EXPLORE LATINICITY BY CHEFS RICHARD SANDOVAL AND JOSE GARCES [CHICAGO]

Latinic­i­ty, chefs Richard San­doval and Jose Garces’ mas­sive Latin food com­plex in locat­ed in chicago’s Down­town shop­ping com­plex Block 37 floor.

The 22,000-sq.-ft. food hall is divid­ed between 12 food stalls, a restau­rant, mar­ket, cafe and wine bar. While ear­ly word com­pared it to Eataly, it more close­ly resem­bles a curat­ed mall food court, where each booth spe­cial­izes in a dif­fer­ent pre­pared food type — the Burg­er­sa serves twists on the Amer­i­can clas­sic such as a chili con carne burg­er, while the sushi stall offers Japan­ese-Peru­vian fusion rolls. Oth­er options include Saladero Latin Grill with assort­ed fired meat and house­made sausages; Chu­fa, or Peru­vian stir-fry; the Tor­ta stand fills flat­bread with carne asa­da, braised short rib and more; and Mariscos spe­cial­izes in seafood of the fried, grilled and raw variety.

The mar­ket, which sits in the entrance before the hall­way of food stalls, is stocked with the best Latin Amer­i­ca and beyond has to offer. Cured meats and import­ed cheese fill the cool­er, while spice rubs and chile pow­ders line shelves. A thought­ful wine selec­tion ranges from Argen­tinean reds to Chilean whites, while wick­er bas­kets are filled with hard-to-find Span­ish cook­ies, Mex­i­can choco­lates and Por­tuguese crafts.

Spoils from the stalls or the mar­ket can be enjoyed in a 200-seat din­ing area with floor-to-ceil­ing win­dows that over­look The Loop. Hang­ing plants, blue-and-white tiled columns, leather booths and mis­matched chairs pre­vent the space from too close­ly resem­bling your run-of-the-mill cafe­te­ria, while a U‑shaped wood bar serv­ing beer, wine, cock­tails and san­gria adds addi­tion­al finesse to the space.

For a more for­mal expe­ri­ence, din­ers can vis­it Pata Negra, a full-ser­vice tapas restau­rant oppo­site the mar­ket. The menu ranges from assort­ed cured meats and cheeses to an entire sec­tion devot­ed to Iberi­co, the restaurant’s name­sake. Tapas lean toward the tra­di­tion­al with spiced meat­balls, smoked Mar­cona almonds, tor­tilla Espanola, patatas bravas and bacon-wrapped Med­jool dates. An open kitchen sears Wagyu sir­loin and cala­mari to be served a la plan­cha. Its polar oppo­site, a quick-ser­vice con­cept designed to feed com­muters fresh-cut sal­ads, tacos and break­fast items called Loncheria, is locat­ed on the first floor.

Latinic­i­ty is open Mon­day though Sat­ur­day from 11 AM to 8 PM and Sun­day from 11 AM to 6 PM.

108 N. State St., third floor; 312–795-4444