Baja Fish Taco: (2 tacos per) battered white fish, red cabbage slaw, pico de gallo, chipotle crema $14
• Gem Salad: gem lettuce, jalapeño – mango vinaigrette, hooks aged cheddar, peanut yaji, cucumbers & radish $15
• Banana Pudding: bananas, vanilla wafers, toasted coconut, salted peanuts, whipped cream $11
• I live across the street: Mexican Gustoso, rum, watermelon, olive oil drizzle, lime, salt $13
• Mexican Coke $4
• Riesling, Raimund Prun “Solitar”, Germany $14

We thought prices were a little on the high side for what was served, but overall I liked everything I had. Colleen didn’t think it matched the quality of his past work, but it is a different type of operation (as the March story mentions). With a lot of other strong Mexican options in town (and the current traffic issues), it might be a tough ask. I do think it’s worth a visit, though.

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