Food Shout-out: Garden Grill

Greetings readers! Every once in a while we like to give a shout-out to some local Chicago restaurants, because what goes better with cider than food? Recently we were invited to the grand opening of Garden Grill to check out what they had to offer. They are located at 3129 W. Armitage Avenue in Chicago. You can find their website here: http://gardengrillmexicancuisine.com/

The Garden Grill is nestled into the back corner of a small shopping center, which adds to it's modest charm. Upon entering the restaurant, Bailey and Hawke both agreed that the layout was intelligently designed. The ordering counter is located right next to the door, along with some bench seating in case you are waiting for carry-out. There are some tables along the wall in the front area and booths towards the back of the restaurant which opens up into a larger dining area. While waiting for a table to open up, we enjoyed some margaritas and catered finger food provided for the grand opening party (not on the menu) and listened to the live Mariachi band that was singing their hearts out for all the guests.

For dinner, Hawke set his eye on a corned beef hash skillet. It arrived in an actual skillet while still sizzling. His mouth watered as he waited for it to cool down. Hawke loved this dish. The eggs were light and cooked just enough so that they weren't runny. The potatoes were soft and nicely seasoned. The corned beef and cheese brought this dish together nicely and made everything melt in his mouth. The corned beef was very juicy and was not tough at all. Hawke definitely would order this dish again. 

Bailey opted for some good old fashioned tacos. She selected from several options for meat and seasonings for the taco plates, which come with rice and re-fried beans like every taco plate should. Bailey chose the a carne asada taco and a pork taco. Each taco came with 2 flour tortillas for extra folding capacity. The meat was very tender with a good amount of spice to it. Bailey could also taste the cilantro in the tacos, which usually fades into the other flavors. All the toppings were very fresh and delicious. The re-fried beans and rice were also very good and not too dry, meaning they weren't overcooked. Bailey was also very happy with her dinner and would order it again.  

Overall, Hawke and Bailey would recommend Garden Grill for a very affordable casual meal spot. The people are very friendly and the food is very well prepared. It also allows you to see a new neighborhood if you aren't familiar with the Logan Square area. It is accessible from the Kimball bus, or it is a short walk west of some of the Logan Square blue line stops. We thank Garden Grill for the opportunity to come out and review the food, and we wish them good luck!