Angels and Mariachis is fun. From front to back, the long, narrow room is a cornucopia of wacky Tex-Mex campiness. From a chorus line of leering Day of the Dead skeletons to colorful Lucha Libre wrestling masks, from large format sepia prints of Mexican banditos to sun bleached antelope skulls and taxidermied bull heads, the place shouts South of the Border gone off the rails – in a good way. Look past the decorations and you’ll see the concept supported in the details; the walls have the look of hand tooled leather, and the faux pressed tin ceiling sports Texas lone stars and western scrollwork.
To keep the vibe working, they offer ten different tequilas by the glass, an impressive selection of Mexican beers by the bottle and of course margaritas. As for victuals, the menu offers ten varieties of tacos, including a well rendered fish taco, as well as burritos, enchiladas and quesadillas. In other words, the usual suspects; and while everything is decent, nothing will make you return strictly for the food. On the other hand, you might want to come back just to bask in the ambiance and knock back a few drinks, especially if you’re in your mid-twenties and want to see and be seen.
As a bar, Angels and Mariachis spins its South of the Border sugar pop for the enjoyment of anglo scenesters and makes no pretense of authenticity. This is no where more evident than in the music. Forget about Los Tigres del Norte. Aerosmith and Bob Dylan hold sway. And although good tequila and quality beer are on hand, something tells me that, come Friday night, a good many patrons are taking advantage of the swirling margarita machines serving out colorful alcoholic Slurpies to less sophisticated palates.
The nachos are fresh and crisp but the salsas that come with them are mild and bland, presumably so as not to offend those same twenty-somethings who might be put off by something as spicy and complex as the salsa eaten by real Mexicans. A&M is Tex-Mex dumbed down for a target audience of mall goers still charmed by the Rainforest Café. This is pretend Mexico. This is fantasy Mexico. This is a colorful shell with a modicum of substance.
Take a look around and you won’t find many hispanics at Angels and Mariachis, a telling barometer of its unapologetic whacked out reinterpretation of a cantina. But that’s okay. Angels and Mariachis is tongue-in-cheek. It doesn’t mean to offend, and probably doesn’t. Co-opting the most cartoonish elements of Mexican culture and blowing them up into a concept that lounge crawlers can enjoy is a worthy endeavor and will be amusing for awhile.
But once you’ve done it a few times, and told all your friends about it, you’ll probably start to lose interest and look for some place else that sells colorful drinks.
Angels and Mariachis
1721 W. Division
773-227-7772
Hours: M-F 3pm-2am; Sa 11am-3am; Su 11am-2am
Features: Outdoor Dining; Carryout
Vibe: Bar Scene
Avg. Price of a Meal for two including drinks and tax $50
Website: http://angelschicago.com/
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