CHIReview
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Diego
Included In
Diego is a casual West Town bar from the chef behind Sueños x Soho, a much loved (and now closed) Baja-inspired pop-up at Soho House. And like a 30-minute recipe that only takes 20, Diego under-promises and over-delivers. This low-key drinking spot calls itself a dive bar, but it's actually a great restaurant in disguise.
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
There might be some cognitive dissonance when you walk into Diego. Are you actually in a shack on a SoCal beach? After all, the walls are a shade of yellow that could only come from being faded by decades of direct sunlight. But Happy Hour deals, flatscreen TVs, and being open until 2am sell the illusion of being like any other Chicago bar. There are even plastic cups—albeit for water instead of liquor. All the hallmarks of a dive, but the mariscos and interesting cocktails say otherwise.
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Diego serves things like crispy tostadas topped with a simple but well-balanced mix of yellowfin and avocado, or a spicy macaroni and shrimp salad. There are plenty of tasty tacos on the menu too, and despite primarily being a seafood spot, some of the best food here is meat-based. Case in point: a thick burger so smoky and juicy, it's singlehandedly doing its part to end the smashburger trend. Add in an excellent Cali-style steak burrito, and Diego is a wealth of beef-based riches.
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Despite the complex and layered dishes, Diego delivers the kind of unfussy experience you expect from a place that has PBR and turns into the neon set from Blade Runner after dark. It’s the type of bar where you might stop in for one drink after work, and realize a few tacos—and tostadas, and burritos, and cocktails—later that the bagged kale salad wilting at home is going to spend night number eight in the fridge.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Ceviche
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Tartare Tostada
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Shrimp Y Mac Tostada
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Diego Burrito
photo credit: Kim Kovacik