Don’t drive or walk too fast down the 3600 block of Lawrence Ave. or you may miss the opportunity to enjoy some exceptional food in an unlikely location in Albany Park. T&B Grill, 3658 W. Lawrence, is a delight – but shouldn’t be a surprise since it’s getting nearly 5-star overall ratings on Facebook and Yelp.

Ambrosio Mancines, Chef/Proprietor, brings his passion for good food together with his experiences in the culinary world and his desire to be of service to hungry and discerning customers. All of this comes out in the form of a unique menu that features very tasty tacos, burgers, fries, appetizers, and desserts. Who would think: Tiramisu on the menu with shrimp tacos? Who would imagine a bison burger with truffle fries and a chocolate soufflé for dessert ? How about tortillas handmade with cilantro and jalapeño? Think house-made ketchup with a touch of chipotle, and sweet potato fries with a crisp-crunchy touch of sugar on the outside. Nearly everything here is made from scratch and obviously with tons of love. And the mixing of the cuisines is intentional – Bon Appetit looks for just such originality in its “best new restaurant” category. We believe T&B belongs there this year!

Value for your dollar is exceptional at T&B. The menu offers mini burgers – variously topped with anything from bacon or cheese to caramelized onions and/or a small fried egg – that can be had with fries for a mere $5. The colorful and flavorful tacos – generously filled with duck, shrimp, steak, grilled veggies and so on – are on the menu at $3.50. This kind of pricing is hard to beat anywhere in Chicago – except maybe at an occasional happy hour – and it’s even more amazing when you realize the food is of such high quality.

We tried several of the burger types and loved them, except for the black bean burger which seemed to have too much flour in the mix. Otherwise, all versions were very good, cooked to order, and served on delicious buns. In fact we, who are normally in the habit of taking half the bun off our burgers, didn’t want to do it here. Just too good.

While you eat and drink – BYOB whatever you like, or even choose to mix with any of several house-made cocktail mixes – enjoy the unique and original artwork adorning the walls. In fact, Ambrosio recently engaged a local artist, Manuel “MATR” Macias, to paint a giant mural on the outside wall of the restaurant on the Lawndale Ave. side. Coming soon, it will make it nice calling card for vehicle and pedestrian traffic coming from the west side.

The French fries are hand cut, skin-on and cooked with just enough crispiness on the edges. The variety of choices – four appetizers, seven types of burgers, seven types of tacos,  four types of french fries and four different desserts plus seasonal ice cream – gives you a sense that you can have something new every visit. Visit here for more information on T&B Grill and LOTS of gorgeous professional photos of the food.

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And make no mistake. You will want to come back. This place is worth the trip, even if you don’t live in the area. We were impressed with the value and love that it’s also BYOB. Congratulations, Ambrosio and manager Omar Contreros. Great job. Have already put the word out to friends and neighbors. We can’t wait to come back.