Essay: An Angeleno dines in Mexican Chicago. They're just like us

"That's because Chicago is just like us: big, urban, vibrant, and brown. This summer I visited the city where I always feel the flutter of familiarity. Let it be said: Chicago, like L.A., is Mexican as hell. Los Angeles may have more Mexican residents in total numbers, but in terms of who makes up each city's Latino population, Chicago is "as Mexican" as Los Angeles. Consider that about a third of Chicago is Hispanic or Latino, and roughly 73% of those people identify as Mexican. In Los Angeles, more than 45% are Latino, and about 71% of that population is Mexican, according to recent census data."

"There is a Mexican essence in this tough, labor-leading Midwest town, and it's transmitted in the foods that local people of all backgrounds revere. Tacos, birria and carnitas are as familiar as deep-dish pizza and pickle-topped Chicago dogs. This was solidified for me after crossing a threshold that some West Coast purists would blanch at breaching - going to a Rick Bayless restaurant."

"First, however, I fell for Mi Tocaya Antojería, a funky place with tall windows facing a patio in the dynamic neighborhood of Logan Square. a Chef Diana Dávila, a in dining, established this pillar of modern Mexican American comfort cuisine in 2017. Her well-loved peanut butter lengua, little squares of braised tongue topped with grilled radish and pickled onion, arrived on a plate streaked with spicy peanut sauce."

The Trump administration targeted Chicago with incendiary online posts. Chicago and Los Angeles share large Mexican-origin populations and strong cultural overlap. About one-third of Chicago is Hispanic or Latino, with roughly 73% identifying as Mexican; Los Angeles has more Latinos by share but a similar Mexican proportion. Mexican cultural presence appears vividly in Chicago's foods—tacos, birria, carnitas—alongside local staples like deep-dish pizza and Chicago dogs. Mi Tocaya Antojería in Logan Square, established in 2017 by Chef Diana Dávila, exemplifies modern Mexican American comfort cuisine, including signature dishes such as peanut butter lengua. Dávila trained in high-stakes kitchens and grew up working in a family taquería.

Read at Los Angeles Times