Chicago Eats: Kokopelli | chicago foodie girl

12.02.2014

Chicago Eats: Kokopelli

Happy Taco Tuesday! I don't know about you, but Taco Tuesday has most definitely grown on me over the last year... in fact, I might even say that it has usurped Thirsty Thursday for my favorite day of the week (shocking!). Now, if only Apple would release a taco emoji, my Instagram life would be complete. ;-)

A few weeks ago, Diana and I were invited to check out Kokopelli, the newest taco joint in Wicker Park. Kokopelli is the brainchild of Chef Guillermo Campos Moreno, a Tijuana-trained chef who served as the executive chef at Parque Bicentario in Guanajuato and later spent time at the three-time Michelin-starred Oud Sluis in the Netherlands. Eventually, he returned to Tijuana and teamed with friends to open Kokopelli, a food truck that traveled the Baja coast. After accumulating a steady stream of fans (including Andrew Zimmerman), the truck caught the eye of several Midwestern investors and Chicago was chosen as the spot for its first brick and mortar location (yay for us!).

As you might expect, the Tijuana street food-inspired Kokopelli specializes in seafood dishes and salsas, which gives it a much-needed edge to stand out in the battle of the Wicker Park taco joints. Their signature taco, Kraken (Diana's favorite of the night!), contains grilled octopus marinated in Mexican pesto and garnished with pickled onions. Another standout of our visit for me was the Black Harder ceviche, made with fresh mahi mahi marinated in lemon juice and squid ink, and served with two of their signature salsas: the espuma de mar (my favorite!) and the castigo Azteca.

Each table is adorned with the most adorable little plants - what is it about jars that make baby plants so much cuter?!

Chicharron Guacamole: ripe avocados with crispy pork rinds

Specialty Salsas & TJ Sours (one of my new favorite drinks!)


The aforementioned delicious Black Harder Ceviche







You can try all of this deliciousness and more at Kokopelli: 1324 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL.

ETA: This restaurant has closed. 
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3 comments

  1. Next time I am in Chicago, this is where we are meeting for dinner!

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Deb: Yes! Come visit & we'll nosh on some awesome tacos! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Everything looks delicious!!!!

    ReplyDelete

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