Customers Grill Their Own Mexican Meats at This New Lincoln Park Restaurant

A new Mexican restaurant opened on Monday in Lincoln Park that takes inspiration from Korean barbecue. Bistec features grill tables where customers cook their own marinated meats and stuff them into tortillas. The restaurant replaces Kingsbury St. Cafe at 1523 N. Kingsbury Street.

Owner Dan Mark was also involved in the ownership group Daebak Korean Barbecue in Chinatown. Mark saw the popularity of Korean food and hopes that will translate to fajitas. For $40, customers can select the grill options with enough food for two. Servers will bring out skirt steaks, salmon, shrimp, cecina, and more. Sauces like ancho barbecue and chimichurri are available. Customers can then grill their meats on their grill tables. For those who don’t want to grill, burgers, tortilla pizzas, and other items are available.

“It’s a totally new concept from the ground up,” said Mark.

Bistec [Official Photo]

The restaurant also has a full bar and a selection of Mexican beers including Modelo, Dos Equis, and more. Mark said they extensively renovated the space. Eventually they’ll add weekend brunch service.

Mark considers Bistec an experiment. If successful, he’d like to open more locations. Hours are limited for now, but they’re open for lunch and dinner, Mark said. Bistec brings a new dining option along Kingsbury, buried between VIP’s, Whole Foods, and Off Color Brewing’s Mousetrap.

Bistec, 1523 N. Kingsbury Street, open 11:30 to 10 p.m. on weekdays; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends,

Bistec [Official Photo]