Salud Tequila Lounge

In honor of my boyfriend's birthday and a friend's girlfriend's recent "21" status, we headed to the bars last night in celebration and good food.  Our pick of the night?  Salud.

Salud is a restaurant in Chicago, off Milwaukee Avenue near North Ave in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood.  The corner restaurant is a staple mexican cuisine restaurant with some yummy twists and also doubles as a tequila lounge.  On Thursdays they offer $1, $2, and $3 appetizers, a definite must if you have not yet tried it.  The portions are small and you feel like you're engaging in Spanish tapas activities, but it's a really great way to preview their menu.  Their regular menu sports some traditional favorites: guacamole, mini tacos, empanadas, quesadillas, and ceviche.  It, however, also takes some fun foods and puts a hispanic twist onto them, such as the Mexican brat, the Salud burger with jalepeño bacon (quite delicious actually) and calamari with rice that tasted like it had queso blanco and red pepper flavor.  Also, the sweet potato fries are AMAZING!  I had the portobello quesadillas without sour cream, and the four triangular strips were perfectly made.  It went well with the spicy salsa and chips that started off the evening.


For drinks, as mentioned, they are known for their tequila and they have pages of different tequila based drinks, shots, and bottles.  I had their cadillac margarita with salt, and it was superb.  It wasn't overly sweet like so many margaritas can be, and it was just smooth enough that the tequila didn't pack it's overwhelming punch.  As the waitress' recommendation, its praise is well deserved.  For simple shots, our favorite was the Cabo Wabo.  It ranked on the low end ($6.50/ 1 ounce shot) but it was smooth, easy to drink, and didn't leave you puckering in pain.  On the rocks with some lime, I would venture to guess it would make a great drink on its own.  


Also, just in case you need extra reasons to go, they have a balcony in the summer, allowing you fresh air and ambiance in case the darker interior is too much.  They do check ID upon entrance, so you do need to be 21, but if you haven't tried it or just want to go back, definitely make a point to find your way Wicker Park side soon.