Diver Cantina North Shore Brings Tropical Vibe to Highland Park

Escaping to the Islands for an Evening at Diver Cantina in Highland Park, IL

*Disclosure: I did receive a complimentary meal in order to complete an accurate review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

Upon walking into the new Diver Cantina North Shore, we felt the island vibe of the eatery immediately. Visiting on a rather chilly day, the island vibe buoyed our spirits. We knew were in for a special evening. So, our Diver journey began!

Diver's tropical ambiance transports guests to the islands without leaving Highland Park.

Diver welcomed us with a lovely basket of chips and salsa. Perfect for a little noshing as we began our evening. We enjoyed sitting for a moment soaking in the island vibe.

A lovely basket of fresh chips and salsa for a little noshing.

Choosing Dinner from a Menu Based on Family Recipes

Diver Cantina features beachy Mexican cuisine crafted from family recipes. The breadth of the menu intrigued us. We had such a difficult time settling on our meals for the evening since there were so many choices! Good thing Diver has a great list of special cocktails ideal for sitting, sipping, and relaxing. We ordered a Berry Mojito which featured a wildberry puree. So delicious!

Absolutely delicious Berry Mojito.

We did have to start with a shareable, of course! Diver's menu features potato flautas. I will admit, I am a potato fan! So, we did have to order the potato flautas. Other unique shareables include The Tropical Guacamole featuring guacamole with avocado, garlic, cilantro, lime, mango, pomegranate and Pico de Gallo as well as the Street Corn Elote and Brussels Sprouts featuring roasted sweet corn, brussels sprouts, chipotle aioli, Cojita cheese, and tajin.

A pinwheel of potato flautas presented a lovely shareable appetizer at Diver Cantina.

Our potato flautas were perfectly plated. I loved that they spiraled out in a star. The pico de Gallo really made the dish and we quite liked the potato flauta filling. 

Tip: Diver has amazing patio seating, so take advantage if it is available on your visit.

Fajitas and Enchiladas, Oh My!

Market Vegetable Fajitas were just as tasty as they were vibrant.

Main entrees offered various flavors including fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, burrito bowls and more. I found it pretty impressive that Diver offers an array of flavors and some really solid veggie choices. In addition to the yummy potato flautas, we jumped at the chance to try the Market Vegetable Fajitas. Blue corn tortillas accompanied the fajitas. The fajitas were absolutely heavenly -- easily our favorite portion of the meal. So delicious!

Guajillo Chicken Enchiladas topped with a delicious mole.

My husband and I both LOVE mole, so we did have to try Diver's mole. Thus, we ordered the Guajillo Chicken Enchiladas with mole. The enchiladas featured free-range chicken in a mild guajillo sauce topped with a blend of Oaxaca and Cojita cheeses. An absolutely delicious and well-prepared meal!

Time for Something Sweet

Churros topped with fried ice cream sweetly capped off dinner at Diver Cantina.

Every great dinner is even sweeter with a dreamy dessert cap off. We opted to delight in the churros for our sweet ending. Our cinnamony pile of churros was topped with a delicious fried ice cream which had a crust that displayed a sweet crunch as you pressed your spoon in for a bite. The perfect way to end our meal at Diver!

We so appreciated our little taste of island life at Diver Cantina! The atmosphere, food, and drinks certainly buoy this spirit and allow for a little evening beachy escape. Diver is a truly fun addition to the dining scene with much loved, beachy Mexican flavors. We look forward to another island escape in the future!