Mi Tocaya Antojería
Diana Dávila stews nopalitos with zucchini and charred chilies and sends it out with salt-dusted fried cheese curds and warm corn tortillas. The antojitos list leans on the Aztec end of the repertoire.
Why go
Mi tocaya means my namesake, and Dávila uses it the way Spanish speakers do, as a term of endearment between two people who share a name.3 She says the menu is her summers and her travels through Mexico with her family, run through a Logan Square dining room.3 The kitchen holds a Bib Gourmand and the guide is specific about why: a short antojitos list influenced by cooking most rooms skip, and tacos it tells you not to overlook.1 The James Beard Foundation put her on the 2026 semifinalist list for Outstanding Chef, the national category.2 That award is hers, not the room's.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the guisado de nopalitos. The guide calls it
a fragrant, earthy stew with cactus, zucchini and charred chilies, served with delicious knobs of salt-dusted fried cheese curds and warm corn tortillas.
1 - Order: the tacos, which the same paragraph says are
sure to transport you to the streets of Mexico City.
1 - Avoid: Monday. The room is closed.1
What locals & experts say
- MICHELIN Guide Chicago:
Bring friends, order a clever seasonal cocktail, try something from the menu and you’ll no doubt leave with a renewed love for Mexican cuisine.
1 - MICHELIN Guide Chicago: Bib Gourmand, on the guide's own venue page read 28 August 2026.1
- James Beard Foundation, 2026 semifinalists, Outstanding Chef:
Diana Dávila, Mi Tocaya Antojería, Chicago, IL.
A semifinalist place, in a category that belongs to the chef.2
Good to know
- Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 5pm to 10pm, and the guide lists a Sunday service. Closed Monday.1
- Booking: the house takes reservations through Resy and runs its own carryout.3
Verdict
should-visit — Dávila cooks from the less-travelled end of the Mexican repertoire and the guide's example proves it rather than asserting it: a stew of cactus, zucchini and charred chilies, served with salt-dusted fried cheese curds and warm corn tortillas. She holds a Bib Gourmand and the James Beard Foundation made her a 2026 semifinalist for Outstanding Chef, which is the national category rather than the regional one. It is one rung short of the top because no named critic has published a sentence about a dish here.