18th Street

It could be considered the Mag Mile of Chicago's Latino community -- complete with its own radio station.

The stretch of road along Chicago's 18th Street -- from Halsted to Western -- is a hodgepodge of stores, restaurants and services that cater to Chicago's large Hispanic community. A walk down 18th Street, in the heart of Pilsen, makes all the senses come alive as smells of Mexican baked goods permeate the air and sounds of Latin music spills out of the record shops.

The neighborhood, located on the city's Near Southwest Side, has been the first stop for many ethnic groups when arriving to Chicago. In the late 19th century it was founded by the Czechs, who were eventually replaced by the Germans. Then came the Irish and the Poles, until the 1950s when Pilsen started to become increasingly Mexican.

Today, it is the largest Mexican neighborhood in Chicago. However, the face of Pilsen could change further as it gentrifies and more young couples move in.

Nuevo Leon
1515 W. 18th St.
(312) 421-1517
This is the jewel of the community and has been since it opened in the early 1960s. The building alone is a showpiece. Painted in vibrant colors, the restaurant has been known as a meeting place and social stop for area Latinos. The food is authentic and, more important, cheap. The menu contains Mexican standards like carne asada, chicken with mole sauce and milanesas. There are even some pickled veggies on the table for snacking. The restaurant is cash only.

Hours: 7 a.m.-midnight daily.

Discoteca Mexico Oro
1518 W. 18th St.
(312) 850-3026
With a large collection of Latin music, Discoteca Mexico Oro is the place to get that ranchera fix or musica nortena. The storefront record collection has all the latest tunes coming out of Latin America. Among the favorites are the newest selections from Los Tigres del Norte and Los Horoscopos.

Hours: 10:30 am to 7:30 p.m. daily.

La Casa Del Pueblo
1810 S. Blue Island
(312) 421-4640
This is where the community comes to shop. A full-service grocery store that caters to its neighbors with a wide variety of ethnic foods. The shelves are full of products direct from Mexico. Things such as tamale wraps and bottled drinks like Jarritos fly off the shelves as many of the immigrants in the community look for things that remind them of home. There is also a butcher and deli shop with Mexican delicacies, such as menudo, sold by the pound.

Hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Cafe Jumping Bean
1439 W. 18th St.
(312) 455-0019
Not exactly an authentic Mexican coffeehouse, the Cafe Jumping Bean has become a place that brings the whole community together -- from the new residents to the older ones. The coffeehouse is funky with its unusual art on the walls and friendly attitude.

Hours: 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 7 a.m-midnight Friday; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum
1852 W. 19th St.
(312) 738-1503
The Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum is the nation's largest museum dedicated to Mexican art and culture. Since opening in Pilsen in 1987, the museum has grown and garnered a national reputation. It houses a permanent collection gallery, an education center, and a gift shop, Tienda Tzintzuntzan, that provides almost a quarter of the museum's income. Its Day of the Dead exhibit is a must-see for anyone interested in the Latino celebration of El Dia de los Muertos. The museum also hosts special events throughout the year.

Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday.

RADIO ARTE (90.5 FM)
1852 W. 19th St.
(312) 455-9455
Radio Arte, a youth initiative of the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, is an educational radio station that has served the Pilsen/ Little Village neighborhood of Chicago for more than six years. Radio Arte trains, motivates and encourages youth to develop self-expression through the broadcast medium. It provides a forum for young people to be creative and responsible to the largest Mexican community in the Midwest as the only bilingual (Spanish/ English), youth-operated, urban, community station in the country. Like WGN's studio on Michigan Avenue, passers-by on 18th Street can catch the broadcasters in action.