Been getting carnitas to go from Don Rafas for a decade. I think I'll stick to that, it's the only thing they do good. All other food was totally without season. I restate, not under seasoned, no seasoning. The carne asada was decent quality and cooked perfectly, but had not been salted or anything. It was literally just plain meat cooked. The guacamole had no lime or salt. When we added some it was actually good. Chicken taco was also just bland unseasoned chicken. Did the cooks run out of salt? It was also so incredibly overpriced, if it cost 60% less maybe it'd be acceptable , I could have gone to a fancy sit down white table cloth restaurant for the same price. read more

Carnitas Don Rafa - Had to re-season it ourselves at our table to enjoy it - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Tacos Tuesday is the best $2 tacos they stuff them and are delicious , the Rita's taste great and are made to order Definitely returning read more

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Ok I first tried Don Rafa at the crest hill location and I fell in love the with the Carnitas and the Barbacoa but now that I live back in city I figured I tried the Archer ave location and I must say that the Carnitas was not the same it didn't have as much flavor as the Crest hill location but the Barbacoa did taste the same I'm going to try them one more time and decide from there . And the service was good read more

Food is good I've only tried the carnitas. I really like the taste. Service in the restaurant is a bit slow. Carry out is fast and accurate. read more

First, parking can be a bit tricky. Decor is pretty cool and modern. Waitress was nice and checked on us a couple of times. Mango Chamoy Margarita - It was good, but don't know why they got that bar out front, but she made my drink in the back. Guacamole - This was made a bit different than I am used too. A bit bland for me since I needed salt and I usually don't use it. Mix Plate - (Carnitas & Barbacoa) - Barbacoa was pretty good. Carnitas, I got the mix which came with the skin. A piece still had hair on it, which is off putting. Came with rice, grilled jalapenos and nopales salad which was different. Caldo De Res - My guy liked it. Overall, it was okay and maybe a tad on the pricier side. read more

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Went here with a buddy to celebrate my birthday a week early. We both had 3 taco dinner, a chefs special. I had steak and he had the pork. We also had fresh guacamole appetizer which was awesome. Only thing we both wished that everything was spicier with heat. Other than that, totally awesome. Waitress was Maricela and she was a real people person read more

Carnitas Don Rafa - A flight of tacos, the chefs special. Mine was steak, above was my friends pork tacos. Mmmm. Best quality ever. - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Cute little hidden jewel , great Mexican cuisine and amazing art work on the building. read more

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I went there early on a Saturday. I had a taste for Menudo. I tell you it was like a combination of Menudo and Pozole. Meaning it had maíz and pieces of pork in it. Not too spicy but spicy enough. Served with chile de árbol, onion,cilantro and lime. Excellent. They would make a killing if they sold it by the gallon. read more

I had the steak Burrito with everything except retried beans. It was a good Burrito. The meat was tasty but the burrito seemed to lack some juiciness. The tortilla was kind of hard on the bottom. My friend ordered the carnitas taco. I tried the Carnita and although the meat was good, it still lacked juiciness or something similar. I wasn't that wowed by the food. The restaurant is clean and nicely decorated. They have a big outside patio. They have a large flat screen TV on one wall and what looks like 4 smaller flat screen tv that mimics one large TV on the wall facing the front entrance. read more

My favorite carnita spot in southside! Employees are always super nice, they go the extra mile with their service along with how good the food is! They're prices are more then fair, I've gone almost every week and the workers are always super nice sampling they're carnitas at times when they aren't too busy! And aren't stingy with salsa, easily one of my favorite restaurants read more

This place has been my favorite carnita spot for years!!! And I am glad to see the super upgrade! Food is delicious and service was perfection. Come and check out the space and culture read more

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Wow! I stopped in to pick up carnitas, and barbacoa . I can't say how glad I am that I did. I got a hold of a few friends on the way home that they need to get in here. It was some of the most flavorful, juicy, well cooked Mexican I have ever had. I got home and was excited to share with my wife, we enjoyed it the whole, weekend. The folks inside are beyond friendly and kind. I wish I still lived in the City, but this place is worth the drive in on a weekend even if I am not working. Don't Miss out read more

I want to like this place so much. The food is great, the outdoor patio is really nice! Unfortunately, the last two times I've placed an order for pickup there have been issues. Just today, I placed an order and showed up 30 minutes later to find that my order was never put in and nothing made. I just don't have time for you to decide when to start making my food. That's why I ordered ahead. Sadly this is my only way of letting management know that their phone people aren't taking orders seriously. I want more cool restaurants like this in our neighborhood, but only if the customer service can match the rest of its appeal. read more

Was in the area and was looking for a new place to try and stumbled across this place. Walked in the decor is nice and the smell of carnitas is in the air. I had the Chef's Special Carnitas and This was very good and the difference between this and the regular taco dinner are the extra garnishes and chicharrones which definitely adds to the flavor. My fiance had their steak dinner and it was okay. The steak could of used a bit more flavor. We wanted to have 2 specific margaritas but they didn't have the ingredients so we settled for something else and It was good. This place is very good & I will come back again and maybe they will have the ingredients for the Margaritas we wanted read more

Carnitas Don Rafa - The Chef's Special Carnitas Tacos. It comes with 3 tacos but I always get an extra taco. - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We had a work outing here, had never heard of this place before. Food & service are excellent. Great selection of beer & margaritas, and a nice patio that has lots of shade in the evening hours. read more

My boyfriend and I came here for dinner on a Saturday and sat outside on the patio. Both the inside and outside are well decorated with vibrant colors, and the ambiance is very chill and relaxing, as well as the music. Everything was pretty much perfect, from the complimentary chips and salsa, meals and drinks, to the service. I ordered the chef's special with three tacos de carnitas and he ordered tacos de asada, we were both satisfied. I had the pineapple and jalapeno margarita and it was soooooo good!! The waitress was super attentive and just added to the great experience we were already having. We've been to a lot of restaurants and Don Rafa is definitely one of our new favorites! We will definitely be back. read more

Carnitas Don Rafa - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Was much, much better when it was on 46th and Kedzie. Much smaller menu. No one spoke English when we were there. Besides us Gringos the only other person there was a pre-teen who was obviously the son of one of the wait staff. Won't be going back, though we went to Kedzie often. read more

Carnitas Don Rafa - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is a review of the catering experience. I ordered catering for a family party of about 50 people on the Northside of Chicago. My only complaint is that it took several days to hear back from my contact about catering. However, whenever I did hear back the experience was professional and accommodating. The amount of food was just right and it all arrived on time despite it being rush hour on a Friday! The food was an absolute hit. We had people from all over, California, Indiana, Ohio, and South Korea. Everyone was raving about how good the food was. I felt like a hero hostess. Would absolutely order from them again. Service was great and food was spectacular. What more can you ask? read more

My multi-tenant office building (700 Commerce, Oak Brook) has a system where they have a different food vendor each day ("Fooda PopUp"). It's a great idea, but some of the vendors are seriously lacking. I was very happy that today it was Don Rafa. The food was delicious and the portions were generous. I had a rice bowl served on my own plate (to conserve plastic). I had a rice bowl with half barbacoa and half calabacitas. Delicious and such a good value. read more

Carnitas Don Rafa - Rice bowl served in my own plate to conserve plastic. Half barbacoa, half calabacitas. Delicious. - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Use to go to the old location when I was a little girl and loved it. Came to the new location for the first time today and was not disappointed. Great food and atmosphere like I remember, glad that carried over to the new location. read more

Carnitas Don Rafa - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Usually I don't write bad reviews but this one was needed ... Couple of things first there is false advertising by saying your meal includes tortillas when you don't get any... We added meat for $3 more dollars and it didn't have much flavor... the chilaquiles were mushy... I ordered the green chilaquiles and seemed like I didn't have any salsa on there.... the Rice and Beans seemed like the we're left out from the other night ... not as Authentic as it looks ... and nothing seemed as how much you paid for your food read more

Carnitas Don Rafa - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Don Rafa Carnitas Are the best in town I taste it so far they give you enough meets where you can be satisfied if you're in the area I recommend you to please try their food it's worth the five stars and again it's worth what you pay for might be a little expensive but again you get what you pay for you get a lot of meats and they got homemade tortillas read more

Healthy opportunity to order a variety of food items from tacos the tortoise etc. unfortunately everything was sort of tasteless and as well it's just tasted it it's been sitting on the shelf or whatever the case read more

Great staff and great food! Breakfast to dinner . Had enchilada with mole and a giant burrito- high quality and delicious. Cactus salad great helping size with cheese. Watermelon dessert. Margaritas made from scratch . Both indoor and outdoor dining. We left with the feeling of coming back soon. Free street parking. Nice size menu. read more

Carnitas Don Rafa - Mango or Hibiscus Margaritas from scratch . - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Love this place! The tacos were yummy! I had the sampler which included different types of tacos. The best part was the customer service. The owner provided free tacos for teachers during the strike. Good to know we are supported by local businesses! Thank you again for your support!! read more

This place has gotten worse over the years!!! I am currently sitting down at the restaurant and it takes the waitress 15 mins to take our order. I understand that theirs a party going on upstairs but at least take our order so we can eat daaam!!! read more

Unbelievably good food! The atmosphere is wonderful, clean and the staff is polite and very service oriented. Come hungry! Been here several times and it is consistently phenomenal. Had several different items and all were remarkable! read more

amazing! so worth it!!!! will be coming again! and the piña colada so good! the chicken was so soft! the meat was so good! the music! loved it! read more

The atmosphere and service was amazing! It is very clean and also has a cute little side patio to sit on. The chicharrones were fresh, crunchy and very tasty! The guacamole serving was generous and flavorful. The presentation for each plate was beautiful and the taste to match. And make sure you leave room for the churros! Will certainly return when we are in Chicago again! read more

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This place rocks! Very traditional carnitas and a deep menu that includes a respectable tequila selection. We always stop in when I fly in to Midway airport! The service is great!!!! read more

I just bought some carnitas very disappointed ever since they moved it will never be the same I think they lost their cock or something besides the fact that is expensive will not recommend anybody to go there it's not the same place that used to be read more

I have one simple rule about picking restaurants in an area I'm not familiar with. If it's crowded, it's gotta be good. I used to work in the area quite a bit and I found Carnitas Don Rafa this way. It's easy to pass by this place. It doesn't look like much from out in front. It does have a large free parking lot though. Inside, it's a pleasant sit down restaurant with a cobblestone floor and dark wood accents. The service is very good and not intrusive. They speak english well. Don Rafa is a great place to bring business associates if you are looking for a business lunch. For a while, I was addicted to their suizo carne asada burrito, a burrito smothered in ranchero sauce and about a pound of cheese. I could only finish half and the rest was dinner. The remainder of the menu consists of standard Mexician food prepared to perfection. For people not familiar with Carnitas, imagine a Mexician pulled pork. The fajitas are also very good. I don't get to this part of the city much anymore but anytime I get w/in a 2 mile radius, I make a detour to Don Rafa's. read more

Booked a private party at this location and the service truly exceeded our expectations. Maribel was an amazing party host, planner, and server. The rest of the staff was also very attentive and very courteous - AND THE FOOD, the food was delicious. We had a very hard time picking out what to serve to our guests. I will def be considering this restaurant for future parties. Thank you! read more

The pancakes were great so was the service good carnitas definitely coming back soon.

Our family celebrated there during the holidays.. Diane did a fabulous job with decorations and the food was outstanding.. the margaritas were fresh and the service was fantastic!! Everything was so wonderful so next month we are having my daughters baby shower there in their private room!! Can't wait! read more

Always good food (gotta try the chicken tacos with elote), always good service. The chicharron is always fresh, which is awesome. Diane (the owner) is hospitable, and you can tell she knows how to run her restaurant. We will for sure return and recommend it to all our friends. read more

First of all, I LOVE carnitas... and this place does a nice job in satisfying my craving. What I like most about this place is that it is family friendly. When I come here, it is usually with my siblings, aunts and uncles. It is a great spot for a Sunday brunch. The food is delicious and they have a wide variety of dishes. I really do enjoy this place! read more

Carnitas Don Rafa - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I haven't been here in a while, but it has been a staple for my family. To my knowledge, it's the only place we ever get Carnitas and they are always delicious! nom nom nom. read more

I didn't have the carnitas, instead I had los Chilaquiles Don Rafa; which come with cheese and bacon. They were pretty delicious, except the bacon, I love the stuff but they have no business with my chilaquiles. Aside from that they were very tasty and very filling. The rice was a bit bland, but the beans made up for it. Can't wait to go back! read more

New place by my house and I was dying to try it out so of course like every Mexican I went on a Sunday morning to get my carnitas fix. There was a line out the door. To me that's always a good sign. So me n my girls waited in line in anticipation. The place is very nicely decorated for day of the dead which I very much fancy. So when I finally got closer they have so much food besides carnitas to my surprise. The barbacua looked amazing and something I will for sure try next time. They had tacos dorados too. You can also sit and eat there like a restaurant. So to get to the point I ordered my carnitas and took them home. I made tortillas and ate some. Very satisfied with the carnitas! One thing to work on is the salsa they give. The red one is tomatoey and not spicy and green one is meh. So I had to use the one I made at home. So work on that and thus place has potential to be a hit! read more