Shaman by Chilam Balam

4.2 (48)

$30 and under

Mexican

1438 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60642

About this restaurant

Innovative
Good for groups
Neighborhood gem

In the heart of Chicago, Shaman by Chilam Balam is a unique Mexican restaurant providing high-quality cuisine with BYOB drink service. The concept is simple, more food and more flavors. Shaman by Chilam Balam specializes in small plates meant to be shared among friends. All of the dishes are created fresh from sustainable local sources. The menu is almost entirely gluten free. Guests to Shaman claim too many favorites to list. The notable dishes include the entirely unique goat cheese enchiladas, the pork belly tacos that seem to disappear instantly and the chile en nogada, which is hand crafted with more than 30 different ingredients.

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Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Mexican, Tapas / Small Plates
Hours of operation
Dinner: Tuesday - Thursday: 5:00pm - 10:00pm, Friday - Saturday: 5:00pm - 11:00pm
Website
http://www.shamanchicago.com/index.html
Payment options
Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress

Location
1438 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60642
Neighborhood
West Town
Cross street
Noble and Ashland
Parking details
Street Parking
Additional
BYO Liquor, BYO Wine, Farm to Table, Non-Smoking, Takeout

Reviews

OpenTable reviews from verified diners

Reviews from people who have dined at Shaman by Chilam Balam.

4.2

(48)

4.3Food
4.3Service
3.7Ambience
2.9Value

Noise • Energetic

48 Reviews

OT
OpenTable Diner
Chicago7 reviews
5.0
Dined on August 21, 2016
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
This was our 4th or 5th time at Shaman and it continues to get better. The food is modern fine Mexican cuisine with very attentive service. We highly recommend it and it is BOB.
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a
anon
New York City53 reviews
4.0
Dined on July 30, 2016
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
This was my first time at Shaman, although I've frequented its Lakeview sister several times. We had a larger group and were happy to let the server pick dishes and serve us family style. Each dish was delicious and the desserts were excellent as well. The flavors were the same as lakeview and we'd probably just return there in the future out of convenience to us. This venue did offer more elbow room than the original which was nice.
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s
sanibelsue
Chicago12 reviews
5.0
Dined on July 10, 2016
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Fantastic food! Excellent service. Love that it's byob. Sat outside, lovely evening. Inside is quite noisy.
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T
Tex23 Gold
Chicago13 reviews
4.0
Dined on May 29, 2016
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
The food was pretty good if you evaluated each dish in a vacuum. But for the overall meal, there wasn't much range. Every dish seemed to have the same sauces on them: their guajillo salsa and their avocado sauce. It seemed like everything we ordered from quesadillas, to empanadas, to enchiladas all had the same sauce and the same flavors. We were looking for something a little different. The value was not that great for what it was, but we appreciated the BYOB factor. Our bill seemed pretty high for just some small sharing plates that didnt have much range.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Chicago1 review
5.0
Dined on May 20, 2016
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
We love Chilam Balam and Shaman is just as good. The rotating menu helps keep things fresh every time you visit.
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j
jackson0511 Gold
Chicago47 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 14, 2016
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
As always, the food is so good... lots of flavor and spiced appropriately. Atmosphere is a bit noisy, but all a good night out with friends. BYOB also makes it easier on the wallet.
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A
Avis Gold
Chicago204 reviews
4.0
Dined on April 30, 2016
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
No complaints about the food ... everything was really tasty. But the portions were SO small that, even if you go with their recommendation of 3 plates/person, you'll leave with a decent size tab and still be hungry.
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TI
ThisInsistsOnAtLeast4Char
Chicago7 reviews
3.0
Dined on April 10, 2016
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
The food was fine and not as expensive in the end as I expected. The restaurant is a bit overbearing with its rules. It also seems to be designed to be unnecessarily loud. Overall, it was fine for one meal but probably not a repeat.
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RA
RAVE Gold
Chicago60 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 31, 2016
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Really outstanding, thoughtfully prepared food. Service was intelligent and friendly. For instance, we had three of us sharing items so they included extra portions so everybody got what they wanted. We'll definitely be back!
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OT
OpenTable Diner Gold
Chicago8 reviews
1.0
Dined on March 20, 2016
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
Owner served us. Rude from beginning of meal to end. Had been multiple times before but will never return after experiencing her. She may want to try staying in the back of the house. Lacks basic customer service skills. If you want good food but horrible service, this is where you will find it.
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Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Mexican, Tapas / Small Plates
Hours of operation
Dinner: Tuesday - Thursday: 5:00pm - 10:00pm, Friday - Saturday: 5:00pm - 11:00pm
Website
http://www.shamanchicago.com/index.html
Payment options
Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress

Location
1438 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60642
Neighborhood
West Town
Cross street
Noble and Ashland
Parking details
Street Parking
Additional
BYO Liquor, BYO Wine, Farm to Table, Non-Smoking, Takeout

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

Is this your restaurant?

Claim this listing