Leña Brava Reviews

Rick Bayless knows how to train his staff. Exceptional service from a well-educated server who knew the nuances of every dish. Good local beers on tap. Crowded and busy in the restaurant but in a good way. Food was very good. Scallops were good but the addition of the Bonito flakes definitely added a fish factor that I wasn't in love with. Tuna dishes all very well prepared, short rib entree a highlight. Definitely recommend.

Decided to eat something after a 3 "course" cocktail tasting at Aviary ( which is right around the corner). We were able to get a nice table without reservation which was great. The wait staff is super friendly and accommodating. Young, upbeat funky crowd. The food type is South American tapas and more with some interesting and would be delicious dishes but unfortunately, the food was so over seasoned as to be inedible. I'm finding this to be the case more and more as establishments try to up sell their alcoholic drinks. Or is that restaurants are trying to out-do each other with " explosive" flavor profiles? I don't know but they are all forgetting that food needs to highlight the flavor of the main ingredient not the spice cabinet. Oh bythe way, I love spicy foods but the main ingredient needs to be tasted in order to know what you're eating.

Stunningly fresh food! Delicious drinks! Excellent service! The ceviche was as good as I've had in Mexico. The eggplant was amazing, really my favorite dish. The short ribs succulent. There wasn't a single misstep. Casual, yet with a high level of service.

To me just "ok" means it's not worth a trip. If I was meeting friends there again I wouldn't be upset. I wouldn't take initiative to visit again. Overpriced and overhyped for what it actually delivers. Rick Bayless name is on it, but I can't believe he has much to do with it. Food breakdown: 3 entrees, 2 were good and 1 was bad. 2 cold appetizers, 1 bad and 1 ok. 1 salad, bad. 2 desserts both were good. You can see the inconsistency. Service was friendly but not efficient. I would skip the high price and eat at a local burrito joint.

went for dinner. The menu is split between ice and fire food/flavours. Ordered two from each sides of the menu. Ceviche of yellowtail went a bit overboard on spice but was good.Rock crab salad, we tried fishing for crab meat but had excessive mayo. Scallops were dominated by the sauce, their freshness struggling for recognition. As was the black cod with a bit over done on sweetness. Wood fired cooking is not new to us. so the place fell short of expectations; without which may be it would have tasted better.

Glad we booked in advance since the post Chicago Marathon crowd was out in force. What a find! Love the ecclectic menu based on Baja cuisine. Order 6-7 items like we did then pass them around - everything is excellent. We also had a bottle of a lovely Spanish Garnacha.

Rick Bayless has done it again. His newest place features Baja specials paired with great drinks and wines. Too often, our idea of Mexico is a mishmash of regions; he will call it out for you, so you can see the different cuisines. It's a charming place, friendly and well-served. Order a lot and just taste all the great stuff offered. It's a must-see place in Chicago.

My girlfriend and I were very excited to try Leña Brava. We stopped in about a year ago, but it was reservations only at the time and we were unable to get a table. The atmosphere looked very cool and the food smelled great and we decided we'd stop by the next time we were in Chicago. Fast forward to our visit. The service was very good. The waiter was attentive and had plenty of recommendations and answered several of our questions. We started with two cocktails, the Baja gin and tonic and the Paloma margarita. The drinks were standard, good cocktails. Our first dish was the wood oven empanadas. These were fantastic. Very flavorful, lots of filling and the habanero crema really complimented the savoriness of the plate. I highly recommend trying. That was the high point of our experience. We then had the Belgian endive salad. To say this was a disappointment is an understatement. It was watery and bland. Based on the ingredients, I'm not sure how it had such little flavor. It also had little pockets that were overly salty. We were expecting a bright, citrusy salad but left very disappointed. For our main plate, we shared the roasted chicken. It was good. Well cooked and juicy with a nice crispy skin. It wasn't heavily seasoned though. It featured a similar crema to the empanadas. This was a good dish but it did not stand out and you could get it at a dozen different restaurants. We finished off with a Cadillac Margarita. It was good but nothing special, especially for the $25 price which I didn't notice until we got the bill. The price is clearly noted in the menu, so I am at fault for not noticing. I'm not sure if our expectations were too high or if we picked lackluster dishes, but this was not the flavorful experience we expected.

Went to LB with friends to celebrate a birthday. Fun restaurant. We had dinner upstairs in a quieter atmosphere than downstairs and that was good for us because we could all hear one another. Our server was excellent and familiar with all the foods and wines. When anyone had a question about which wine would work with the food they were ordering, she would bring a sample of the wine. That helped with decisions and made for good food and wine pairings. One of the best starters was the avocado appetizer. Delish! The short rib entree was amazingly large and delicious from what I was told. The scallops looked sumptuous and was really good. I wanted to order the snapper, but the walleye was a replacement fish. I love walleye, so was happy for the replacement. However, with that said, I was a little disappointed in my entree. The fish was not that great, the braised fennel on the dish was sweet and good and the fingerling potatoes were delish. My husband had the puréed cauliflower and said it was a little on the bland side. But all in all, we all had good food and wines and enjoyed our dinner.

We went to dinner with another couple. It is a nice space in a busy part of town. The service was ok, the food mediocre and what I would consider expensive. One of the dishes we ordered came with salsas, one roja and the other verde. Since there was no comment from our server we assumed they would be no more than medium hot. Three of the four of us put the verde on our food and it set our tongues on fire. I like hot hot sauce but, without warning, this was too much. It was uncomfortable to eat or drink for at least 15 minutes. There is definitely much better Mexican/Latin food to be had in Chicago. I doubt I will return.

I’m not sure how to rate this restaurant. I am giving it a 3 because the food was outstanding. We arrived when they opened at 5:30, early for us because we we were on our way to a Bull’s Game. We asked for cocktails and were put off by the server, who wanted to explain the ENTIRE menu, food & spirits. Then he disappeared- by the time HE was ready to take our order we couldn’t enjoy what we wanted because it would take too long. Disappointing. The snapper for 2 was outstanding, as was the Tacos el Pastor. The kicker was when the bill came, we were charged for “rocks” in our drinks @ $2 apiece, because they made the drinks “appear” larger. I just can’t wrap my head around that.

The highlight of the meal was Cruz Blanca, the cevezeria next door. Good clean tasting beers. The food at Lena brava was good, interesting options, but nothing really stood out as amazing. Comparing to a normal Mexican restaurant, the food and service is a 4. But, I do hold Rick bayless to a higher standard. Go, try it out. Let me know if I am wrong with my review.

On Saturday night, 8pm reservation.... Everything we ordered from fish ceviche and lobster appetizers to fish entrees, to incredible chocolate desserts was delicious. However, a major damper was put on the evening when at the 1.5 hours mark we still had not received all of our appetizers. Dinner entrees arrived another 30-40 minutes later. And we are people who don't like our dinner rushed but this was crazy delays. Group was so hungry was asking for 2nd and 3rds on the plain tortillas from the appetizers to tie them over. We love Rick Bayless so hoping they get a handle on the kitchens timing soon before others are turned off.

We try to get to Topolobampo every trip to Chicago. So we decided to try the newer one of the Rick Bayliss family of restos. Great like the rest. Service was impeccable. The room was very nice and we had a great meal

We had drinks here prior to a night out. The craft beers are fantastic and there's a great variety to choose from. The vibe is industrial chic but very low key at the same time - it's a great atmosphere. Would love to come back and checkout the food as it smelled delicious!

Loved this place! Fun atmosphere and great food! The fish entree was amazing and well as the rest of the food and cocktails!

We had great experience. Our waiter, Brien, was knowledgeable and happy to guide us through a series of shared plates. We started with the grilled pineapple ceviche, and really loved the scallops. We had the sweet potatoes as a side, after our main course, leading us to dessert. I don't think you could go wrong here!

Love Rick Bayless's new restaurant. The dishes are flavorful and I think reasonably prices for the quality. Seafood is the star and every dish we had was well done. Oysters Pineapple Aguachille Plantains Fish-Yucatan style Every dish was excellent. I would recommend the fish-it's one of the best dishes I've ever eaten.

We stopped for dinner on a week night— lucky for us, someone cancelled their 5:30 reservation- so we were able to enjoy a wonderful dining experience of Baja Mexican Seafood fusion fare. A Rick Bayless restaurant. Professional wait staff. Recommend Pineapple, Ceviches appetizers; Black Cod, Duck - seasonal menu.

My wife and I celebrated Valentines Day weekend with dinner at Lena Brava and it was great. The short ribs were sublime and so was the black cod. Before that I had the taco appetizer which was fabulous. Be advised if you’re a couple you’ll be seated very close to your fellow diners-the tables are about a foot apart, but that wasn’t an issue for us. You should go.

My wife and I had a reservation at Lena Brava at 8:45, and we showed up at exactly 8.45. We were told by the hostess that we would have to wait for five minutes and she offered us to sit down in the taqueria next doors. After waiting in the taqueria for 30 minutes, we spoke again to the hostess and told her that we were getting quite hungry, and if there was still a long wait. She told us that we could buy some food in the taqueria while we waited. After 40 minutes waiting we took a taxi back to the hotel and got a table at Michael Jordan's Steakhouse which was excellent. I sent an email to Lena Brava after our experience, but they did not bother to answer it, but I wasn't surprised.

The tastes - the flavor layers are outstanding...and well-conceived. My hesitantcy is about this complex food (thinking even the pejorative "fancy" food might apply) being suggested as "tasting" shared dishes. But maybe that is just ME. We were 7 people, so ordered many things. By the time I finished one bite of a seviche or coctele , trying to discern the myriad of tastes, then moved to another and another - my taste buds got a little confused. And I will say the actual "fish" in these was minimal and cut into such small bites - you couldn't be sure you were eating a bite of fish. Entrees were all good - duck and octopus rising to the top for me - but don't ask me to describe any of them. (Was that the one with lime or the pineapple - or was it orange - what kind of chile?) And with everyone tasting something different at any given moment, it was hard to have a conversation about any of it. For my taste buds - the most Outstanding dish was the tomatillo dessert wood oven tart - oh my. Sides - cauliflower, brussels sprouts and potatoes good enough. Not too overwought. And the cocktails - Lena Ice and Pina Primavera - were very smooth , with layers of flavor. The service was superb - but the logistics was a downer. Could hardly find room for all the plates on the table - constant shifting of glasses and plates - almost toppled a wine glass. And the recurring question "Have you tried this one - should I pass it down?" Rather too much chaos. Conversations interrupted. If I return - I will be happier with choosing one appetizer and an entree - or maybe I'll just have dessert....

Went with a local colleague when I was in Chicago recently. Great drinks and a very interesting menu. All of the food we had was great.

I felt like the entire experience was confusing, disorganized and I left still still hungry after a big price tag. Also, very loud for having a business dinner.

We wanted to try Lena Brava for a very long time. This place holds a spot in our favorite West Loop area. We know pretty much all the food venues in that area and getting a table without reservation is always a big luck, however sitting at the bar is usually first come first serve that every restaurant offers. We got seated at the bar very quickly. Atmosphere is very nice, staff is friendly, mostly Mexican rhythm music pouring inside. Their menu contains couple of options: ICE which is cold appetizer and FIRE which is a choice of warm dishes. They also have so called favorite menu which is the arrangement of their `best` dishes but you need a consent of all people from your party to choose from this list if I am not mistaken. We had couple of appetizers and octopus dish plus a bottle of Alpha Estate Sauvignon Blanc which was reasonably priced ($46 a bottle). Michoacan Avocado-- this dish is a must up there. Simple composition of ripe avocado, pumpkin seeds dip , citrus and roasted tomatoes is bursting with flavors giving a nice start for a dinner. Baja HIramasa--ceviche made of Yellowtail with olive oil, chile and again pumpkin seeds was super fresh and delicious. I would add a little more of citrus flavor to even out to saltiness of the fish. Uni, Pan De campo, Romesco--Sea Urchin on baked flatbread was heaven. This was probably one of the best composition with this delicious ingredient. This was so perfectly balanced exposing great umami flavor of uni. Everything is served with homemade tortilla crisps, lightly salted. Octopus Tinta--that was a little bit of dissapointment. For $31 dish we expected something more. The octopus could be a little bit more tender and broiled to have at least bit of crisp. It was charred over the fire (yes they use live wood fire to finish the dish) but a little bit too short. It was served with delicious tortillas to compose self made tacos but it was lacking more veggies (only couple of tomato slices) to make a nice tacos out of this dish. Also black squid Soubise sauce was hard to work with. We are definitely looking forward to explore more of their dishes in the future.

The food, the drinks, the wine, the dessert and the service were all excellent. Be prepared to be sitting close to other tables. This is also not an inexpensive place to go. Be prepared for a large bill. This is definitely a place to go to again. Rick Bayless does it again.

A delicious experience!! We did the 5 course tasting menu and it did not disappoint. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Excellent meal. Excellent service. Excellent vibe. One of the best meals we have recently had. I cannot recommend enough our experience this evening. A well executed experience that we will certainly be coming back to enjoy again.

Rick Bayles has once again demonstrated his cooking creativity and originality in what could be his best ever restaurant in Lena Brava on W. Randolph. Our party of food Affectionado's had an incredible dinner that offered a wonderfully prepared variety of food that was fully flavored & delightfully designed in a casual, friendly environment. As a group we enjoyed the avocado laminado the aquachile scallops, the chicken a la Lena, the very popular black cod al pastor, braised short-ribs, with butter roasted plantains and kale w poblanos. Everything was perfect! We ended by sharing the chocolate coconut desert which was delightfully delicious. It is a little pricey at $80-$90 pp, but in line w comparable Chicago high quality restaurants. Go; you will not be disappointed.

My wife and I just had our tenth anniversary dinner at Lena Brava in Chicago. I know the the Bayliss’s are to be admired in the world of Mexican Food but this was my best experience yet in one of his restaurants. Service was warm and gracious from the start. We were initially seated in an upstairs window seat but that did not suit us at all. We felt removed from the action. We much prefer to see the kitchen and experience the ‘theatre of dining’. Our server was wonderful and spent the extra time to guide us through the menus well. I have to admit that we were both looking forward to a ‘margarita ‘. We’ll, that was a presumption of Mexican restaurants. They had none. Instead, they had an impressive selection of mezcal cocktails. I was worried about mezcal because I have only found it to be very smokey and not pleasant. Our server guided us to a drink that we loved! The food was from very good to extraordinary. The Pasilla Rib was fantastic! The Mole scallops were fantastic! The whole experience was fantastic! I would recommend this restaurant highly. All cooking was done with wood fired grills. It was overall, a wonderful anniversary dinner. Thanks!

We enjoyed the set menu (with some choices) including ceviche, a pineapple Mexican cheese combo, scallops with mushroom, a short ribs and an excellent dessert. Drinks were excellent as was service. I enjoyed the music mix which included Manu Chao and Beirut along with Mexican styles; I was advised Rick is responsible for that as well. Many interesting items still to try including Steak, fish in a salt crust and grilled Octopus.

What can I say, he really understands the real mexican flavors and gives it a great upscale twist! Great selection of Mexican wines and I had a mezcal drink with pineapple and chile morita that was perfect!

The majority of the menu is made up of seafood. We don't eat a lot of fish so we ordered the chicken entree for two, which was INCREDIBLE!

After a pretty lengthy search for a restaurant to check out during one of the few nights my wife and I get to enjoy a peaceful meal...we decided to go with LB, partly because it was Ricks place and also because we wanted to try Mexican. We came in well before the dinner crowd and had reservation, sadly were seated by the connecting door to another restaurant and the cold draft was horrible. Asked to be seated someplace else but apparently tables were taken. No worries, we won’t fuss but do ensure the heat is up at least or perhaps not put a table there. Waiter comes by, doesn’t explain the menu even though I read English...so I attempted to ask him what’s difference between various sections to the menu since there seemed to be appetizer type items in entree section. Waiter disappears for good 13 mins till he came back finally to take our order, everything was ordered together since it seems like our waiter was a bit unreliable. My wife ordered braised short rib, and I ordered the Cod and we shared a ceviche. The ceviche was extremely lemony and tart, we thought it may be how this is done at ricks place, so again did t make a fuss about it. My cod was very good, however, presentation was horrible since it looked like the sauce settled like it was microwaved. My wife’s short ribs were extremely dry, and after that we just decided to pay for our meal and got our dessert someplace else since it was just not a satisfying experience.

We visited Lena Bravo Saturday, October 1, 2022. Really tried to order a variety of dishes, so we could share. Excellent drinks and Mezcal selection. Skip the basic margarita, Costco makes a better mix. The Highlight of diner were the melted queso fresco and grilled shrimp. I did not know queso fresco melts, with garlic oil and hot bread, yummy. All down hill from there. Shirt steak was medium rare , under seasoned and seemed to be cut with the grain because I could not chew it. The pork Al pastor must have been cut from a pork shoulder because again, it was not chewable. Baked oysters were nothing great. Basic Mexican was poorly executed. Chips were stale, food was not hot. Final bill $490. I don't understand the great reviews. Maybe the D team was in the kitchen on Saturday night. Would not come back, unless I couldn't make the melted queso fresco myself.

On the plus side : Nice decor and very good service . Minus side : food is hit or miss . Oysters are very good and very fresh . Side dishes are ok but too salty . cauliflower is good but again too salty . seafood dishes we selected lacked flavor - shrimps and scallops were very bland .

Terrible The food was too Spicy for me The waiter took forever to come and check to see if we needed anything

Ok, it was a very busy Saturday night but everything seemed so rushed. We ordered the tasting menu for the four of us plus the mescal and the wine pairings. Bam, out came everything almost at once and I get that it comes out when it comes off the line but when everything is just piling up (we didn't even get to enjoy our own opening margarita which was smokey and spicy!). Dishes just bam down on the table, our server even tipped his tray of empty champagne glasses and glass goes flying BAM on the floor. It's like slow your roll....let us enjoy a nice paced meal and savor each dish with the drink. The kicker was and what we didn't understand is if the food is coming fast off the line to pile up all the separate courses, how could our short rib be cold? Everyone including our server was super gracious about our complaint about the cold dish but it never should have come out cold to begin with. It was a frenetic with everything jammed tightly that I could barely squeeze between the tables off the banquette out to get to the ladies room.

Leña Brava is a decent choice for a night out on Randolph row but unfortunately one dish trumped my entire evening here. The PINEAPPLE, GOAT CHEESE, SALSA MACHA AGUACHILE was EVERYTHING but everything was a mere shadow in comparison. Come for the salsa but leave your expectations for everything else on low

We went on a Sunday evening. It was crowded but the service was still very good. The food was not memoriable. We had 2 cold appetizers, The crab was fine but the Opah had very little flavor. We had the Cod and the Octopus for primary meal. Neither would I recommend as anything other than ok. Actually enjoyed the totillas as best thing we had. Drinks were good. We ended up paying almost $200 (includingTip) for two people and left hungry. Expected a ton of flavor from Bayless. Disappointed.

My wife and I aren't much for Cajun or sushi or Latin American cuisine but we had to see what Rick Bayless' new Mexican restaurant, Lena Brava, is all about. After all, Bayless is Chicago's version of Gordon Ramsey and Wolfgang Puck. Located at 900 West Randolph Street in the bustling West Loop neighborhood, it opened in 2017 and is open from 5 to 10 Tuesday through Saturday and from 10:30 to 2:30 and from 5 to 9 on Sunday. It's a hip spot for Baja-style seafood with a focus on live-fire cooking inspired by the seaside elements of Baja California Norte. Tortillas are made from heirloom corn grown in Oaxaca, Mexico. We started with Bayless' version of shrimp cocktail, grilled sepia, lime-cured Florida pink shrimp with parsnip-miso puree, ancho chile salsa and grilled fennel and yellow fin tuna with avocado, cilantro, sea fennel, shoestring tortilla chips and sweetened soy. For our entree, we chose a Dinner for Two, butterflied Baja Pacifico striped bass, grilled with regional Mexican flavors and served with roasted tomatillo salsa, warm home-made tortillas and red onion salad. With sides of roasted carrots and wood-oven fingerling potatoes. What a delightfully satisfying concept. But it's not over. Dessert is a real treat, not to be taken lightly. We shared Banana and Dark Roast Tres Leches, an espresso cake infused with three milks, banana ice cream, creamy blood orange curd, caramelized bananas and toasted meringue and Free-Form wood-oven tart, Nichols Farm apples and roasted tomatillos, flaky pastry, salted maple ice cream, maple caramel and walnut streusel. Has Rick Bayless ever thought about opening a hot dog stand?

My friend and I met for an early dinner. We decided to go with the tasting menu for 2. We had 2 starters, a small pasta course, the cod, tamal, and finished with a cherry tart with goat cheese cherry ice cream. All of it was delicious and we felt satisfied. Baja inspired, so flavorful and spicy. I had never had tamal before and I think that was my favorite dish. The vibe was low key. We were able to enjoy and savor the meal (and wines!) without feeling rushed. The whole staff were attentive. Get there early to have a cocktail in the upstairs bar.

I was encouraged and felt like I had to share my experience with others because this place is too good to keep a secret! The service from the moment I walked in the door was incredible, genuine, warm, and welcoming. I arrived early and the hostess greeted me by name and escorted me to the bar while my table was being ready. At the upstairs bar, which has has a brewery (you have to try the Rubia) as well, I tried the Mexican Manhattan, smokey and delicious on a nice cool night. I drank my drink and enjoyed the beautiful atmosphere of the restaurant. I was seated and proceeded to have the best meal I've had in recent memory. The romaine salad, the braised shortrib, fingerling potatoes, plantains, the tropical sundae, a glass of red Mexican wine followed by a tasty moscato, and to top it off a smokey-delicious mezcal to finish off the night. Leslie, who you will recognize as not only engaging and beautiful, but as working the floor harder then any manager I've ever come across, was amazing. A team is only as great as its leader, and vice versa. A truly great team led by an incredible leader. Do yourself a favor and go here, and bring friends because they will thank you!!! Enjoy!!!

We visited on a rainy night at the end of November and found a warm atmosphere and food that satisfies the soul like few others. I normally don't rave about chicken from a restaurant, but this woodfire prepared chicken was tender, moist and delicious like few I've ever had.

Our second visit. Food is still outstanding -- sophisticated regional dishes from Baha Mexico with a heavy emphasis on seafood. We had the striped bass for two, and it was prepared half in one type of cuisine and half in another. Food is absolutely fresh. Portions are large. Desserts are worth trying. They are imaginative and quite good. Also,there is a wide selection of beers from the brewery connected to the restaurant. Disappointments: We sat on the main floor and the noise level is high. With the crowded space and music volume turned up, it's a challenge to have a conversation. Also, tables are annoyingly small and close together. When the dining area is full, it's packed. Our waiter was very knowledgeable and efficient. But he was so busy he forgot to bring a second drink we ordered.

Went for Birthday celebrations with six people Appetizers were ceviche, raw fish marinated and shrimp and veal meatballs. Portions were small for price $15-17 each but very tasty Ceviche was the winner Entrees we selected were whole roasted sea bass and pork shank braised both outstanding served with sauces and homemade tortillas Dessert we brought cupcakes from Mandy B which were outstanding My only contention was they charged $12 plating charge to put the cupcakes on a platter. Shame on you Rick Baylees, fish was $48 and pork was $36 and you had to charge plate charge not right We had one and half rounds of cocktails all unique Our bill was $360 not bad for the experience Would definitely recommend for dining experience

A great fire-grilled dining experience, but not my favorite of Bayless's foodie experiences. Cocktails were very good, but I regret not trying a wine pairing with our array of dishes.

My family was treated to dinner and met our host at Lena Brava, our first time there! Fabulous, fabulous restaurant! We started with cocktails which everyone loved, everyone trying different ones and sharing tastes. We all liked them all! Our host had been there before and made some recommendations, all wonderful. We shared the Lena and Verde ceviches. Loved them both! We also had the pineapple and goat cheese appetizer that was excellent! I am not a big pineapple fan but this was so flavorful! We then ordered the whole striped bass and tried it two different ways, the Oaxacan-style, and the Nayarit-style. It is served with sauces on the side and tortillas. The butter-roasted plantains and the eggplant sides were really tasty. For dessert we shared a chocolate and ice cream dish, a goat cheese ice cream, and a strawberry and cucumber ice cream! All were delicious. The prices are high here but the helpings make it very shareable! Service was perfect with great suggestions!

This was a last minute rec from a local. Had dinner at bar as we didn't have reservations. Fun to. Watch the cold station. Pros. Good range of Mexican dishes. More creative than your typical options. Pineapple okay, octopus good. Scallops diving. Cauliflower mash silky but over salty. Good medical cocktails. Cons. AC was out and was a tad warm. Server very knowledgeable.

I had dinner just this past week. I shared the Striped Bass with a friend and it was very good. Fish was well prepared it was certainly not for two large males. I had Yucatecan-style tikin xik (achiote, roasted garlic, spices) with pickled red onions and habanero on the side. The only warning I have is the sauce is hot even for someone like me who likes heat. Still delicious & nutritious. Waitress was perfect. Perky and attentive but not overbearing. Describe things accurately as well.

Great flavors, simple menu, small portions, but good quality food. Our server was professional, but not too friendly. The biggest let down was when I ordered an in house beer, I was served a think glass half full and a lot of head. A fail for a brewery.

Mexican cuisine with a modern twist in a nice setup with open kitchen with wood ovens. Staff very friendly and attentive.

Had an after dinner drink in the small upstairs bar area, a peaceful refuge from the crazy scenes most Randolph St/West Loop spots are on a Saturday. Matt the friendly bartender made terrific recommendations from the huge selection of agave-based delights.

One of the best places to go for seafood. The service is amazing....all waiters are well educated about the food preparation and all info that you may want to know. Def will come back here again.

A newcomer from old timer Rick Baylee’s. Your appetizers come with cracker thin flatbread. Aim for any of the fish for two. Really serves 3 or 4. Swordfish A+

On a recent trip to visit family in Chicago, Lena Brava was recommended and we were able to get an early dinner reservation. This is one of Rick Bayless's newest restaurants and it is simply outstanding. Everything about it is terrific from the authentic Mexican wait staff to the amazing dishes they serve. We ordered so many different items and shared them "family style" and every single course seemed better than the previous one. All the food is "Baja style" so it is definitely NOT a Tex-Mex menu. The thoughtful menu and unique offerings create a dining experience like no other and you should plan to eat slowly and savor every bite. The menu is divided into three main offerings...... Ice, Fire, Bonfire and each item is appropriately labeled in one of these three categories making the menu very interesting. Some of the menu offerings we tried included: Laminada Kampache (yellowtail with mint) Ceviche Maki Roll (tuna) Braised short ribs Soft shell crab Octopus (delicious) Striped bass Bok Choy Mashed cauliflower And we topped off the meal with a birthday candle on top of ice cream along with a strawberry, neopolitan ice cream with a wafer on top. Every course was a unique combination of flavors which literally exploded or melted in your mouth. The wait staff was buttoned up and on top of everything without being intrusive. We left there with full tummies but did not feel overstuffed. By the way, the margaritas were quite good too and they had some very unique drink combinations as well as an outstanding wine list. This is literally one of the best meals of my eating career and I highly recommend it. Can't wait to get back to Chicago for another delightful meal here. Maybe next time we'll try the brunch (which we heard was outstanding).

We made the trek downtown on a snowy night in Chicago, and we were pleasantly surprised. Our friends who we went with have been to Lena Brava before and it was their recommendation. We got to the restaurant 45 minutes early because of the lack of traffic, and to our surprise we were seated. The meal started with three small plates, Pineapple and Goat Cheese,Michoacán Avocado, and a shrimp dish. They were so good we ordered another round of them before our entrees came. For our entrees my wife and I split a whole Chicken a la Lena, our friends wife did the half chicken , and her husband had the Octopus. Outstanding does not cover the entrees. The chicken both white and dark meat was out of this world. It was moist and the seasonings were excellent without being overpowering. The Octopus was tender and flavorful. For sides we shared the fingerling potToes and butter roasted plantains. My only description of the meal was WOW. The ambiance is great. We were seated upstairs which was a bit quieter. Our waitress was very knowledgeable and e trembly attentive. The only issue was the busboy spilled wine on our friends wife. Other then that a perfect night. You can order your own food, but it is more fun to share. Portions are large enough for that.

I started with the Lena Fire drink - similar to a spicy margarita (mexcal) - so smooth and delicious! The Lena Ceviche is perfect. The homemade tortillas have a bit of flavor which is really nice. The brussel sprouts leave me without words. If you can, place an order to go and eat them the next day as a meal! I promise they are that good! My friend and I ordered the striped bass Oxacan style. A little warmth from the adobo sauce but not overpowering. There was easily enough fish for 3 people, 4 could have shared. Was very sad to leave any leftovers but we simply could not eat it all. Great service! Good atmosphere.

Im not sure what the hype is about this place. Went here on my bday on a Tuesday night and it was packed. The food was good not great. The service was just ok. The ambiance is a bit loud like most restaurants in the city. Ive been to all of Rick's restaurants in Chicago and this one is my least favorite. its worth the try but not planning on being back. For the price, I expected better.

In London we are used to Mexican flavours being dumbed down so this was GREAT! a good amount of spice. The Mexican white wine by the glass was excellent. Not something you would imagine!! The crab salad was a favourite dish. I have to admit we were pretty naïve to a lot of the names of the ingredients and it felt like we stabbing in the dark so perhaps made some 'safer' choices than we could have - perhaps a vocab list on the menu would help?! More casual and noisy than we were perhaps expecting and WAY too close to the diners next to us - we could hardly hear our own conversation as it was drowned out by the tables around us but perhaps we are getting intolerant. Would have LOVED to try the absolutely fantastic looking tart for dessert had we had room.

In a word? Sublime! I've been there 3 times now, sampled at least half the menu and I can honestly say it's all outstanding! It has the service and passion you'd expect from any Rick Bayless driven venture, but this one, surprisingly, feels even more comfortable than any of his other Chicagoland haunts. I've sat at the bar on my last two visits, and each time, I've ended up sharing dishes with a complete stranger(s) sitting next to me and becoming friends with them. I don't think you can describe a restaurant any better...

This is a very attractive restaurant adjoining a micro brewery. All the food is cooked over wood fired grills which is quite a feature. We started with the Uni on a flatbread and it was fresh and briny and very delicious. I had the Octopus and it had excellent texture and was very tasty. The polenta was good and we enjoyed the shishito peppers. We were asked to order our entire meal at one time which I found unusual. We also had a rather long stretch between our appetizers and our entree, but otherwise the service was attentive and professional. They have a very large selection of Mexican wines that I found fascinating and I enjoyed two of them and would like to try more.

Quickly - CONS: - Noisy - Pretentious - Not OMG PROS: - Good service - Good food - Really good food Firstly - this is a seafood place with a Baja inspiration; red wine is not their specialty. The wine list is good but don't be freaked out if their wine list is not world-class. Don't go here for the wine; go here for the food. Our server was totally into the idea that he worked for a vibe-restaurant; a little low on humility and a little high on pride...but maybe that's your thing. No point pro or con here...but, the server DID get that we were here for the experience and was very sharp on all the dishes. It was obvious that he knew the prep and profile of the food - thank you! Presentation was messy...but I gathered that Baja-Mex is messy. Don't expect 'art' to come to your table. Quality? Excellent. No question...the recipes are crafted with care. We ate Tapas-style and sampled 1/4 of the menu...every description was nailed! Make the grilled pineapple a part of your experience and you will not go wrong. Pricing...well, people who complain about a place like this being expensive are missing the point or putting too fine a point on it...if you're out with four people, plan on $50-100/pp (if booze is involved) and look past the bill. These folk have to make their wage too — if you're going out to Lena Brava, put the cost aside and enjoy the experience. I probably won't be back...but it's not because the food/experience was bad. In our case, it was excellent. But, the cumulative experience was one that made all of us go, "Hmmm. This was really good! I wonder what else is out there..." Lastly, insist on sitting upstairs - downstairs is a loud riot. :). Best of wishes to Bayless - we will recommend to others.

Four of us met for dinner. We knew it would be good but it exceeded our expectations. Genaro A. was our waiter. He was attentive and it was fun to have him help us through the creative menu. We had so much food and it was all amazing. Braised shortribs - excellent. The Leta Ceviche - great. Scallops - wonderful. BUT - The Tikin Xik Sea Bass stole the show! We had half the fish prepared one way & half in different way. It was the best fish I had eaten. The Rock Crab Salad, Brussel sprouts, Beets, Aguachikes Pineapple we're all fantastic. We shared some iced cream - pomegranate, Rasberry Chamoy, Blood Orange & Coconut. We also found a place to put some Coconut cake. (I still any figure out how). It was A-Mazing! We enjoyed some drinks and a flight of Mescal. $330 out the door with a generous tip. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Such a great, uplifting atmosphere. Loved it.

Our waiter, Borraz, was phenomenal and guided us through the menu options. We started with some of the signature drinks and appetizers. We had Lena ceviche and pineapple. Lena was one of the best ceviche I have ever had. Next dish was paella made with vermicelli rather than rice. Unusual but it was excellent. Final dish was roasted chicken with a garlic agave glaze. We had a cauliflower mash and roasted plantain as sides. All we're great. For dessert we had a berry tart with key lime ice cream. Wow. Everything about dinner here was a 5 star experience. Highly recommend.

Nice place for a quiet, romantic dinner. Food was very good. Prices are high but not outrageous. Our favorites were the striped bass and the ceviche. The wood fired apple tart was large and tasty. We also had the beef short ribs and the duck which were good but not amazing.

I love the Fire (fire cooked food) and Ice (raw / lime cooked fish) tension at Lena Brava! If you order smartly, you'll come out with a balanced umami-esque meal. Try their ceviche and grilled octopus for starters. Mix in their chicken or gigantic steak option with their potato side dish! Was delicious and filling! They did well in maintaining familiar flavors of Latin America with a refined presentation and cooking style. As a bonus, the mostly Latino/a staff and patrons were hot af! ;-) Certainly recommend for a date night, casual dining, or even a special event. My only negative was that staff took forever to serve, sending a manager 20 minutes or more since entering. Apology was nice, but at least comp an agua fresca. #mexicanhospitality

Had dinner tonight- cocktail menu is unique. Lots of good choices! For dinner we shared: had the Classico (shrimp and octopus drowning in a cocktail sauce), crab salad (great with a hint of spice!), cod (tasty, small portion) and scallops (fantastic). Served with warm tortillas which was a nice addition. Restaurant is located in a hip and happening area of town!

Made it opening week and loved it. If you like Mexican seafood you will love this. Make sure to try cocktail. They do great things with mezcal.

We were in Chicago for 3 nights and ate here, The Girl and the Goat, and Blackbird. This was the best of the 3, and less expensive than the others. Six of us dined here and we had lots of plates to share. Every dish, save the oysters which I thought weren't in top form, was delicious. And each dish had flavours that had us oohing and aahing over. And we are experienced diners. Some noteables: the cauliflower, avocado, rock crab salad, short rib, shrimp, and chicken. I actually don't think you can go wrong here whatever you order. The place has a good vibe too.

Rick Bayless is the quintessential restaurateur of Chicago. From Topolobambo and Frontera Grill to his latest venture into Baja with Lena Brava. Best cocktails, great atmosphere, simple food done just right.

We went to Lena Brava for my husband's birthday which also coincided with Chicago Restaurant Week, meaning that we had to order from a price fixe menu. It wasn't my favorite, but perhaps that was because I was limited by the restaurant week menu. I very highly recommend Rick Bayless's Frontera Grill, but Lena Brava didn't live up to Frontera's flavor in my opinion. However, for what it's worth, my husband really liked it. Try the mezcal drink sampler if you go here, which is interesting.

I did not know was a Rick Bayless restaurant which is probably the reason the dishes are overpriced by at least $1 or $2, but the tuna ceviche was mindblowingingly good. I would love to have a lot to take home. The butter plantains were also excellent. Not overly sweet, and the texture was good. Not a big fan of mexcal because of smokiness but the drinks were tamer which made the liquor bearable for someone not used to the strong flavor.

Disappointed. It was Cinco De Mayo and I looked at 10+ reviews trying to find a great place for Mexican and a good margarita. There was 1.5 hour wait, and we did, unfortunately. Menu was rock crab salad, for $17.00 as an appetizer for 2. Entree was halibut or scallops, or stripped bass. Waitress said he could not give me a margarita!!! But something similar. No margaritas on Cinco De Mayo?? He said I could bring you something similar, a cucumber mezcal-Yuk! He took it back and then said, I could get you a margarita, but on the rocks no salt; which is exactly what I wanted in the first place. Not impressed by the halibut, covered by tiny little green sprigs. Not exactly what I had in mind for Mexican dinner. My husband's scallops were covered in pecans and maple syrup, again, not Mexican. Sorry Rick. I really enjoy your show on PBS, but you struck out on this one. This place is geared towards the young, yuppies, excited about spending lots of $$$ and waiting forever for a table; pious trend for the young people of today. Our dinner, with 3 drinks, no dessert, with tip = $159.00 WOW. And we waited 1.5 hours for this????

I have dined for years at Rick Bayless's other signature restaurants in Chicago, Frontera Grill and Topolobambo, and always very much enjoyed them. Fantastic food, great service and always a wonderful experience. I wish I could say the same for Lena Brava. I was in Chicago for one night and based on my previous experiences at his other restaurants, decided to try Lena Brava, which seemed a real hot spot with exceptional reviews. I had high hopes, but it was not to be. First, the food: I had the Opa appetizer which was recommended. The broth was good, the Opa tasteless. Along with this were some of the strangest "chips" that I had ever had in a Mexican restaurant; break your teeth hard and also tasteless. The green salsa, however, was excellent. And then, the whole wood-grilled striped bass. Again, absolutely tasteless, except tor the marinade on the outside. Now, I know good grilled whole fish. My favorites, Uncle Nick's in NY, and Ikaros in Baltimore, consistently do a wonderful job. Not here, however. I wonder if the fish had been frozen somewhere along the way? The restaurant denied it, but when fish is this tasteless, it has usually been frozen. Often I ask if the fish is fresh, and they say, with a smile," Yes, of course, fresh frozen". I would say that was the case here. Also, no trace of the wood grilling flavor. When I mentioned to the waiter that the fish was tasteless, he suggested that I dip it in the sauce...??? The baked pastry desert was excellent and had the kind of explosive flavor that I had expected for the rest of the meal Now on to the service: really not very good. Apparently at this restaurant, they keep your wine bottles in a common ice bucket. This is OK, if they fill your wine glasses in a timely manner. Not once was my wine glass filled unless I specifically requested it, and then, each time, only after the waiter had made two trips into the back room. Finally, I asked if he could bring my wine bottle over to my table in an ice bucket. He happily said," absolutely", but it never happened. I asked for salsa early on when they delivered the chips, which were delivered by another server. I was told that they had no salsa. I thought strange for a Mexican restaurant. Later I asked my waiter," absolutely", but again only showed up 15 minutes later after 2 trips to the back room, and then it was served to the table next to me, who wondered why they were being served salsa after they finished their main dish. All in all, beyond disappointing. Despite the great reviews, I think Lena Brava needs a lot of work. Sometimes I read some of these rave reviews and wonder if the reviewer was eating in the same restaurant as me.

The only real problem for us was the noise level. Especially the music. We asked twice for it to be turned down. Maybe it was a little less. But next time in nice weather we’ll ask to be outside. MUCH quieter out there. Food was wonderful. We got the Leña Ceviche (a little too spicy hot for me but seafood very fresh), and soft shell crabs and the sea bass (with the Leña green sauce). They were so delicious. And also the outstanding cauliflower mash, which my husband wants me to replicate. I would totally do that whole meal again!!

I had a wonderful meal here with my family. We shared a bunch of small plates and some large plates. We tried a couple of the civiches, which were both great. The octopus appetizer we got was cooked to perfection. In particular, I would recommend the seabass and the whole roast chicken large plates. In fact, the chicken was an absolute winner. My only criticism is that the restaurant was a bit heavy handed with goat cheese in a couple of dishes.

Really good cocktails including the Lena Fire and the Pisco Sour. Shared a great asparagus salad, seafood cocteles with shrimp & octopus in a spicy sauce, and some amazingly prepared razor clams (fresh in the shell with tiny potato crisps). The black cod al pastor was fabulous and the octopus entree was a hit with my dining partner. Service is good, the place is busy and lively and we had a great time with really creative and well prepared food.

We had a wonderful dinner. We were seated in the dining room on the second floor. The space is divided into a few dining spaces so it has a more intimate feel. The brick wall gives a cozy feel but the large windows offer nice open views of the city. We told the server we needed gluten free choices due to celiac disease. She immediately pointed out only a few options that could not be gluten free due to soy sauce. We ordered cocktails for the 3 of us: Rosa 75, a lovely take on a French 75, The Lena Signature Cocktail tasting, Lena Fire and Lena Ice and finally a Mezcal Tasting. They were all great. If you enjoy Mezcal definitely give the tasting a try. We ordered ceviche and the Pineapple, goat cheese appetizer. The pineapple appetizer was awesome, sweet but with a hint of heat for balance. The pineapple was grilled and served with a orange-lime broth and of course the goat cheese. We ordered the Striped Bass prepared 2 ways to share. It was perfectly prepared and it was especially delicious to try it 2 ways. It was served with house made tortillas, so we could make our own fish tacos. We also ordered the asparagus and the cauliflower mash sides. The cauliflower was so delicious but was really a puree. I loved it but it seemed out of place on the menu. It seemed like a dish you would find at a nice steak house. It was Mother's Day so we did indulge on dessert. We tried the Coconut-Jasmine Arroz con Leche, Tropical Escape #2 and the ice cream trio. All delicious and unique. I particularly liked the Tropical Escape #2; not too sweet and a variety of textures. I ordered a cappuccino which turned out to be the only disappointment of the evening. The cappuccino took quite awhile to arrive and when it did there was literally no foam left. The served did get a fresh cappuccino for me. It arrived with some foam. We had a wonderful evening inspire of the cappuccino fail.

Lena Brava is in a pretty touristy and business dinner type of area so tend to go during the week. We went both on my husbands birthday and mine in one month- because it is that good! The wood fired items are perfectly cooked and smoky. The restaurant is also connected to the casual brewery/taco joint next door. Come early & snag a beer before dinner. Pictured- Scallops w Mole- very good but we arent fand of mole in general. Short Rib- Top 10 Dishes we have ever had. A vegan may rip this out of your hands. Apple Tomatillo Tart (dessert) - Top 5 desserts we have had (if not #1 or 2) Roasted Potatoes- amazing. Don’t skip.

A great restaurant from one of our favorite American chefs serving top quality fish in various Mexican styles in an all wood fired kitchen. A top flight bar as well, albeit as one would expect concentrated on tequilas and mezcales. Service is a bit off at times but always polite. One minor annoyance is that we arrived about 15 minutes ahead of our reservation and we were promptly ushered to the upstairs bar only to then be seated at the table that we had noticed empty when we arrived.

Lena Brava is a Baja concept perfectly executed. Each dish told a story with no two the same. Each item had a singular flavor and texture that was never repeated. It reflects a commitment to perfect execution, so appreciated when ordering fish. It reminded me of my youth in Baja just much much nicer.

It is cold and warm dishes. I had two crevices. Was not found of the scallops AL pastor. Strong flavor for a dedicated seafood. The snapper was wonderful

This Rick Bayless restaurant features dishes from Baja Mexico. Half the menu is cold food and half is hot. My party had six dishes, all of them were excellent. And all of them were very different I had Oprah, a Hawaiian fish, cold in a grapefruit broth with chillies and then the dish all of the staff recommended, the octopus “pilbil” in the manner one would normally do pork. It came with two different sauces that were great. Someone else at the table had Arctic Char served with white beans bacon and chilies it was excellent and very homey. The classic seafood cocktail had shrimp and octopus in a red chili sauce that was a little on the spicy side. Our two desserts were a Tres Leches Cake, but really more like a soufflé, served with a raspberry pomegranate sauce and a free form tart, a dish that changes on the menu, tonight it was tomatillos! A sweet/savory treat.

This was our third time at Lena Brava and it didn't disappoint. The flavors of the dishes our exceptional and this time, I had the best sea bass I've ever had. Good service, great drinks and great atmosphere. Can't wait to go back.

Wow! You have to go. Great upscale Mexican. Nicely done Rick Bayless. Must have salt encrusted artic char and tomahawk steak. Ceviche is incredible. Get the sushi roll. Great list of tequilas and Mexican wines. Service is terrific. Must go!!

We went with friends and had a great meal. The service was fantastic. The food really good. Nice cocktail menu. The only reason I didn't rate as 5 star was an issue with the wine. The menu listed one Pinot Noir, but our server brought us something completely different. I feel restaurants have a responsibility to update their menus if they change wines.

It requires a unique food taste, very eclectic. Very little choice for this basic food eater. And they did not have bleu cheese stuffed olives, nor could they make them. The food that was served was excellent.

We all enjoyed this newer coastal Mexican influenced restaurant from Rick Bayless. Ceviche, seafood coctel, avocado and crab appetizers Sparked with freshness as did the inventive drinks. Other not so coastal but Mexican influences items like the short rib oaxacan style or the duck were a hit. The roast chicken, perfectly cooked and moist could have had an accompanying sauce with more flavor. The wasabi, ginger , etc salsa was lacking. Overall very good

Food cooked using wood as the heat was outstanding. Just enough choices on the menu, to provide something for everyone in our part of four. Having dinner with people that want to experience different choices made this resturant a great choice, our server provided us with information about the menu, that helped in our selections.

We had a wonderful meal. Everything was terrific. We had scallops, walleye, and cod. Actually, just ask your server because she was really helpful. We will definitely be back.

I very much enjoyed going to Lena Brava this month - an excellent Mexican place, upmarket, not too big and great service. The tablas dishes were a nice alternative to the typical Mexican offerings. Highly recommended!

Excellent food and stellar service. We couldn’t have been happier with our dinner on a Tuesday night. We were greeted like friends and treated like regulars, seated at the bar because we hoped to eat dinner earlier than our 8:30 reservation after a long day of work. The food we ordered—charred queso, carne asada and plantains (oh…those plantains…)—was excellent and presented with care. Our neighbors at the bar ordered sea bass and shared a taste with us…wow. Kudos to Lupe at the front desk and to Charlie and our super-nice barkeep behind the bar. I would go back in a heartbeat.

Finally got reservations here for a Sunday night. A long time fan of Rick Bayless' Fronterra Grill we were looking forward to trying this upscale interpretation of traditional South of the Border cuisine. We arrived and were immediately seated by an upstairs window overlooking the street. Started with cocktails and not being intimately familiar with the mezcal offerings it was great to receive guidance from our smart and attentive server. From there we delved into making selections for dinner from the wide selection of appetizers and entrees. I ordered the Bloody Maria which is a lime marinated tune with cucumber, green olive and mezcal. The server suggested I add the mezcal to the tuna and then drink it down at the end, a fantastic idea and would probably do this instead of a cocktail next time. (Then again those cocktails are really good!) For an entree I went with the black cod "al pastor" which was perfectly prepared with the pastor not overpowering the fish but adding to the fresh flavor of the cod. My wife had the ceveche and pasilla salsa braised sort ribs which I got to taste, both being excellent. Really looking forward to coming back here during a future Chicago visit. The cuisine is innovative, fresh, and prepared with just the right condiments and flavors to display the underlying tastes and textures of the seafood or beef. Highly recommended.

Far from being my first option, altuough creative menu, i miss flavour. Highlight was the fish tacos...

We started with the pineapple aguachiles, which just tasted like grilled pineapple (nothing special). I had the scallops in salsa macha, which were really good and cooked perfectly. The smoky bonito flakes were a nice accent to the scallops. A friend ordered the braised shortrib, which was super tender and flavorful. Another ordered the paella, which she liked quite a bit. We shared a side of the cauliflower mash, which was just okay...not much flavor, and I didn't like the texture of it. For dessert they shared the doughnuts, plantains and chocolate. It was plated very nicely and they all enjoyed it.

I was...underwhelmed. I've now been here twice and neither time could I say was what I'd expect a Bayless restaurant to be. Food was bland. I ordered the Tamal and there was literally no flavor it. I also ordered the shortrib and it was just a hunk of meat on top of a bone. It was cooked in their special oven, but it didn't seem to have any of the characteristics of it. We also ordered the ahi tuna ceviche and it was drowning in a reddish sauce that was meh. Our drinks were way over prepared (meaning they were so full of flavor and aromas that it was hard to enjoy them). Also, the food took a long time to come out. So I'm sorry to say this because I really wanted to like this place, but not worth it.

I knew I was going to order the scallops once I saw the pictures off Instagram. They were full of flavor. Very delish! I would go back for this dish!

I left this restaurant madder than I have been in a long time. Our service, from the moment we sat down until I paid, was awful. It took so long for our waiter to come to our table. After we finally ordered our drinks, appetizers, and entrees (we ordered everything at once since we had been at the table for half an hour), we waited another half an hour for our drinks to appear. We had to flag down our waiter for anything we needed, which fortunately wasn't much. I saw him visit the other tables around us frequently. It took 10 minutes for him to bring our check (he went to other tables while we waited). He never came back to retrieve our check so I gave it to the hostess. I asked for the manager and she handed me the general manager's business card. I asked to speak to the manager in the restaurant, who apologized for our inconvenience. Overall, the food was good but very expensive for the portions. The pineapple and goat cheese appetizer had five small pieces of pineapple for $15. I really liked the camote salad. We ordered the arctic char and at no time did the waiter tell us that it would take 40 minutes to cook, after we received our appetizers. Either the kitchen should have started the dish when the order was placed or someone should have told us ahead of time that we'd be sitting for 40 minutes after finishing our appetizers, for our fish to arrive. It was good but not worth the wait. I would never recommend this restaurant. We have too many great restaurants in Chicago with better food and service.

I had never been to a Rick Bayless establishment and we were not disappointed. Service was great, food outstanding and atmosphere was eclectic. Both wife and I are from Florida and former Chicago area residents. The area where the restaurant is located is very easy to reach no matter your location in the Chicago Area. I would recommend this establishment to anyone that enjoys Latino food with a twist. Food very flavorful and the Cervechi was very tasty and fresh. Other menu items were very well prepared and anything on the menu I would imagine is very good. When in Chicago one has to try this spot in the west loop.

First things first - make a reservation far in advance, it is worth it! Delicious meal all around but the various ceviches were definitely the stand out dishes for our group. We ordered family style and started the meal off with some guac! We then shared the Leña ceviche, Verde ceviche, and Avocado Laminado floowed by the Black Cod "Al Pastor," Walleye Pike, Pork Belly, and The Braised Shortrib with a sides of Wood-Oven Fingerling Potatoes and Eggplant & Shitakes. Don't forget to order a cocktail (I recommend the Last Piña) or a beer from CRUZ BLANCA next door. Last but not least - definitely order dessert! My boyfriend could not stop talking about the delicious mezcal he sipped on after dinner. We will definitely be back.

A Fresh vibe not only with the food, but restaurant itself. We enjoyed a cocktail outside the adjacent Taqueria on a 70Degree mid April evening and even witnessed a quick exit by 'the man' himself, Mr. Bayless. Restaurant was fun, eclectic and colorful. We ate upstairs looking over the street through a large window. Waiter was attentive and mindful of my wife's dietary restrictions. Our first Rick Bayless restaurant visit, but not our last.

The seabass is awesome. Great atmosphere, decent wine pairing and perfect location. It’s great to find places that really serve food to share

We arrived at 6:45 on a Friday night in summer and were immediately escorted to a table upstairs. On the way up the stairs, the hostess observed that this was our second visit to the restaurant, which shows the staff is on their toes. It's quieter up there and in summer the big windows let in a lot of evening light and views of the city skyline. The menu has evolved to include more non-fish and seafood cooked dishes than we remembered but we came for fish. We had a cocktail and a delicious pineapple/orange agua fresca while we studied the menu. We decided not to share the plates. After consulting the charming and knowledgeable waitress, he ordered the rock shrimp salad and the black cod, plus a side dish of roasted artichokes in "kewpie mayonnaise". I ordered the "classico" shrimp/octopus cocktail and the octopus "carnitas". The 2 apps were very tasty and came with a wooden box containing shards of very crisp baked corn tortillas flavored with lime & salt that are addictive. The warm dishes came promptly after we finished the apps. My "carnitas", large chunks of octopus cooked sous vide for 8 hours, then briefly broiled, were tender and mild flavored atop a salad of chopped bacon-dressed frisee but ultimately did not hit the spot. The portion was too big to finish. His black cod was delicious and he didn't leave a morsel of it on the plate. They were accompanied by 4 warm house-made corn tortillas which were excellent. The roasted artichokes were tasty, tho I'm not a big fan of mayonnaise, so I would probably not order them again. Sadly, the banana split which we had ordered on our first visit and been looking forward to is no longer on the dessert menu. We chose the "chocolate and coconut" dessert instead. While it's very good, a disk of dense flourless chocolate cake topped with scrumptious burnt brown sugar glaze, and accompanied by a scoop of coconut ice cream, toasted coconut and crisp chocolate crumbles, it isn't the equal of the banana split. He ordered a double espresso he said was awful...grains of espresso floating in it. The restaurant is lively; the menu is interesting; the staff is capable; the food is high quality and well-prepared. The patrons are mostly well-dressed millennials with a scattering of older folks. It's a popular spot so you have to try for reservations weeks in advance.

"But, our bartender will choose the perfect Mexican spirit that will please you." He did, a delightfully smoky Tequila on ice. From then on, the dinner experience was simply fun, an adventure into wood fired Baha cuisine. My choice from the menu, duck quarter. My guest chose Short Ribs, a braising so tender & warming.

Dined on a Saturday evening. Pretty busy with a short wait to be seated. Food is very good. Oysters, ceviche and empanadas hit the mark. Service is excellent. First plates on table within 5 mins of being seated. Server was attentive and made good suggestions. Tacos were excellent. Little disappointed by short rib. I expected a more tender piece of meat. It was a little dry. Drinks were good. Dessert was ok. Experience may warrant another visit. Enjoyed the evening.

Food and service were both excellent. Lots of great tasting dishes.Everything was great until our departure. It was 11 PM, but calling a cab for us seemed to be far too much of a request for the host and hostess. No, they were too busy manning the telephones and not wanting to leave their hosting station to help us get a cab. As we all know, customers are keeping those phone lines really busy at 11 PM.....NOT! We were ultimately left to fend for ourselves with no help from the front desk staff. Isn't it their job at 11 PM to help customers leave their restaurant smoothly?? A very bad end to a delightful meal. WHY??......lazy and unprofessional hosts if you ask me.

We enjoyed a fantastic meal at this gem in the West Loop - one of Rick Bayless’s famous restaurants! Rick Bayless is not just a great chef, he is a great teacher and mentor. He has encouraged and trained people in his restaurants so Chicago now has countless remarkable chefs who started out under his discerning eye and with his astute guidance. We started early, thank goodness, because the restaurant gets quite loud once it’s full. The food was delicious, innovative, and beautifully served. We adored the melt-in-your mouth short ribs and the superbly prepared cod. Our starters were well-balanced and spicy enough to be memorable, but not over the top, for palettes fearful of too much heat. The dessert, which four of us shared, brought everything together with a lovely finish. Our waiter was excellent and provided good descriptions and suggestions. The restaurant is in a very busy area, so consider valet parking rather than seeking a space. (Spot Hero got us a place at 333 Green Street, about 5 blocks away.) Everything was first class. Thank you, Rick Bayless - you are a treasure! Chicagoans and visitors celebrate the quality, vitality and welcome of your restaurants!

I was so surprised about this place. First we had a few beers at the brewery (it has a brewpub at one side), and then we had dinner at the restaurant. We tried several plates and all of them were fantastic. You can also enjoy what is going on around. It is an open space where you can see the staff working on the ovens, the grills, or preparing ceviche or cocktails. To me the entire experience was outstanding: the beer, the food, the cocktails, the service and the wonderful site.

Beautiful evening. Sat outside at sunset. Had very good wait staff and food. You can tell the Bayless touch. Very thoughtful ingredients and where they are from. Makes for great tasting dishes that remind you/ or make you think you are eating at that place. In this case off the Baja coast. Delightful.

Have been to a couple of Rick Bayless’s Restaurants, Topolobampo & Frontera Grill.I made this reservation hoping that this would be a slight variation of his menus but of equal quality. The restaurant was busy when I was there. The tables are much too close to each other to the point where it’s slightly uncomfortable. Remarkably, the servers can barely walk between the tables with the plates in their hands, seems to be an invitation for some unfortunate incident. Cocktails were good. The food was OK but not at the level I expected. However... Coctel verde copita was very good. It’s intended to be small and it delivered exactly what it promised. It was a ceviche well executed. The grilled octopus was tender and yummy. They had a beautifully presented fish. It is described on the menu as Striped Bass but they didn’t have any that night. A snapper was the substitute. Sauces were ok. Plantains were good as was the broccoli rabe. Having lived in Mexico for many years and traveled around the country I guess I had elevated expectations. I didn’t have dessert so can’t comment. Waiters are doing their best to get things done but it seems somewhat disorganized and as if though there was no one managing them.Has potential to be a lot better. For sure they have the know that’s been implemented elsewhere. They need to import all of it into this property.

Brought my daughter here for her Bday & we both Loved it - Wonderful decor, our server Ignacio was great & our Food & Drinks were Fantastic! Prices are a bit higher & parking is a challenge but there is Valet. The hostess station was the least favorable part as they were all kind of cold and not responsive. They gave us a very poor table & would not move us even though we had reserved 5 or 6 weeks in advance for a special day. Only after a 3rd attempt speaking very nicely again, this time with I'm guessing a manager or asst mgr, did they move us. Food & Drinks: Amanecer (Sunrise) - wow, wonderful cocktail, we had to have a few of these. The drink our server suggested with Mescal was a bit too strong (very smoky & Mescal forward) so I preferred the Amanecer. Chicken a la Lena - Our Fav*** Black Cod Al Pastor - delish, tender, but could use a lot more of it Braised SHortrib - tasty & over cauliflower mash, but was our least Fav of the eve Flourless Chocolate/ Coconut Ice Cream - WOW*** (Tie as Fav) We had to get extra scoop of the Ice Cream - it was that good! My daughter didn;t want anything Raw so no Cold dishes, but 3 Hot Entrees. Next time I'd try their Ice side of the menu, many tantalizing choices.

I had been to Lena Brava once before and had their classic "hiragana yellow tail" that is a beautiful plate and the one you see on instagram all the time, sometimes it looks red, other times orange. It was good but not delicious, but it really is pretty to look at. This time, finding that our original idea for dinner had a private party going on, we went to Lena Brava and sat at the bar. The server was friendly, authentic and attentive. We both ordered cocktails, one a mezcal one and the other with tequila. Their cocktails are absolutely delicious, well-balanced but really need to be sipped slowly with the types of spirits they are using. Highly, highly recommend the cocktails but sip VERY slowly! Food is spotty. We ordered a half dozen oysters and should have ordered a dozen. Even though they were west coast oysters they were pretty small but the accoutrements with the oysters are delicious, the yuzu ice is yummy and the salsa delicious. Bayless restaurants have incredible salsas and sauces. I would order the oysters again just for the sauces that come with them. My friend ordered the rock crab salad and it basically looked like tuna fish on a plate. It was more saucy than crabby and really looked and tasted drab. I ordered the shrimp albondigas which comes in a small cast iron pot with tons of tomato sauce and tortillas. Albondigas are "meatballs" and these tasted not like shrimp/pork balls but like fish balls with no other flavor. I could not taste the shrimp at all, all I tasted was a not good fishy flavor. It is kind of a messy meal to eat as well because the tomato sauce drips out of the tortilla when you put it together. This felt more Italian than Mexican and the tomato sauce was really the best part. This was disappointing and I would never order it again. I have friends who are crazy over the fire roasted chicken even though this is a fish place. The people next to us ordered the lobster which was pretty incredible looking. My recommendation is to order the fire roasted items, like the chicken or lobster. We watched the gem salad being made, it has no fish in it but it looked really pretty on the plate and healthy. The other thing to note is that next door the Cruz Blanca bar serves tacos and cocktails as well, it is a tequila and mezcal bar. So I wish I had gone there, gotten cocktails and tacos and I probably would have been happier and paid less. They have an upstairs so if the downstairs looks packed you have the upstairs option. Lena Brava is a really fun place to visit. It has a really energetic atmosphere, the staff are on point, really friendly and hospitable so you feel welcome. I just recommend staying away from the two items I mentioned. The salsas and different sauces that come with the dishes are really delicious which are a Bayless specialty. So really one of those dinners that "I make a note to self" of what to do next time which is check out Cruz Blanca.

A memorable time spent at Lena Brava with friends. Food was incredible - we had an assortment of goodies and shared. We had the Lena Ceviche and Clasico Coctele - next time will order two Ceviches, the Black Cod Al Pastor, Striped Bass for two - Yukatuken Style and the Scallops. Would order the Striped Bass again - delish. The only thing missing on the drink list was a traditional margarita which I asked for and they made for me without question - a few times lol

We started next door at Cruz Blanca for a beer, and then came over to the restaurant for dinner. We didn't have a reservation, so it was lucky that we scampered into line right when they opened. We got 2 seats at the bar right away where we had dinner. This is totally our style, we often prefer sitting at the bar. Lena Brava has very knowledgeable staff and were very willing to answer my (many enthusiastic) questions. They are known for their mezcal, and they helped me pick out a great one based on some of my requests. The food was absolutely delicious with well-balanced heat/spice, and amazing flavor. My boyfriend and I will be reminiscing about our fun experience here for a LONG time!

We are big fans on Chef Bayless and know that he runs quality operations and lena Brava did not disappoint--for the most part. Upbeat, informed staff are fun to talk with. The cocktails are fantastic. We wish there was just a couple kid options for entrees--we like to bring our kids and introduce them to quality eating but usually the options on the main menu are not quite the fit even for healthy, adventurous eaters. The non-alcoholic cocktails, however were a hit! In light of the kids, the waiter encouraged us to split the dishes and eat family style. I really wish we hadn't--for many of the dishes it just wasn't right to split with our larger group and we didn't have a chance to experience all the components of the dishes. Perhaps just share a nibble off your plates but order your own entrees. Off menu is a mezcal old fashioned---awesome!!!!

We enjoyed excellent food and service. Impeccable presentation. Everything was unique and well prepared. Exciting visible open fire wood burning oven. We definitely will return. I especially enjoyed the sea urchin - it is a beautiful thing.

Had a wonderful time!! Great food and ambiance! We ordered Guac and chips, Taquitos and carnitas. Everything was so good!!! We will be back again soon.

Great dinner! Had the octopus it was delicious!! The half chicken was good also. The baked chips with ceviche was very good. Really enjoyed the dinner.

Another Rick Bayless hit, the seafood is fresh and tasty. The Mezcal bar is great with fantastic mixed drinks. Their beer Tocayo is worth a second visit by itself. Great service.

And that was hard to do as we had high expectations. Service was good. Restaurant was crowded and noisy with the crowd obviously having a great time. We shared the rock crab 🦀 salad and whole striped bass Yucatán style. We were warned to taste hot sauce with just a drop 💧 on our tongue. That was enough. Hot 🔥 hot 🔥. Wife said fish was best she ever had. Highly recommend restaurant. Reserve well in advance to avoid being told it is full.

This is an award winning Top Chef restaurant that is primarily Mexican fish plates. Wow was it Good! We went for our anniversary and in addition to the unique menu the staff was knowledgeable, attentive, and offered excellent suggestions. We shared everything from cold plate appetizers of spicy Ceviche and an avocado plate with toasted tostada bread to the hot plate main dishes of spicy hot Black Cod with polenta and the melt in your mouth Scallops, ending with coconut chocolate ice cream dessert everything bite was a delight. Pricey but worth it for a special occasion.

After trying all the Rick Bayless restaurants, I like this one best. The specialty is wood-fired seafood dishes, with interesting combinations of flavors. The mezcal list is impressive. I had a mezcal-cured salmon appetizer, and main dish of rock cod with grilled pineapple, Napa cabbage, and red chile/achiote sauce. The fish was perfectly prepared and delicious. I had a side of roasted eggplant with toasted walnuts and mint. Finished with Oaxacan coffee, spiked with mezcal and chile pasilla syrup and topped with a dollop of sweet cream. Atmosphere is casual and friendly, and the service is very professional and attentive. I sat upstairs by a window with a view of the city. A splurge, but worth it for this quality of food.

Between a friend's recommendation and a previous experience at Topolobampo, we decided to give this Rick Bayless establishment a try. Overall, we found the whole "fire and ice" themes on the menu unimpressive, in addition to the inability to enjoy a margarita at a restaurant featuring tequila. The 5 bite grilled pineapple appetizer was delicious but pricey, the short rib and scallop entrees good and after the server sold us on the blueberry pastry with key lime ice cream for dessert.....they were out of it. Hoped we'd like Lena Brava more than we did.

This is a small place with a kitchen churning out huge flavors. Bayless has done it perfectly ! The menu is full of unusual combinations of Mexican/Latino food that are simply delicious. The open wood grills not only produce great tasting food but also warm the atmosphere of the restaurant (and you can feel the heat). This is a tough reservation to get but do yourself a favor, plan and book ahead, you'll have an outstanding experience.

You'll have to go more than once to try all of the best dishes, but my favorites were ceviches. Everything was good, though.

We had a great time, excellent craft beers, highly recommend Pesos to Pounds. The service was exceptional, the food was awesome. The black bass perfect and the short ribs so tender, get the avacado appetizer, the shitake mushrooms with goat cheese yum! Save room for dessert!

I went we my husband for a sunday late lunch and it was awesome!! The portions are kind of small, we shared 3 plates and the three were spectacular. We're both mexican and the food has the real mexican flavor!!! We had the smores for dessert and were truly surprise.

The food in general is good. We started with the Oysters which came with 3 diff options for topping...Melon sorbetto (very good), a dark almost mole sauce (outstanding) and a green creamy salsa (equally outstanding). Some heat that build from the salsas was really good as we continued to enjoy them with a flatbread which was unique....slightly salted with a lime flavor. Interesting but that lime flavor built also which was tiring after a while. I guess that's good because it limits your intake (?). We had the scallops in a beet sauce which were very good. Then came the Hamachi ceviche in an avocado sauce.....also good. Beef shortrib was fantastic. Superbly prepared, well flavored and melted in our mouth. Lastly came the seabass for 2...ehhhh just ok. They butterfly it and put a lightly seasoned Frisee on top for décor. The fish itself was just mediocre. Flavored well but really just not up to the hype. So that was the food. Now, the brewery which is attached is another story. You can only get beer and drinks which include beer and mescal. We had 2 drinks which was their take on a Moscow mule....horrible. So sweet, we each took 2 sips and left it. The bartender didn't care either. He actually said, "I told you, you should have ordered a beer" I can't even tell you what was going threw my mind when he said that. The bathrooms in the brewery are shared with the restaurant....here's my issue. No paper towels to hold the door when you've finished washing your hands. Now, in a restaurant where you typically eat with your hands, this is a HUGE NO NO! The brewery offers tacos and quacamole which YOU EAT WITH YOUR HANDS!!! I understand the desire to remove paper from bathrooms to reduce the mess it can create, however, in an establishment where you eat with your hands you NEED to have papertowels near the doorway to allow your guests to open the door when you finish washing your hands. Have you ever eaten chips or tacos with a fork? The restaurant is supposed to open at 5:30. There was a group outside waiting with 5:30 reservations until 5:39....again, working the hype. Glad I checked it out, No I will not go back. Better to eat at Frontera at lunch time.

We sat at the bar and the service wasn’t great, so we decided to get some appetizers and split. The ceviche was just ok. The cocktails were good, but the bartender mostly ignored us so we only had one drink and decided to go somewhere else.

Service excellent and experienced! The ambiance is relaxed but with polish. The food is the centerpiece in this open flame grill restaurant which serves inspired Baja food. We shared a whole fire grilled fish with choice of sauces.....each side of the fish was cooked to our flavor taste. Mouth watering! Everything was done to perfection. We ate pretheatre and had no problembeing fed a banquet in one hour and a half. GO!!!!

Very disappointed overall. Must say I found this to be a very disorganized setting and encountered several less than professional staff. It is very unclear there are two separate restaurants in the same building, and to receive a condescending attitude when trying to figure out where to go and when to be there is most disturbing. Furthermore, I was never told I would have to check in with a different hostess, and waited around upstairs for 10 minutes before I returned downstairs on my own to find out. The waiter was pleasant enough but refused to even ask the kitchen whether I could have a different sauce for the scallop dish- I am allergic to nuts and he was adamant the dish could not be altered. The Tamals (as they were referred to on the menu) were similar to a corn puff pastry-interesting, but less than filling. I left disgruntled- have been to other Bayless restaurants and never had the problems I did at L.B., so maybe the staff need some training in customer service. At this point, would not go back. Sorry, RB fans, that's the honest truth.

We have been looking forward to eating here for so long and made reservations a few months out just so we made sure to secure a reservation during the christmas break. This is mexican food from the baja penninsula which i have visited many times while living in San Diego and the emphasis is more on seafood. We arrived and were immediately seated and for once were able to sit off to the side in the window instead of amongst the crowded center of the dining room where the tables are all squeezed in so close. so we immediately started off with the oysters and then split the whole bass fish and had sides of the spinach and the beets. Everything just perfectly cooked the bass had a layer of lettuce..almost too much in that it completely covered the fish and made it messy getting the fish off the bone. It was also served with a sauce as well as tortillas to make tacos with. The sides were excellent as well..the spinach elevated by their addition of nuts which gave a nice crunch to the spinach and the beets just so good. All in all i would fair to say this meal was the best of the other meals i have had at other Bayless spots plus since this is more affordable and the servings much more substantial plus the lazy casual atmosphere. There is also a taqueria and brewery right next door owned by Bayless. Highly recommended.,

Our third visit but the first time we were seated on the ground floor where the open kitchen is located. It's a bit louder than upstairs but quite comfortable and cosy on a cold winter's night. We had the Lena ceviche and the Baja cocktel appetizers. While both were excellent, we preferred the flavors of the Baja cocktel which had less heat and more subtlety. For main courses, we both had the black cod which was silky and delicious plated with a little roasted pineapple and a jicama(?) slaw . We ordered a side of the butter-roasted plantains and left not a morsel even tho it was a generous serving. For dessert, we split the parsnip and blood orange cake which sounds weird but was also scrumptious. Service is smooth and competent. We left happy....and very full.

Lena Brava is just so much fun- a rare blend of a happy, relaxed atmosphere and stunningly good food that surprises, dish after dish... Honestly, we loved *everything* that we had, but standouts included the Opah, the Baja Autumn Roll (fair warning, though, the dipping sauce is searingly spicy- for us, too spicy to really enjoy), Scallops with beets and Black Cod. Most dishes are somewhere between spicy and very spicy, which was nicely offset by the butter roasted plantains. We did wish there was a little more variety in the cocktails- almost all are mexcal based, which is not everybody's favorite, but can't fault the wine list. Service was helpful, happy and hopping. Overall, an exceptional night out.

This was my first time at a Rick Bayless restaurant and we loved it. The cocktails were delicious and we enjoyed the mix of dishes we chose from. The Rock Crab salad was one of my favorites, as was the black cod al pastor. The seafood pozole lacked something- I just don’t know what. One of the best parts of the entire experience was the service, which is hard to come by these days. Our waiter was knowledgeable, helpful, kind, and attentive.

Just walking in was amazing, the open kitchen and the wood fire smell I knew I was in for a great experience. As our first trip to Chicago, we couldn’t have had a better experience! Our server was very attentive and made some great suggestions - even for gluten-free. We ordered the Short Rib, Half Chicken, the Striped Bass, Ceviche and the Cheese. The striped bass butterflied and seasoned two-ways was absolutely AMAZING and stole the show for sure. The most tender and flavorful fish I’ve had in quite some time! Highly recommend eating here and will certainly be back!!

Great service and delicious food! We came here on the recommendation of our friends who live in Chicago and we were really happy with everything. The cocktails were especially delicious. Note - this is not a 'tacos' or 'burritos' spot and is more of a plated Mexican food experience as opposed to street food. We had high expectations for Rick Bayless and he delivered!

I recently visited Lena Brava on a Sunday night wth my boyfriend and his parents for his birthday dinner. We have been meaning to visit the restaurant for awhile now and were very excited we got a reservation. The restaurant was busy for a hot humid Sunday night but we remained cool inside. Our server was very attentive and did a great job. We ordered several plates to share as well as the salt baked fish and lobster entrees. Everything was cooked perfectly outside of the lobster which was a tad overdone and chewy. There was more than enough food and we had leftovers for a few days. I’d definitely recommend and only gave the restaurant four stars instead of five because we felt that the price of the meal was a bit overpriced compared to dishes received. Our meal for four ended up close to $500 which is a splurge for our budget.

The best empanadas and green Chile -chicken enchiladas ever! Really enjoyed the eclectic mix of food and drinks on offer. Food and service were great. Made for a great night.

Very disappointed. Most sauces had a Smokey flavor and very spicy. Octopus and shrimp appetizer was tough and drenched in this Smokey, Spicy sauce. I also got these meatballs also drenched in Smokey, spicy sauce. Came with corn tortillas which I don’t care for as they’re much heavier than my preferred flour tortillas. Tuna sushi roll was very good. The ceviche was ok. Pasta with squash/pumpkin was gross. The meat on the bone with the cauliflower purée was good. Lots of toquilla and mescal to choose from but expensive. Lace was very busy and loud. We won’t be going back.

We made our first visit to Lena Brava on a recent Saturday night and can't wait to return. Our meal was delicious and the staff very attentive and friendly. Everything our server recommended from drinks to desserts was spot on. She even picked up in conversation that we were celebrating my wife's birthday, and brought her a card signed by the staff with our dessert! Highly recommend the Lena Fire and Kiss on the Mouth cocktails, the oysters, Clasico Cocateles, Braised Rib, Seafood Pozole, and the Cauliflower Mash and Corn Masa sides. A completely enjoyable experience start to finish!

You definitely need a reservation here, and even then you make not get to eat from stories I've heard! If you do though, the food is delicious, service was top notch.

We had six people celebrating a birthday dinner at Lena Brava. We had the pleasure of seeing Rick Bayless as well as enjoying the delicious food. It is a heavy seafood based Baja style cuisine in the West Loop. The food is cooked all on wood fire grills and it was fantastic. We sampled several seviches, rock crab salad, octopus, scallops, plantains, Striped sea bass tacos and several other dishes. The flavors were fantastic and the presentation was great too. Next time, I would order either chicken or steak to add some substance to all of the seafood dishes. It was a fun evening to celebrate a 50th birthday!

This is a plate sharing restaurant, everything was fabulous, for two people took 2 dishes from the left of the menu and 2 from the right, the scallops were great. Also had the side of beets which were not red, they were delicious! Visited brewery upstairs before our reservation, affiliated establishment, Belgium beer was great, sat upstairs for dinner, much brighter than downstairs, can't wait to go back!

The restaurant features California Baha seafood, and tacos. But this doesn't begin to describe the amazing variety and quality of the food and service. This must be among the top five restaurants in the city and maybe the best new one. Its creator, Rick Bayless, is a genius, which he demonstrates once again in this gem. There are two floors, and the ambiance on both is inviting, cool, and very comfortable. The food is absolutely fresh and delicious -- the real magic is in the seasonings which create complex flavors. Highly recommended.

We stopped in for an appetizer and drinks. Our server was engaging and helpful. After the routine request for our drink order, and our description of the flavors we we favored, he suggested a gin berry drink and a Mezcal old fashioned. New to us and now a favorite. The guac and chips were first rate (the guac was flavorful and topped with radishes and the chips were GRILLED)

We visited Lena Brava twice on consecutive weekends, first visit we ordered from the tasting menu and the second from the regular menu. Both times proved to be exceptional. As a frequent visitor to the Chicago dining scene, it's been a long time since we experience such mouth popping food. We had the grilled pineapple with goat cheese that literally explodes with taste, with sweet pineapple taste followed by the slightly salty/sweet goat cheese. We also had the ceviche; just superb! The primary main coarse was short ribs, tender, juicy and tasty. Dessert was a great tart with ice cream that left us bedazzled. The following week we returned and ordered from the regular menu. Everything was great but the striped bass which was an extra on the tasting menu was just exceptional. It a whole filleted fish with an Oaxacan -style red chile adobo glaze on half and a Lena-style herb green chile glaze on the other half. There are two other glazes available; you can select one or a combination of the 4 glazes. Though most of the appetizers and main course have a slight to moderate kick, non are overpowering and you can have the kitchen adjust the heat to your taste. Dessert this time was a peach tart with peach ice cream and a light sauce. If you're looking for something different that will knock your socks off I highly recommend this restaurant. Rick Bayless always seeks the best and freshest food for his restaurants, in fact even the gladiolas in our dining room were changed from the previous week

Glad we finally ate here because this is now a place for repeat dining. Luckily we were able to get an outside table as a walk in on Saturday night. Friendly staff from the hostess to our waiter. The concept of Fire and Ice is truly captured across the menu and drinks. Highly recommend the Cruz Blanca Old Fashioned. Ceviche and Laminados were delicious and refreshing. For the mains we all had something different. The scallops, short rib and octopus were prepared to perfection. Our waiter recommended 1 side per person but I feel you could get away with 1 per couple. I’m looking forward to going back and experiencing the “Tablas” menu for 2.

Went for drinks/appetizers with a friend. Great, lively vibe (which means can get loud). Sat at the bar - bartender helpful with suggestions because there is too much on the menu that is unfamiliar with no translation. Food was good. Crab salad was too spicy - this was a surprise. Serving crickets with the avocado dish somewhat gimmicky. Most mixed drink suggestions had tequila as a base and that is somewhat limiting. One pinot noir by the glass but it was very good. Nice to try - lots of other options in the area.

These folks are great. We are from out of town, arrived without a reservation, they were apologetic (!) and seated us at the bar. Lupe and her staff then proceeded to treat us like family: the food was amazing and we had the very best time. Thank you very much!. We will be back!

Every single item from the menu sounds good and the ones we tried were outstanding. The chef is bringing out the flavors in all dishes. And the drinks are just as good. We'll definitely be back.

Walking on Randolph Street and decided this looked interesting. What a place to stumble onto! Unique atmosphere and wonderful food. We had ceviche, the whole chicken and plantains. All were amazing and seeing the open fire kitchen made for a memorable dinner. We will definitely be back!

Definitely five star food, cool atmosphere, really creative menu including lots of interesting cocktails. We chose to sit at the bar and that was fun. Service was good until a local celeb sat next to us, and they sucked up all the attention from staff. As good as the food was, in my view they’re stretching the value proposition even for a Bayless restaurant, but the current economy will allow it. And parking in the area is a nightmare, plan on valet, self park will involve a walk and maybe parking in a slightly sketchy area. Glad we went once, but we’ll probably go back to Frontera Grill for our regular Bayless fix.

My husband and I visited for the first time on June 15th. The food and drinks were fantastic! The octopus was very well seasoned and cooked! The flavors were amazing!The hamachi tasted so fresh! Like they had just caught it for us! For raw fish, the flavors were out of this world! My husband is still talking about the freshness and flavors! Yum! They also have a fantastic wine list with wines from Baja, Mexico! The food, drinks, wines and staff were all amazing! Love! Will be back!

My wife and I were able to snag a reservation for NYE at Lena Brava... it was a tough find and we had to agree to a $50/person cancellation fee. But it was so worth it. This was perhaps the best meal I've ever had... definitely the best in years. The latest offering from Rick Bayless (who happened to be at Lena Brava on NYE) is unbelievable. Great atmosphere... loud but not overwhelming. Upscale but not stuffy in the slightest. Nice staff who is great at being around when you need but not constantly talking to you. The highlight though is the food. There were so many things we could have tried... we'll definitely have to head back. Their drink menu is unique... I ended up getting a twist on an Old Fashioned which served its purpose. On the food side, we started with the pineapple... sounds odd but a great sweet/spice combo. Our next course was the verde ceviche. Best part of the meal. Nice heat which hits you at the end of each bite. Just fantastic. We decided to split the whole fish (bass) and cauliflower for our main dish. Prepared perfectly with interesting spices. I would wholeheartedly recommend each item for anyone. My wife and I also took part in the NYE party at the neighbor bar Cruz Blanca... I was worried about going out on NYE with the amateurs but the chill vibe (along with three drinks, one app per person for $50) was exactly what I was looking for. I would come back here in a heartbeat... and would recommend this place to anyone and everyone.

We're big fans of Rick Bayless, and this newish restaurant in the West Loop lives up to our expectations. Everything we tried, from the unique and inventive cocktails to various dishes including salads, starters and mains was fresh,was interesting and pleasingly complex. It's a trendy place right now and very hard to get an actual reservation, but we went early (6pm) on a Friday and were prepared to wait a while, but as it turned out we were offered a table immediately if we'd agree to give it back by 7:30; it was well worth it!

All-around winner.. menu, preparation, presentation, service, and fairly priced. Ingredients and names of dishes may be unfamiliar. Good cocktails and wine list, too

We loved Lena Brava. The food was spectacular, best short rib ever. The wine was unique and delicious. Our waiter was absolutely terrific.

Last minute reservation obtained for bar seating. Tables unavailable that day. Spent early evening in the adjacent craft brew venue and really enjoyed the excellent beer and vibrant energy. Adjourned to the restaurant and enjoyed white wine with half doz oysters...yes! A beef dish and an absolutely wonderful order of octopus. The service was excellent, as were the menu choices and the bar server. We had a terrific time and would definitely return. Uber was there in 3 minutes to take us home. Thank you Lena Brava for a memorable evening.👌

We dined here two years ago and had a lovely experience, particularly with our service. Recently we returned and couldn't believe it was the same restaurant. Some things didn't change, like the overpriced, uber-small portion sizes. But the service stood out as lackluster at best. Starting at the bar, the bartender talked us into the Diablo, an overpriced, unsatisfying cocktail (how can this be recommended when we explicitly asked for something not sweet or fruity??) The lack of alcohol in the drink, for the price, was a rip-off as well. Our server for diner took over 20 min. to initially come to our table. Then we waited another 15 min. for our drinks. Totally unacceptable. He routinely disappeared all night, got our drinks mixed up and didn't pay much attention to us even when at our table. Cod was meh; Rock salad should be avoided at all costs--it's not a salad, it's merely 4 bites of seafood for $18. Ceviche maki roll, also $18, was 5 small pieces. Striped bass was ok; other meat dishes dry. We were all hungry and had dessert elsewhere. And mind you, we are not huge eaters and are used to fine dining all over the world. So many restaurants in Chicago--don't waste your time here.

5 Start shout-out to our servicer, Lynnea D.!! She was exceptional and truly embodied the spirit of Lena Brava. For her alone, we will return. Her exceptional knowledge of the menu and tequilas made for a wonderful birthday celebration. Excellent, creative food, although the portions on some entrees are small. Lynnea must've overheard us commenting on it and sent out another entree gratis. Wonderful touch. Thank you! She also helped us celebrate with a delicious dessert. Lynnea, you made our evening! Many thanks. If you can snag a reservation to this lovely restaurant, grab it. You'll enjoy the ambience, food and especially the staff. Bravo to Lena Brava.

Baja in Chicago!! Anything with Rick Bayless is a sure winner and this is no exception. Many of the dishes have a little kick..or more to them. Be sure to ask. Excellent beer and wine selection. Try to share...some dishes are a bit tricky to split in 4's..but try. Snapper was great...loved the ceviche..spaghetti squash !! Don't pass up the desserts....love the wood oven tart..and the doughnuts...Valet parking available Bigger place than I thought but have reservations...will not be disappointed!

Disappointed by the food which does not stand out flavor wise. The ceviche verde was bland. The ceviches has more "other stuff" as filler than seafood. The portions are even smaller than at Frontera Grill and not justified by the location but the prices are outrageous. Have tried all of Bayless's restaurants. Will not return. I don't like being ripped off.

Lena Brava is the newest Rick Bayless restaurant. It's on Randolph on 'restaurant row." It's a casual, high-energy place, featuring seafood with a Mexican twist. The food was excellent. Our party of four began with a cerviche and a pineapple appetizer. The cerviche was some of the best I've had in a long, long time. Outstanding. We ordered the pineapple appetizer because it was curious. How could you make an app out of pineapple and goat cheese? It was so good we ordered another. Our entrees included the short rib and the striped bass for two people. The short rib was very good - intense flavors. The striped bass stole the show though - we began making tacos with the condiments and fish, but ended just eating the fish as fast as we could. HUGE winner. Wow. On the downside, the place is so loud inside it's hard to hear each other, particularly with a group larger than two. Our server was yelling instructions to us so we could hear them. Also, the service was both erratic and then awfully slow at the end - way too slow. This could easily receive five stars. The food was great. The atmosphere was energetic. The service needs to improve though.