This Mexican Restaurant in the Loop Is Worth It — If You Can Figure Out the Payment System

Chicago’s Loop isn’t known for innovative restaurants. As an area mostly catering to the office-workers in high-rise buildings looking for a fast lunch or tourists checking out the Sears, er, Willis Tower or Millennium Park, it serves a different group of folks than other parts of the city. It does, however, have more than its fair share of terrific indie quick-serves — looking at you, Sterling Food Hall’s Danke and Seedo’s — and hotel restaurants like Perilla Korean American Steakhouse and newcomer Midōsuji that are helping to redefine the genre while still also offering the obligatory crowd-pleasing dishes.

Momento, which opened in May, offers something a little different: a dual-format spot featuring a casual taqueria on one side and sit-down cantina on the other. Even before it opened, Momento caught my attention with its large art installation in its Monroe window that made me do a double take. As it turns out, this not-playing-by-the-rules format is part of Momento’s overall conceit. Not all that surprising as one of its founders is a content creator and brand developer whose punchy YouTube video “I’m Mexican” went viral.

With two entrances — Monroe Avenue for the cantina and Wabash Avenue for the taqueria — Momento can be confusing from the get-go. Fortunately, both sides connect, so there’s no wrong answer.

The taqueria is the answer to a quick meal and it’s also a good option for solo diners due to its mesmerizing city views: Almost every seat offers a prime vantage point of the bustling downtown action including the “L” trains passing overhead just beyond its two large windows. Put down your phone and take it all in.

Momento Taqueria has a rather unusual ordering system, that requires a bit of a user manual: Briefly give your credit card to the host to connect it to a Momento card, which you’ll then place in the slot underneath the small screen at each table. Scroll through the offerings and tap on the items you want. Want to review your order? Click on the shopping bag icon.

As you wait for a server to drop off your food, grab some salsas located on the oval table. Of the three available on my visit, including a habanero — the spiciest of the bunch — and a slightly milder tomatillo verde salsa, it was the deeply flavored salsa macha with earthy-smoky notes of toasted sesame seeds and nuts that I found myself eating by the spoonful.

Order your food all at once or one dish at a time, the latter being more aligned with the street eating experience in Mexico, according to the owners, and the inspiration behind the high-tech ordering system. (Whether or not customers appreciate it, time will tell.) When you’re done, return your Momento card, automatically charged on your credit card, by selecting the box by the entrance — labeled 15, 18, 20, or 22 percent — that corresponds to your desired tip. Need a receipt? Ask the host.

The cantina is where you head for a full restaurant experience. It offers plenty of two- and four-top tables with additional seating at the large U-shaped bar in the center of the room. For bigger groups, there’s a semi-private area that can be closed off with wrap-around curtains, which can be booked in advance on OpenTable.

There’s nothing shy about Momento’s interior design.

In the taqueria, bright orange seating and yellow geometric structures in the towering corner windows cause passersby to slow down and take a second look. A large mural on one wall depicts the Angel of Independence, who sits atop a well-known Mexico City monument. Paper napkins lean into Momento’s cheeky vibe, stating, “If you want to talk to the manager, se habla en Español.”

Come during an early weekday afternoon and you’ll see a smattering of workers on their lunch breaks and students from nearby colleges. On the weekends, tourists fresh from an Art Institute visit or State Street shopping occupy the handful of four-top tables and counter seating.

In the 100-seat cantina, bright pink arches representative of Mexico’s many cathedrals add a festive vibe, as does the elevated DJ booth in one corner of the long space, although it wasn’t being used on my visit. The cantina has begun hosting 21-and-over late Saturday night DJ and dance events here and there. A dark ceiling, dark wood floor, and soft lighting provide a sultry contrast to the taqueria’s brightly lit space.

In the early evening, the dining room will likely have groups heading to the nearby theaters, their all-at-once exit a dead giveaway. A little later, the tables might be filled with convention-goers staying at those Loop hotels still wearing their lanyard tags. The cantina also attracts couples who appreciate the chill vibe.

Expect some crossover between the cantina and taqueria menus, but there are differences too. Befitting its laidback service style and presentation, the taqueria is the more affordable option. That doesn’t mean cantina diners don’t get perks. Every table gets gratis refried beans and chips for dipping. Most importantly, the fresh tortillas are featured prominently on both menus — and you definitely want to try those whether in a taco, tostada, or on their own. Heirloom corn from Mexico is used to make the masa, which is then pressed into tortillas and placed on a special machine to cook. Chewy but not too thick, the tortillas are the perfect vessel.

For me, it’s the seafood dishes that shine, whether it’s the white fish aguachile in the cantina served with blue-corn tortillas or its tostada counterpart in the taqueria. Firm chunks of the citrus-cured fish are paired with crunchy cucumber slices and pickled red onion and topped with fried shallot strips. A spicy tuna tostada paired with a creamy avocado sauce, available on both sides of that plastic divider, is another must-order with a gravity-defying crispy tortilla that allows you to pick it up to eat without it falling apart. On the taco side, go for the deep-fried white fish (pescado playa) or the rib-eye served with crispy potato strips on top.

Heartier appetites can opt for guisados like cochinita pibil or chicken with green mole served with rice, beans, and more of those tortillas. In the taqueria, those guisados make for a wallet-friendly meal during happy hour (4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday) at just 10 bucks.

As for drinks, there’s a variety of margaritas — creamy elote, anyone? — but Momento also features an automated mezcal and tequila machine that offers tasting-sized portions. You can also just order those or a flight from your server. There’s a rotating selection of Mexican beers on tap, too. I found my new favorite nonalcoholic drink here in the Suero, a mix of sparkling water, fresh lime juice, and salt, popular in Mexico as a hangover cure.

Momento has some quirks that might discourage first-time diners. On some visits, just one host was working both sides of the restaurant, which meant customers were standing around looking confused. There’s also a slight learning curve for the ordering system in the taqueria but, after three visits, I’m a pro. Nonetheless, I’m rooting for Momento: for its initiative in telling a different story about Mexico, and its culture and food at a time when we so need it, as well for shaking things up in an area of Chicago where empty storefronts are so common.

Momento, 44 S. Wabash Avenue, (312) 363-3136; open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday; and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. Reservations available via OpenTable for the cantina.