Cafe El Tapatio was great! They have an amazing patio that is super cute. We made a reservation & I was glad we did because it was packed at 6pm on a Thursday night! I got shrimp & cauliflower tacos. The shrimp one was good but really lacked sauce. It needed something more. The cauliflower tacos were soooo good they came with a really really good herby green sauce. I would go back to try more things! read more

Cafe El Tapatio - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Love the neon sign & painted exterior wall. We came to sit outside of their cute patio on a perfect summer day. Beautiful flower boxes & nice shade. Servers were friendly. The chips & salsa were great. Warm & salty chips. The salsa was delicious & spicy. No drinks for this afternoon. We had to ask for refills on our water. I ordered the shrimp fajitas. It came with beans, rice & sour cream. The shrimp was tough & I disliked the orange sauce that they were drowning in. The onions & peppers weren't really sizzling. More like stewed. The corn tortillas tasted old & stale. I'd give this 1 star. Beans & rice were delicious. The rice was so flavorful & a little sticky. Loved it. My husband tried their famous enchiladas. Wasn't feeling the fame. Next time I'll try something else & get a churro. Those looked great! read more

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Excellent service, cozy atmosphere, quality food with excellent options, and friendly service. This place... I highly recommend! read more

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As someone who lives in Dallas, I'm a little critical of Mexican food but this place was so good! They were so accommodating of our huge group, had incredible margs and really good salsa. Highly recommend! read more

Passed this place at least 100 times and have always wanted to try it. Well I stopped on a beautiful day and dined alfresco. Great patio and shaded by trees. Started out with the free chips and salsa (the first round at least). Second round is $4. Chips were so good but, the salsa was spicy- a little too spicy for me. I had the Famous Suizas Enchiladas beef with beans and rice. It was 3 out of 5 stars. The sauce was sweet and had a different taste. I was hoping for a hint of smoke taste, maybe they have it in their mole sauce? Beans were prepared and tasted wonderful. Rice was decent. Very small pieces of rice but, a generous portion. Now that I tried it, I probably won't be back. I say probably because the patio was great and that was the only thing that was memorable on this trip. read more

Cafe El Tapatio - Famous Suizas Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Really beautiful restaurant and presentation! Unfortunately, I didn't find that the flavors matched. The guacamole just tasted like avocado, and the nachos were unimpressive. The fajitas were the stand out, good portion and flavor. Service was okay, minimal visits to the table but efficient. read more

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We have come here multiple times and have always been happy. Service great. They were on top of the water. Chios and salsa perfect- but we like spicy. I had 3 tacos a nd jicama salad. Loved my shrimp and cheese taco, and beef was good. Portobello was ok. I won't order that one next time. Husband had chicken enchilada mole which is always excellent. They were rocking tonight and did a great job. Sitting outside is always lovely on a nice summer night read more

The service is always fast and wonderful. The salsa is spicy but so delicious! The margaritas have a punch but are so refreshing and the patio has such a lovely vibe! Ps. Try the churro shop next door too. read more

Not all chips and salsa are created equal, but this place's were great. I had the enchiladas verdes with tinga, and as someone who is very picky about their tinga, I highly recommend. The jumbo margaritas were indeed jumbo! Enjoyed the mango one. Super cute place and love that it's connected to a churro shop as well. We sat outside and while it was chilly they had space heaters. The staff was very accommodating about moving us a couple times so we were closer to the heaters. Unfortunately, the one we were next to died, and while a staff member did turn it back on, it died again which made things colder than expected. The bathroom situation was weird. There was one single stall situated right in the center of the servers' station. I waited roughly 10-15 minutes while someone was in there and felt awkward standing in the middle of the restaurant. Eventually a waiter did direct me to a different single stall on the opposite side of the restaurant. Overall, good vibes and food. We went on a busy Saturday night and were seated promptly with great service. read more

Cafe El Tapatio - Jumbo mango and strawberry margaritas. - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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excellent food, ambiance and service. Good variety on menu. Great outdoor patio. Been going here for 34 years and it is still fantastic. One of our favorite places to go In the neighborhood read more

This place is seriously my favorite. They jump revamped their menu and it did not disappoint. My friend got the pineapple coconut pancakes that were delicious. And I loved the grilled talapia tacos read more

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We've been here several times and it's always great! We've never had a time where the food taste different or not the same, this place is consistent. It's is a bit pricey, but the quality is great. The drinks are average, more on the sugary side but not mad. Like you have to have a marg at some point! Service is quick and friendly. It's a bit loud in there between the music and people, but when it's almost 70 degrees in March then hey if you can't beat em, join em. Definitely recommend: Carne asada Queso fondido with chorizo Chile relleno Enchiladas crepas with chicken Guacamole read more

Cafe El Tapatio - Carne Asada - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Save your money and go somewhere else. Food is too expensive and not good. $24 for a burrito that was so watery and runny I could not eat it and threw it away. They said it was runny from the chicken, never heard of that and I've had 100's of chicken burritos that were chicken and not runny. I still gave them a chance with a margarita since at 4pm they're on happy hour for $6, still not good. How can you mess up a margarita? It was Pineapple and had a weird after taste and it's probably because they're pre batch made for happy hour. The one star is for their chips and salsa which is the only good thing on the menu. Can't believe this place is a neighborhood favorite, but then again I am in Lakeview. Most people this way wouldn't know what good Mexican is. They would fail and wouldn't last in Little Village or Pilsen. If I want good Mexican, I probably need to stick to going West. read more

Cafe El Tapatio - Pineapple margarita had a weird after taste - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Tried ordering delivery tonight on their website. I ordered at 5:07 pm and the estimated delivery time was 5:37 pm. It's now 7 pm (almost two hours after I ordered), the tracking info keeps resetting to "28 min away" every 10 min or so, and the restaurant is not answering their phone. Don't order delivery from this place if you actually want to get your meal. read more

A great place to take friends or family! And they had some really cute Christmas decorations. My friend who is celiac (no gluten) shared the app and got tacos and was fine! We split the queso fundido with chorizo which is so good and very cheesy and fairly big. Make sure to save some of your table chips! Which I was able to do because the table salsa was a little spicy for me. I did the carnitas taco and the abrazo de carne taco with rice and beans. The carnitas taco was juicy and delicious. The abrazo was extra cheesy and definitely very filling but I enjoyed the steak, too. Good portion of rice and beans, too! And of course fantastic margs. read more

Cafe El Tapatio - Queso Fundido with Chorizo - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Good for a low key couple of young adults. Probably wouldn't take my parents here. Delicious. Love the homemade salsa and menu selection. Trains/ambulances are loud on Ashland but fuck it, this place is chill and has great tasting nachos and burritos. read more

This restaurant is very small on the inside but they do offer outdoor seating that's heated. I highly recommend making reservations if you plan to go. It is very cute on inside but very close together. Our service was great but no complaints about that at all. Everyone assisted everyone we received extra salsa and tortilla chips when needed water was filled on time no issues with service. The guacamole is made fresh I would like it if they have put some jalapenos in it but it was good overall. My daughter did the taco platter where you can pick three tacos. She ordered the bello taco, abrazo de camarôn, and jarocho taco. According to her she was not a fan of any of the tacos she gives it a 2/5 stars. Now my friend and I both got the combination fajitas I got the shrimp and steak medium well and she got the chicken and steak. We both agreed that the steak was tender had flavor but we just don't think it was a good grade of steak because it had a certain aftertaste to it. Both the chicken and shrimp tasted good we just wish that they gave us more of both even the steak it just looks like a lot on the picture because there were a lot of onions and green peppers on the plate. I may have received about 4 shrimps with the combination. read more

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We arrived late afternoon and ordered off the Happy Hour menu. The food was delicious and the service was great. This is also a bright restaurant with good acoustics so you can have a conversation. It was busy but not crowded. I would recommend this to anyone who wants great food, great service and reasonable prices. read more

Still the best Mexican spot in Chicago. Stand out dishes: elotes, papas primaveras, taquitos, suizo burrito, flautas, short rib tacos, chicken mole... wait, did I just name everything on the menu? :) Oh, yes, also the margaritas. read more

Service, Food & Ambiance: I tend to only contact a restaurant when I have had a poor experience - and want to warn others on Yelp. Our 7:00PM reservation was NOT honored We were told to stand in the back for 23 minutes I overheard the front host tell a waitress that - He bumped us for a party of eight - They never arrived so he sat us after 23 minutes Your host never apologized By the time our food order arrived, a full hour had already passed from our original reservation time. My Carne Asada Taco Platter was tasteless - The Carne was overcooked and bone dry - There were no limes or sauces provided - The side dish of Mexican Rice was cold - The side of Refried Beans was over-salted - It took a lemonade and four full glasses of water to wash down this dry, salty food - My final bite of rice had two long blonde hairs - Our waitress had long blonde hair - No one in our party is blonde My daughter asked for a box to take leftovers The waitress reached over my food and the full length of our table to hand her this box She bent her body fully across me to do this Her armpit was right in my face Three drunken patrons at the bar were screaming Our waitress yelled back our order to be heard She yelled it out only inches from my left ear My left ear began ringing at her volume When we paid, it took 18 minutes for the waitress to process our credit card Five waitstaff were outside chatting during all this. The male host who had made us wait for our table played games on his cell phone for the 90 minutes we were in Cafe El Tapatio. You really can not make all this up. How could all this occur during a single visit? Answer: Poor Management and Training. read more

Delicious food. i could not stop eating. Patio seating, easy parking and great service. I will return.

Small inside but mid-size patio outside that allows the dog. Sitting on the patio is tight, so big or mod size dogs might need to be seated very tight. Service was not good. Our server made a remark on me being vegetarian. Initially, he forgot our request on hot sauce. After our reminding he brought it but made remark they typically do not give it because no one eats it, so we should not keep it untouch. We sat for a while after our table was cleaned for the bill. He passed us but ignored us. Finally, we got up and paid at the desk. Mumbai Margarita - 3/5 Veg fajita - 4/5 - good taste and big size. The grilled veggies are chopped big and in greasy red masala. Guacamole-3.5/5 Revoltijo - 5/5 read more

Cafe El Tapatio - REVOLTIJO - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Surprisingly great patio for being on a busy corner! I loved the limonada for a mocktail treat, but my boyfriend really impressed with his michelada too!! Birria tacos and elote also made the reorder list for next time for us! The staff were also super kind and attentive! Will be back! read more

Cafe El Tapatio - LIMONADA SLUSH - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We went to celebrate my birthday and the food was so yummy, we got a classic pitcher and spicy pitcher of margs and they were equally as delicious!! Edgar our server made me feel so special on my birthday! Such a cute restaurant. read more

Average food, not too flavorful and some of the food we ordered did not show up. I got the Ben Aqui for an appetizer but it was just a bowl of cheese and beef and poblano and onions. Interesting but not incredible. There was nothing to eat it with but a spoon. Then I got the Suizo which was a potato, sour cream chicken tinga burrito with a lack of flavor, I asked for hot sauce and got a spicy cold salsa. My partner ordered a Shrimp soup, it was large and he said it was lacking spice and very hot. He was supposed to have tortillas on the side and they never came. We also ordered a kids quesadilla and it came with beans and rice. The staff were kind and the music was nice read more

Cafe El Tapatio is worth a trip to Roscoe Village!! We discovered this restaurant on a whim when we needed a quick bite before a class. And we've been back 4 times since! I love love love their brunch offerings and nightly happy hours. I love that the manager comes to check in every time. The Azteca soup is delicious. The marinade on the fajitas is fantastic. Tacos are good but small for the price. The enchiladas were huge. I definitely plan to continue coming back and trying more of the menu! read more

Stopped in for lunch on a Thursday. It wasn't crowded at all so took a table in the back. The free chips and salsa were good but note the salsa was very spicy so be careful if you don't have water on your table and you are not expecting it. They have a full bar but we were not drinking. The lunch menu has lots of options. I had the tacos with rice and beans and they were all very good and just enough food not too much. The service was good. Parking is street only and they have an outside area in the summer. Would eat here again when I am back in the city. read more

Cafe El Tapatio - Lunch/Breakfast Menu - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I went to the restaurant during happy happy and got some of the things off of their HH menu. Everything was so fantastic. Along with that the service was so amazing, from start to finish. I can't wait for my next visit, I would highly recommend to a friend. read more

A burrito shouldn't be more than 19 dollars. I don't care who you think you are. You are Mexican food. Not even an infusion. Your cheese, soggy veggies, and beans should not be mashed together to make a 19 dollar burrito. Holy cow. Food service workers and owners are so delusional in Chicago. If you're Mexican hanging around gentrificated cuisine, keep your honor and class and make the best damn Mexican food you can for the price that it is. Now you've just made it disgustingly expensive vitamix blended Taco Bell inspired cuisine. Chicago palette is broken. read more

We started with a queso with chorizo and it was delicious. Real chesse instead of the usual 'nacho cheese'. I ordered the carne asada with frites and it was also delicious. read more

Everyone is super nice, food is good, and vibe is great! Big fan, been 2 times in last couple weeks already and will be more

Wishing I could give this place high praise, but unfortunately that isn't the case. I wasn't even able to try anything as securing a reservation means nothing here. Had a reservation and was waiting over thirty minutes to be seated, yet all other waiting patrons were seated before me. Disappointed to say the least. read more

Such good food, such horrible service. We got in and stood at the host stand at noon at a mostly empty restaurant for 10 minutes. No host came to greet us and the bartender didn't even turn around. We finally sat down on our own, grabbing the nearest table. There were only two other tables in a very open restaurant, we still had to flag our waitress to bring us water and menus. She came back with three waters, some chips, and a single napkin. The food is truly great, but we have to flag her down again to get our order in. After giving our order, which she did not ask us for any drinks, she never refilled our chips. We had to for more napkins, at least one for every person. The order came up quickly, and she delivered it. For the next 30 minutes, however, she never checked on us, never refilled our waters, never checked on the food or offer more chips. She did nothing. Eventually, we had to get the bartender to give us our bill. I have not had this bad of service in many years read more

Cafe El Tapatio - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Coming from CO we don't have many authentic Mexican restaurants; however, El Tapatio restored my faith in the Northern American version of the cuisine. Been wanting to sample a Birria style taco for a bit and found one at El Tapatio. Located on a corner in Chicago is serving up some serious southern, spicy, and innovative cuisine. With an attention to detail they bring a higher level of standard to street tacos, tortes, and burritos. The quesabirria came out lava style-hot, full of beef, with a side of consommé hinting on sweet and savory notes. read more

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We enjoyed a nice birthday dinner with friends. Good food and pitchers of margaritas. Service is good and the chips and salsa sides are great! I loved the plantains and all the entrees were quite delicious. Love the nice touch of singing and sombrero I had to wear with surprise serenade of a birthday song at the end! Fun night! read more

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Cool friendly neighborhood spot on Ashland and Roscoe. Sat at the counter and had a potato chorizo hash with black beans and over easy eggs. Filing tasty and aids in recovery. Service was quick and staff is knowledgeable. Quick walk from my house and I'll be back soon. read more

Cafe El Tapatio - Chorizo and Potato Hash with eggs and black beans - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Wowza. Some of the best Mexican food I've had in a long long time! We came here at about 3pm on a Sunday afternoon and there was a decent size crowd. The space is a bit of a hole in the wall, but still is really well kept with a super friendly and attentive staff. We started with some margaritas and chips and salsa. I will note the prices on the menus didn't add up with what were charged, but we were charged $9 when it said $11, so definitely not mad about it :) I went with the spicy margarita which was topped with LOTS for fresh jalapeno slices. This gave it a nice kick! Chips and salsa were delicious but warning: the salsa is SPICY (& and I love spice!). I went with the Chimichanga. I cannot believe this was my first time having a Chimichanga, and I'm not sure how I went 27 years without one. If you're new to the chimichanga world like I was, it's pretty much a deep fried burrito. So yes, it was phenomenal. The chicken was flavorful, moist and tender. The tortilla was perfectly crispy. And the cheese was plentiful. Also, it's huge! It's served with rice and beans. I'm not a fan of refried beans, but the rice was delicious and the company I was with said the beans were too. Cafe El Tapatio seriously knocked it out of the park and I know for certain we'll be back soon to explore more items on the menu! read more

Cafe El Tapatio - Spicy marg! - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I went there last night. The food was delicious, great service. It was a bit loud but the rest was fantastic.

I frequent this restaurant. Service is excellent. Chips- warm, Salsa is very good. Beans, rice, tacos, enchiladas usually very good. I tried the chicken (pechuga tapatio with mushrooms), it was a little dry since it was a paillard of chicken was over cooked, but the sauce is great. I tried the shrimp Monte Alban. Description: "Pan-tossed jumbo shrimp, onion, tomato, garlickly cilantro chimichurri, flambéed with smokey mezcal, and Chile de árbol. Served with Mexican red rice." Too many onions camouflaged the shrimp, very garlicky green tomato wedges mixed in, too much oil in the sauce and very little chile de arbol. No beans served with this dish, okay. Drinks are excellent. read more

Food is amazing. Service is hit or miss ambiance is loud, fun, tight quarters. I love the food, but they gotta get their servers on the same page. I ordered the RR marg. It says Jumbo size. I get a regular size marg. I ask for the RR marg and they say "that's it." Nope. I have had the rolls royce marg. It's not small. Waitress said "we gotta charge you for it. You ordered it." Nope, i didn't order a small one. I ordered a Rolls Royce. Anyway. Check your tab. Make sure you get what you asked for, or drink elsewhere and xome and eat here. read more

Cafe El Tapatio - Size matters. Which is jumbo? - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois