Salpicon: User Reviews

Mediocre
The food was ok, but sad to say the guacomole was the best of the dishes we had. The service couldn't have been worse. Errors in orders, dishes grabbed while still eating, waitress generally unavailable (had to wait for 15 minutes for the check) and rude. Lively ambiance, but overall a most unpleasant experience. We won't return.

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I thought that we were the exception and that we'd somehow upset everything. Since I've read many of the reviews I find that we are not alone. We've been here a fair number of times and have always found the food good, not exceptional, but good. The service has always been fair and the prices are a little higher than we think appropriate but in spite of it all we have enjoyed our visits; until last night. It started with a waitress that didn't seem to want to wait. Service was poor throughout and certainly unresponsive. This is not the place to go into detail though. When it came time for the check we couldn't get anyones attention so finally the manager/owner was going buy and I stopped him. Before I could say anything he told me that I should leave my stress at home or not come back. Enough said.

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I recently visited Salpicon for the first time, and I won't be back. It was outrageously priced for the quality of the food. The service was miserable. They did make a decent margarita, and the chocolate brownie dessert was good, but still overpriced. Otherwise, a waste of both time and money. This place wants to be something that it is not, and thinks that charging like an upscale restaurant will make people believe it is one. Sorry... Chicago has too many good restaurants to waste time here. I have no problem paying a lot for great food and service. We are hardcore fans of Dorado for this reason. We decided to go to Salpicon to try someplace new. Needless to say, it was no Dorado.

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Service was horrible. Can I please get a water? Turn the music down so I can hear myself think? My feet were freezing and the waiter was consistently absent even though the restaurant was half empty.
The food was ok and overpriced.
It would be one thing if it was a one-off but the last five times (and I fight going there) Salpicon has been awful.
Not worth the hype. Sorry!

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Been going to Salpicon for 5+ years and it remains on of my favorite places in the city. It's fun and accessible menu is full of treasures. Strangely, I've never gotten guacamole app. b/c I don't want to miss out on other great starters like the jalapeno rellenos, shrimp queso fundido, or blue marlin sevice. I wish I had 100 of their tostadidas de tinga around the place to watch the Bears games on Sundays. Entrée-wise, their lamb chops (Chuletas de Borrego) are some of the best in the city and the gilled tiger shrimp with garlic, avocado, and white rice is something I'd live to have for dinner every night.

I'm warmly greeted by Vince whenever we're there and the staff are always attentive and conversational in a good way. The wine list is incredible. You can find a $40 bottle or a $400 bottle. Not to mention, there's a completely different route to take with the expansive tequila list.

Predictably, it's very busy on the weekends, but cozy tables can be found during the week when things are less hectic. Their brunch is underrated and very affordable with $10 huevos rancheros or a $12 omelet. If you're up for it, definitely get their specialty cocktail, a Tequila Mary.

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I went with 3 other friends and I have to say I don't know what the allure is. Perhaps when it first opened it was in its glory but now it's just a poor value for the money. This place is trying to be something that it’s not and charging a lot for what is being served won’t change that. I have been to many high end restaurants and am happy to put out money for a terrific meal that justifies the price. This place just charges more for average food, not terrible, but not great either.

Our first impression was a very negative one upon speaking with the hostess. We were there at 5:00-something on a weeknight and there was only one table of two seated in the dining room when we arrived. The hostess first tried to seat us at the table right next to the front door. Then I asked if we could have a different table and she pointed to the table right practically on top of the hostess stand. So then I asked if it would be possible to have ANY other table for four in the place and she said not, despite them all being unoccupied. She said they were all “reserved”. I then asked if specific tables were actually reserved and she said yes. What a crock.

On to the food, we started with guacamole – what a joke! It was not even fresh as it was staring to brown and it was cold obviously not made fresh. It was appalling that they would serve something like this. It was also not much larger than the size of a snowball. When even “lesser” Mexican eateries are serving it up fresh tableside, Salpicon should be embarrassed. Heck, even Chipotle’s guacamole is bright green and not cold and much tastier and I am not being facetious! The entrees were decent but not work what they are charging. Hard to believe that a restaurant with so MANY lousy reviews and such a poor value for the money still exists. I wish I would have read the review before going as I would not have gone. Unless you have an alligator tongue, don’t waste your money as Chicago is loaded with much better quality Mexican restaurants.

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Salpicon used to be one of our favorite restaurants. I've been known to tell people (sacrilege!) that it's better than Frontera Grill. Well, no longer, I guess. We hadn't been there in a year or two, and it seems to have slipped a couple notches. The service was pleasant enough but there definitely was some pressure to turn the tables over; our server mentioned that "on the weekends, we like to take the order for everything [appetizers and entrees] all at once." And the food felt rushed too. Cheeses and spices were mild to the point of blandness. My chiles rellenos were soupy and the flavor lacked the bite I remember from past visits. Even the desserts were underwhelming: the fruit in the crepe wasn't fresh and the crepe itself was soggy, as if it had been sitting around for some time. Is it a bad sign when the guacamole is the highlight of the meal? It was fresh, beautifully prepared, and complexly flavored, even if the "fresh" chips weren't quite so fresh.

I'd remembered Salpicon as a cozy, intimate place with adventurous flavors. But the vibe's definitely changed. It was filled with middle-aged tourists and so loud that conversation was nearly impossible. On balance, the meal would have been fine if it had been about half the price. Sorry, Salpicon, we won't be coming back.

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I made reservations for 7.30pm on the patio for four. When we arrived, we waited for our patio table. When the table was ready, the hostess told us that we would have to be done with our dinner by 8.30pm because they did not take reservations for the patio. If they did not take reservations for the patio, why did we have to be “finished” by 8.30? Around 8.30pm, we were given our check and asked if we were finishing up. Needless to say, for poor quality Mexican food in a yuppie décor, I won’t be back.

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I went to Salpicon this weekend with a few friends, and seriously, it's NOT worth it. The servers and even the owner are beyond rude. They make you feel as though you are not welcome and they do not want you to stay. The food was not that great; so-so. The margarita and guacamole were actually pretty good, but that's about it. I won't be returning ever.

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Me and my friends went to cerebrate my birthday, and UNFORTUNATELY I choose to go to Salpicon, as I always like to try new places. Starting with making the reservation; they take your credit card information when reserving a table, as there is a $75.00 cancellation fee per person… As soon as we arrived, we had to wait 20 min. for valet parking and 30 min. to be seated even though we had a reservation. Let's move forward with awful customer service… the owner instead of greeting was very rude; the servers, would not take an appetizer order unless the full order was placed at once. The prices are outrageous and the food portions are very small, the food is not as tasty, the restaurant is very simple, definitely not worth their price… Unfortunately, they ruin my appetite; I hope this review reaches other people before their appetite gets ruined. If you are willing to have a great experience, try Adobo grill (much less expensive, much better food, great ambiance), Carnival (expensive but worth their price, great customer service, really fancy, excellent chef selection…) and I can go on, but definitely any other place will make you feel welcome. DO NOT GO TO SALPICON!

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