In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, NBC Chicago put together a list of restaurants featured on Chicago Today and The Food Guy.

Here’s a look at some places to try.

(Full list below the map)

19 Chicago restaurants to try this Hispanic Heritage Month

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage with these 19 Chicago-area restaurants. From tamales and birria to arepas and seafood, explore the city’s diverse Latin and Spanish flavors.

Click on each icon to learn more.

Data: Stephanie Jimenez, Alex Fisher • Map: Nina Lin

• Birrieria Zaragoza
  • Located in Archer Heights and Uptown
  • Chicago Today
  • The Food Guy
• Bolivar and Lincoln
  • Located in Lakeview neighborhood
  • The Food Guy
• 11 Degree North
  • Located in Lakeview neighborhood
  • The Food Guy
• El Rincon de Fabio
  • Located in Uptown neighborhood
  • The Food Guy
• BienMeSabe
  • Located in Ravenswood and Loop neighborhoods
  • The Food Guy
• Xocome Antojeria
  • Located in Archer Heights
  • The Food Guy
• Restaurante y Tamaleria La Bendicion
  • Located in Kelvyn Park neighborhood
  • The Food Guy
• Carnitas Uruapan
  • Located in Gage Park and Pilsen neighborhoods
  • The Food Guy
• Taco Sur
  • Located in Little Village neighborhood
  • The Food Guy will air on 10/12
• Los Mangos
  • Located in Cicero, Aurora, Crest Hill and 5 locations in Chicago
  • The Food Guy

• La Cabañita
  • Located in Brookfield & Burr Ridge
  • Chicago Today
• Mimi’s Tacos and French Fries
  • Located in South Loop neighborhood
  • Chicago Today
• Martinez Market & Grill
  • Located in Bridgeport neighborood
  • Chicago Today
• La Malquerida
  • Located in Berwyn
  • Chicago Today
• Mi Tocaya Antojeria
  • Located in Logan Square neighborhood
  • Chicago Today
• Tzuco
  • Located in River North neighborhood
  • Chicago Today
• Solazo
  • Located in West Eldson neighborhood
  • Chicago Today
• Asador Bastian
  • Located in River North neighborhood
  • The Food Guy
• Jaleo
  • Located in River North
  • The Food Guy

For many, there’s no better way to do that than to visit a rooftop bar or restaurant with a patio to enjoy a meal and a drink outside in gorgeous weather.

There’s no shortage of options around the city, so to help narrow down your search, NBC 5’s Chicago Today put together a list of some of their go-to spots around Chicago.

Here are 27 picks:

BLVD Steakhouse

Location: 817 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60607

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

RPM Seafood

Location: 317 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Pizzeria Portofino

Location: 317 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Vu Rooftop

Location: 133 E Cermak Rd, Chicago, IL 60616

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

The Chicago Firehouse Restaurant

Location: 1401 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

London House

Location: 85 E Wacker Dr 22nd Floor, Chicago, IL 60601

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Grant Park Bistro

Location: 800 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

The Duck Inn

Location: 2701 S Eleanor St, Chicago, IL 60608

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Cindy’s Rooftop

Location: 12 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Offshore Rooftop

Location: 1000 E Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60611

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Château Carbide

Location: 230 N Michigan Ave 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60601

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Aba

Location: 302 N Green St 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60607

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

The J. Parker

Location: 1816 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Z Bar

Location: 108 E Superior St, Chicago, IL 60611

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Reggies Rooftop Deck

Location: 2105 S State St, Chicago, IL 60616

Reservations: None. First come, first served.

Roots Handmade Pizza – South Loop

Location: 744 S Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60605

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Lonesome Rose

Location: 2101 N California Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Parson’s Chicken and Fish

Location: 2952 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Sidetrack

Location: 3349 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60657

Reservations: None.

Taxim

Location: 1558 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Big Star

Wrigleyville location: 3640 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60613

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Wicker Park location: 1531 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Frontier

Location: 1072 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60642

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

El Barco Mariscos

Location: 1035 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Reservations: None.

Piccolo Sogno

Location: 464 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60642

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Avli on the Park

Location: 180 N Field Blvd, Chicago, IL 60601

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Gibson’s Italia

Locations: 233 N Canal St, Chicago, IL 60606

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Location: 854 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60607

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

And when it comes to Chicago, there is no shortage of options (but there may be a shortage of available reservations so book your plans as early as possible!).

To help narrow down your search, NBC 5’s Chicago Today put together a list of some of their go-to spots around the city.

Here are 27 picks:

BLVD Steakhouse

Location: 817 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60607

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

RPM Seafood

Location: 317 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Pizzeria Portofino

Location: 317 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Vu Rooftop

Location: 133 E Cermak Rd, Chicago, IL 60616

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

The Chicago Firehouse Restaurant

Location: 1401 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

London House

Location: 85 E Wacker Dr 22nd Floor, Chicago, IL 60601

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Grant Park Bistro

Location: 800 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

The Duck Inn

Location: 2701 S Eleanor St, Chicago, IL 60608

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Cindy’s Rooftop

Location: 12 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Offshore Rooftop

Location: 1000 E Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60611

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Château Carbide

Location: 230 N Michigan Ave 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60601

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Aba

Location: 302 N Green St 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60607

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

The J. Parker

Location: 1816 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Z Bar

Location: 108 E Superior St, Chicago, IL 60611

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Reggies Rooftop Deck

Location: 2105 S State St, Chicago, IL 60616

Reservations: None. First come, first served.

Roots Handmade Pizza – South Loop

Location: 744 S Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60605

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Lonesome Rose

Location: 2101 N California Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Parson’s Chicken and Fish

Location: 2952 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Sidetrack

Location: 3349 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60657

Reservations: None.

Taxim

Location: 1558 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Big Star

Wrigleyville location: 3640 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60613

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Wicker Park location: 1531 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Frontier

Location: 1072 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60642

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

El Barco Mariscos

Location: 1035 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Reservations: None.

Piccolo Sogno

Location: 464 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60642

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Avli on the Park

Location: 180 N Field Blvd, Chicago, IL 60601

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Gibson’s Italia

Locations: 233 N Canal St, Chicago, IL 60606

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Location: 854 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60607

Reservations: Yes. Available here.

Late Night Date Night

This boozy drink helps relax date night jitters.

Independent Spirit

Perfect for a party of one.

Palentine’s Day

The gangs all here and ready to have fun.

Here are the recipes she shared. Watch the video above for more.

Chocolate Lava Cakes

4 ramekins, 6-8 ounces each

Butter and flour cooking spray like Baker’s Joy (for greasing ramekins)

6 oz good quality semi-sweet chocolate, chips or bars (I use Ghirardelli)
½ cup unsalted butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 425F. 

Spray the ramekins with nonstick cooking spray and place on a sheet tray. This ensures the cakes will come out easily. Or spray half of a 12-count muffin pan. If baking in a muffin tin, the recipe will yield 6 cakes. (I recommend ramekins, they’re much easier to get out after baking.)

Place butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, then 10 seconds after that if needed, until melted.

In a medium size bowl (with a pour spout if you have one) whisk the flour, powdered sugar and salt together. In another bowl whisk the eggs and yolks together.  Add the eggs to the melted chocolate mixture and mix, then add that to the flour mixture. Stir together with a rubber spatula until it just comes together. Pour or spoon into ramekins. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until they are matte on top and starting to buckle some. For muffin tin, cakes only take 8-10 minutes. Allow cakes to cool for 1 minute, then flip onto a plate. Garnish with Brown Sugar Whipped Cream and Strawberries in Syrup. (see below)

Brown Sugar Whipped Cream

½ cup heavy whipping cream

1 Tablespoon brown sugar (light or dark)

In a mixer fit with the whisk attachment, add the cream and brown sugar. Mix on medium-high until soft peaks form and the whisk draws lines through the cream.

Strawberries in Syrup

4-6 strawberries, washed and cut up (Japanese roll cut-I’ll show you)

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 mint leaves, julienned

Place the cut up strawberries and sugar in a bowl and toss to coat. Add the mint and toss more. Juices will come out of the berries to make a syrup.

Chocolate Bark

1 pound semi sweet chocolate

Dried rose petals

Dried strawberry pieces

Pistachios

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread the melted tempered chocolate to be a thin sheet. Quickly dot with rose petals, dries strawberry pieces, and pistachios before the chocolate sets. Let set and break into pieces.

To temper chocolate, melt 12 ounces of chopped semi sweet chocolate in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring in between in one direction till it reaches 114 – 118 degrees Fahrenheit (For Milk it’s 108 – 113, for white it’s 105 – 110) Add 2 ounces chopped tempered chocolate to seed it and stir till it reaches 88 – 89 degrees Fahrenheit (for milk and white it’s 85 – 86).  If it’s still over 89 degrees add up to 2 ounces more of chopped tempered chocolate.

Baked Alaska

Serves 2-4

1 batch yellow cake from a mix or see below, baked in round pans or a sheet pan

2 pint of ice cream, different flavors and different colors (we’ll use half of each)

Cut the cake layer in half so you have 2 thin disks of cake. Cut out a round base the size you want the dessert to be. Place it on a platter (heat proof if you’re going to bake it to brown it).  Cut the ice cream pints in half cross ways. Remove the cardboard wrapper and stack the 2 pucks on the cake base. Cut the remaining disk of cake into triangles then cover or wrap the ice cream with the cake so it’s completed covered. Use your hands to press the cake onto the ice cream, making a tight dome. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer while you make the meringue.

.

For the meringue:

½ cup egg whites

½ cup sugar

In a mixer with a whisk attachment whip the egg white till soft peaks. Add the sugar gradually and whip on high till stiff and glossy.

Using a cake spatula cover the cake with whipped meringue then pipe, using a star tip, decorative swirls on it. Toast or brown the meringue with a blow torch, or place in the freezer till ready to serve, heat your oven to 500 degrees and bake briefly till lightly browned and serve immediately or keep the in the freezer till ready to serve. To serve, cut the dessert into wedges.

The show’s hosts Matt Rodrigues and Cortney Hall said they were inspired to create the “Chicago Today Banned Book Club” after filming an interview last year regarding Banned Books Week. It was a week promoted by the American Library Association to create awareness about books they thought were unnecessarily being challenged or banned in towns across the country.

The ALA’s motto is “Free People Read Freely!”

So Rodrigues and Hall decided to team up with the ALA’s executive director, Tracie D. Hall, to create an inclusive book club, where they and the viewers dive deeper into these incredible works.

We invite you to join them every month as they read a new selection and discuss the book in detail on Chicago Today and via social media.

Here’s what to know:

How do I join the book club?

Follow @nbcchicagotoday on Instagram and Facebook and use the hashtag #BannedBookClubChi to join the discussion.

What is this month’s picks?

All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

If you’re craving more, here are some links to organizations that were featured, extra information about the segments and more to quench your thirst until next week.

12/4

Celebrate Hanukkah with Once Upon a Bagel: https://onceupononline.com/

Get tickets for Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas: https://www.fineartsbuilding.com/events/emmet-otter/

12/5

Learn more about holiday wine pairings with Belinda Chang: https://www.belindachang.com/

Decorate your house for the holidays with plants from Tu Bloom: https://www.tubloom.com/

12/6

Get tickets for the Night Market Before Xmas: https://www.saucedmarket.com/

12/7

Learn more about Banned Books with the American Library Association: https://www.ala.org/

Attend a Chicago Womxn Hangout by Let’s Talk Womxn: https://letstalkwomxn.com/

12/8

Check out more impersonations by Matt Friend: https://www.mattfriend.com/

Enjoy beautifully decorated cookies for the holidays: https://www.mycookiecottage.com/

Stream “Drive with Swizz Beatz”: https://www.hulu.com/series/drive-with-swizz-beatz

Find support from Gateway Foundation: https://www.gatewayfoundation.org/

Get a gift from our Big-Ticket Gift Guide:

                Barefoot Dreams CozyChic® Blankets: https://www.barefootdreams.com/collections/blankets-throws

                JBL PartyBox Ultimate: https://www.jbl.com/partybox-speakers/PARTYBOX-ULTIMATE.html

                The Joule® Oven Air Fryer Pro: https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/ovens/bov950.html

                Thermoworks Thermapen®: https://www.thermoworks.com/shop/products/thermapens/

                Gorjana Jewelry: https://www.gorjana.com/

                Le Creuset: https://www.lecreuset.com/

                Trelle & Co.: https://trelleco.com/

                Kendall Miles Footwear: https://www.kendallmilesdesigns.com/