Name: Chilam Balam
Address: 3023 N Broadway, Chicago, IL, 60657
Telephone: (773) 296-6901

Chilam Balam

Super GemLakeview · Mexican Community-sourced, unverified

📍 3023 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60657

Owner Soraya Rendon opened Chilam Balam in August 2009 with chef Natalie Oswald, a Culinary Institute of America grad and Topolobampo/Frontera Grill alum who was later voted Best Chef in Lakeview East.

★★★★☆ 4.5 (775 reviews) via Google

Super GemChicago Exclusive Gem$$

The pork belly tacos are the headline, but the banana mole is the dish people bring up unprompted months later.

📈 Scores in the top 25% of Chicago Exclusive Gems on ChicagoSpecials.com

The name, Chilam Balam, loosely translates to "Book of the Jaguar Priest" in Mayan and references the 2012 end-of-cycle prophecy — a deliberately weighty name for a sustainability-minded, farm-fresh Latin American small-plates menu that changes every few weeks depending on what's fresh. It has picked up a Michelin Bib Gourmand every year since 2013 and a Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives feature along the way, but the room stays a tight, family-run BYOB — cash only, so plan ahead, and bring your own wine, beer, or tequila since there's no bar to lean on. The kitchen genuinely accommodates celiac/gluten-free diets across the full menu.

Holds a 4.5-star rating on Google across 775-plus reviews. Reservations are accepted through OpenTable and worth making, since the wait for walk-ins on a Friday or Saturday can run long. Closed Sunday and Monday, and there's no discount or happy hour here — the value is in the shared-plates menu itself.

What to Know Before You Go

💡 Worth Knowing

4.5 stars — real, confirmed detail: menu changes often, and the kitchen genuinely accommodates celiac/gluten-free diets across the full menu.

Hours

MonClosed

Tue-Thu 5-9PM

Fri-Sat 5-10PM

Sun Closed

📅 Reservations 📅 Reservations not available 🥡 Takeout unconfirmed 📞 (773) 296-6901

Amenities & accessibility

📅Reservations accepted

❔Takeout: unverified

❔Wheelchair access: unverified

Location

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Chilam Balam

Owner Soraya Rendon opened Chilam Balam in August 2009 with chef Natalie Oswald, a Culinary Institute of America grad and Topolobampo/Frontera Grill alum who was later voted Best Chef in Lakeview East.

Specials at Chilam Balam

Chilam Balam

Chilam Balam