Overview: Fiesta Mexicana has two locations, one at 4806 North Broadway, the other at 2423 North Lincoln Avenue. I frequent the Lincoln Avenue location. As a side note, the Lincoln Avenue location is just a few doors south of the Biograph Theater, where gangster John Dillinger was shot to death in 1934.
I’ve been going to Fiesta Mexicana for well over ten years. Fortunately, the restaurant hasn’t changed much in all that time. There are three main dining areas: a small front seating area, a surprisingly large smoking section (also in the front), and a patio dining area in the back of the restaurant (this area is a large screened-in room, not really outdoors dining). This year they have added two tables outside on Lincoln Avenue, but in my opinion Lincoln Avenue is far too crowded for "alfresco" dining. Stay inside.
Tables in the two front dining rooms are covered in colorful Mexican tablecloths, albeit under heavy clear plastic. Complimentary chips and salsa arrive almost as soon as you are seated. The chips are thick and crunchy. The salsa seems very fresh, with pieces of tomato, and onion visible and a distinct coriander scent. The salsa is not chunky, it is actually on the thin side, but it packs a bit more heat than what you would get at Chi-Chi’s or Pepe’s (to name two Mexican chain restaurants). Good stuff. Margaritas come in a wide variety of flavors and sizes (including half pitchers and full pitchers), and are nothing special--not bad, but not outstanding either.
The menu features all the standard items you would expect in a typical Mexican place: tacos, enchiladas, and fajitas (and combinations thereof) are prominent items, stuffed with beef, chicken, cheese, or chorizo. There are a number of skirt steak dishes, as well as seafood. Shrimp is a featured seafood item; five dishes feature the crustacean, and it plays a supporting role in at least four other dishes. Whole red snapper is a surprise on the menu.
Service is usually very good; however, on my last visit, I was very surprised at dinner when a whole red snapper was served to me. I was surprised since I had ordered shrimp. In all my visits, this was the first time a mistake had been made.
One thing that does set the Lincoln Park Fiesta Mexicana apart from other sit-down Mexican restaurants is the live mariachi band that plays Friday thru Sunday. They usually start up around 8pm or so. The Kingston Mines blues club is just up the street, and on occasion some of the blues musicians will drop in for a jam session, making for interesting listening.
Their website is http://fiestamexicanachicago.com/