The place was hard to get to because of the road construction, and yes not their fault, what was a bummer is that no alcohol is served, its byob. Which would have been nice to see prior to arriving. They do sell a mixture for michelada's so it's still nice. The melted cheese with chorizo was delicious although you have to eat it warm or it hardens up. I ordered the platter of barbacoa and carintas, which was plentiful for one person. The carintas had more fat than I prefer. Rice water is not good, very flat flavor. The rice was fluffy and had a good taste. I did like that they gave my little one a glow in the dark necklace, cute touch. 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

They saved Christmas! I ordered the taco tray. 10 chicken tacos, 10 carnita tacos, rice and beans. Perfectly priced with generous amounts of meat in each taco. Beans look like they are canned but don't taste like it. Rice was perfect, not soggy or salty. Tacos were delicious and juicy. Definitely will be back for more. read more

My go to torta spot when on the south side!! Torta don rafa!! Bread is always soft and fresh as soon as you take a bite the juicy meat melts in your mouth with the yummy beans crema and avocado MMMMMMM SO GOOD! I never understand how people mess up tortas at other taco joints but this place always has it down!!! After being a year long customer never have i had a bad meal here everythings always perfect!! from their tender juicy meats to the margaritas and horchata. Even had the fried ice cream before and it was awesome! The atmosphere is great never too crazy musics never too loud or too crowded always friendly service and very clean. I dont know what method they use to cook their carnitas or carne asada but WOW Hope you guys never change it! This place is highly underrated and a gem in this area! read more

Love the new Location. Modern and nice decorations. WE tried the combination of Carnitas and Barbacoa. Food was a little cold, but we told waitress and she re-heated it for us. Very good food. !!!! I will definitely go back to try the rest of the Menu. read more

I had ordered carnitas to go and my son told me he wanted to eat there I asked the lady if we can get them to dine in she said no cause it's per plate. But when I got home the carnitas seem like old anyways I'm disappointed with the service and the food read more

The place inside is brightly painted. The food was ok. I used to like their chicken tacos before but today they didn't the same flavor a they used to. It also seems their tacos shrunk in size. The steak tacos where ok but I usually order only 2 and I'm good but something told me to order 3 and I'm glad I did. Even with 3 tacos I didn't totally feel satisfied. The menu changed too don't expect it to be the same as the old location. Oh and the chips that were served were hard and kinda burned. I don't think I'll come back. read more

Carnitas Don Rafa - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is a little bit further South than what I am used to travel, but I had a coupon from Restaurant.com and decided why not? I was nicely surprised about the place. Open layout, lots of space and light. Had recently dined at My Tierra on 26th st and the place was dark and the food was terrible, so I was very pleased with the look and ambiance of this place. So now let me talk about the food and the service... The waiter was super attentive, and came to us right away. Made sure we liked our table and took care of our drinks and appetizer. The Pico de Gallo was HOT, but we were scooping it up with our chips like it was going out of style. All that was left were the jalapeno peppers, LOL. We ordered the Nachos, and WOW we were all over them, lol, they were very very good. We wanted to order a large, but the waiter said a small would be plenty for two people unless we were looking to take some home and he was right. My boyfriend ordered the enchiladas and they were very good. I ordered the Carne a la Tampiquena and was very very happy with the quality of the meat (nice and tender, perfectly cooked), I hate it when you get charged a high price for shoe leather. The waiter kept coming back and the service was excellent, he did a great job. I highly recommend this place. A little bit our of the way for me, but we are definitely coming back for more!!! Great food, great service, what else can you ask for?? read more

This was our first time here in there new location , food and customer service was great . We'll surely come back soon .

Worst experience ever. Guy there is a jerk. Doesn't know how to treat customers and give what they order.

Amazing service! yes, the food is what we come here for because it's generations of perfection for this family know for their expertise in Carnitas. But the service here.... the best, the very moment you walk in though the door. No one compares, no one read more

I have been coming here for a while, and let me tell you that the carnitas are delicious.... And what can I say about the barbacoa it's juicy, tender and they put this red sauce on top of it and it the perfect complement to it.. I sometimes eat in but for the most part I take it to go... The few times I eat in the waiters are very friendly and I never have to wait too long for my food... If you're in the area I recommend you try this place read more

Only come here for the tortas and drinks. Very cheap and delicious. Kinda sad that they're very underrated, with the quality of their food, i expect a full house everytime i come in. Staff is very friendly and attentive. I recommend a torta don Rafa de asada and any of their frozen margaritas,daiquiris, or micheladas! As far as platillos go, i never really had em'. My cousin ordered a steak platillo with beans and rice and looked very good. read more

Very delicious food. I picked up some tacos for the road. They are not as good as zacatacos but they are good. Great customer service, clean and welcoming restaurant. They also do catering. I had their carnitas at catered events and the food was always great. Clean bathrooms. read more

Get the platter with carnitas, barbacoa, rice, and cactus salad. You won't be disappointed. Big portions, nice atmosphere, and a super friendly staff. Worth stopping. read more

My SO and I stopped in to this neighborhood joint today after meandering through the spring carnival set up a few blocks away. SO glad we did, but so bummed it took us this long to discover it. I had the carnitas-dark pork served with refried beans, rice, corn tortillas, and cactus salad. My better half got the baby goat (rib portion) which was even better. We both got a couple peach margaritas which were a little light on the booze, but big on taste and super refreshing. Final big plus is service, which was impeccable. We'll be back for sure! read more

Thank you thank you thank you! The new menu definitely brings more vibrant and appeasing dishes! Had the mole enchiladas and the presentation itself was beautiful - the taste was just what I expect on mole enchiladas. I will DEFINITELY be back! read more

Very good carnitas and the service has always been attentive and friendly. We had a small family luncheon in memoriam of my grandfather and I couldn't have asked for better service. The price, the service and the food were all more than I could have asked for and made it a wonderful afternoon for our family to be together. Thank you Don Rafa's! read more

Love it! I've been here twice and it was outstanding both times. One of my favorite Mexican places in Chicago. Well worth the trip to Brighton Park. read more

Cool place and concept . The platter of carnitas for 2 with beans and rice was $28. Just too much dinero. Carnitas is comfort food not a luxury item that puts a hole in your pocket. The service was excellent and the freshly squeezed lemonade was to die for. My recommendation is to just order the Carnitas tacos. read more

The only problem is the parking lot situation. Other than that they have great carnitas. Good micheladas. 'Nuf said. read more

Carnitas Don Rafa - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great carnitas!!!! Very fresh, I love the menudo there too , only thing it's a little pricey, the earlier u get there on the weekend the shorter the line ;) read more

The carnitas are the best! We always get them on weekends and they never disappoint. Very friendly staff and fast service. Highly recommend!

I come here often with friends,family and the bf. My boyfriend introduced me to this place 3 years ago. Ive been in love with it ever since. I love this place. Im here at least one,sometimes even twice a week. I love the chilequlies,tortas and the carnitas. Its uber busy in here on then weekends, with long lines fo people for the cartnitas. The tamales are okay. I love the margaritas yumo! read more

Amazing authentic and just so much flavor! The service was nice and the food was made by a Mexican guy, so you know it's done right

unbelievable birrria and barbacoa at great prices other items good too. great for dine in or carry out. it can get loud in there. read more

Honestly the best carnitas ever. Don't forget the baronas and the pico de gallo. So so so good. They even give you a sample when you wait in line. If you like delicious things and also like them wrapped in soft fluffy tortillas, then Don Rafa this way! read more

Definitely the place to go! I have had there Carnitas a well as plated dishes they are all soooo tasty. I have catered from them a couple times no complaints at all. Great customer service. read more

So I went to the restaurant on a Sunday morning hoping for some delicious carnitas and barbacoa! We got there with another couple I ordered dark meat and my friend ordered barbacoa.Well the food came the carnitas were white meat which is not what I ordered and wanted gave the plate back and said I'm sorry I want dark meat ..lady takes it back and comes back and said cook said this is dark meat which looked very dry so I just accepted the plate back.then the barbacoa came and it was big clunk of meat which was not soft and hard to shred to make a taco just a huge piece of nerve...I was so dissapointed that the food wasn't what I thought and the cook didn't even try to make us happy with a different type of meat that was softer ...carnitas have separate type of meats and I didn't get what I wanted...they returned what I was given the first time...also the service was not good I had to ask the waitress for a napkins...we had 2 diffferent waitress which was not good I would never return again and I will make sure I share this with my friends and family...it's a shame because I do know the owner since I was a kid read more

Really great experience the waitress VIVIANA really nice really amazing job food was good i really like the music too def well comeback soon thanks read more

OK ... so Don Rafa's has been a family favorite for so long and I just can't believe that there are no reviews on this restaurant. We are a big fan of carnitas . Carnitas is a very famous Mexican dish. It consists of braised pork and can be eaten by itself. Everyone who loves pork has to try this. If you are adventurous there are different parts of the pork to be savored, but if you are like me I stick to just to meat (masisa). Don Rafa's carnitas are so juicy and flavorful. You can order a plate of carnitas which you can eat with hot tortillas, and the most amazing red salsa EVER!!!. They also give you a side of rice and beans. To tell you the truth I just order a Torta Don Rafa (A torta is a Mexican sandwich) ... a sure hit. But ... if for whatever reason you are not into eating pork .. there are plenty of amazing menu items to please the pickiest of eaters. They have lots of margaritas ... their specialties is the mechiladas (I know I am not spelling this right ... but try it and you won't care how it's spelled). The deserts are also good ... but we never leave room for them (hard too) Now ... let me switch my talk about picky eaters ... which in most cases refers to little kids (like my daughter) who refuse to eat anything in restaurants that parents like. Well ... we had not taken our two year old there for the fear of causing a scene. But long behold she sat down calmly and entertained herself with the crayon and mat. When I asked her what she wanted to eat she said ... nothing. We looked at the children's menu and expected the usual .. but I, again, was quite surprised. Their children menu consisted of a smaller version of the adults menu. They brought her a cup of simple tomato/noodle soup and she just loved it. Immediately she started to relax and look around at all the decorations ... she even started to move to the music. When her plate of mini tacos arrived with a side of french fries she exclaimed ... "I like this restaurant". Something that made both my husband and I sooo happy. Ohhhh and when everything was over they gave her a small Jell-O with a nice little toy (she even brought out her 'Gracias' which she learned from Dora to the waiter) Well ... for my summary ... I just love it ... love it ...love it. The food is amazing ... the price is awesome ... the staff is super helpful (I think it is the same staff from years ago ... always smiling)... the restaurant is so nice and clean (I dare you to go to the bathrooms ... there is even a real changing table for those with little kids). I love that it's kid friendly and that my daughter is looking forward to eating there again. Ohhh and if you want to take some carnitas home to eat later they sell them on the other side of the restaurant (take a lot of red salsa and then cook the carnitas with the salsa until the salsa is reduced ... then just heat up some corn tortillas and voila ... tacos). read more

Very close to 4 stars. Food is good. Service is good. Prices are average but there's plenty of parking in lot. Atmosphere is just lacking something. I go there every now and then, don't get me wrong. Definitely 3.5 stars. Please try it if you've never been. Wished they stayed open later. read more

Excellent service and tasty food. We came as a big group, and the staff was very attentive and kind. Everything we ordered was delicious. We will definitely come back. read more

Wow this place really drop the ball!! We have been coming to Don Rafas for years. Today we decided to stop by and let me tell you it was the worst meal we have had. This place is under the new management n Mr Rafa is no longer in charge! We were told that 98% of the staff was replace even some or all of the cooks REALLY the cooks !!! Anyways the SERVICE and FOOD is no were what it was before very very poor. Food does not taste the same. The specialty CARNITAS were hard n over cook. I order a Carne Asada n it was RAW "yes Raw". I told the new manager there n they reorder a new plate and they took forever to bring me another plate. They told sorry for the inconvenience n offer me a 20% off on the plate. Really the food was Raw n it had no flavor at all. Last time we will go there!!! :(:( Very sad to see another once great restaurant go down. We wonder what happen to our friend Mr. Rafa. read more

If you like our food (*Mexican ) ...We would like this place...!!! Most of the food has really good flavor. ! read more

ahi que deliciocio! I went to this place after a friend raved about the food and the service. I immediately took my family there and I was not disappointed. The service was great, now there weren't to many people as we went late in the evening. The carnitas were excellent and the torta my daughter ordered was great as well. As the evening went on my toddler was getting fussy and the waiter was nice enough to bring her a kiddie play set, in the box unopened. Now it was something taht was worth a whole lot but I was impressed that he was nice enough to have this on hand as I'm sure they get a lot of families there. I also noticed another thing, I very familiar with the area having lived near for several years and I was very impressed to see a diverse crowd dining. It's not to often to see Asians, Anglos, Latinos, and African Americans all dining in the same venue outside the trendy spots. I will definitely go back and I plan on making it my destination for Sunday morning carnitas. mmmmmmmm-caaaarrrrrrnitas. read more

I wasn't sure what to expect from a place with the word "carnitas" in it. One imagines a taco shop. However, I finally tried their food at an art event for Bank of America. The food is very simple Mexican home style cooking. The meat was done to perfection. Overall, very authentic. However, it was the presentation that really sold me. They did a really great job at dressing their food up for the event. read more

Simply loved this restaurant. Beautiful location only thing better than the food were the people. Everyone was so nice and just a overall welcoming energy and environment. read more

We hired Don Rafa's catering service for our wedding. We were not disappointed on the day of our wedding. The service was superb from start. Ciso made sure to provide the tastings we needed to get the order right. Along with Maribel, the two, were very personable, friendly, and caring with regards to wishes for our big day. Food is so important on a wedding day and they came through for us. They worked with us to make everything go smoothly that day and charged a fair price for the event. They were right on time, set up the tables just the way we needed. They even went to check out the venue ahead of time. The food was tasty, it's hard to please a mexican crowd, so that's saying a lot! I do, however, have a couple of complaints, but we can't win them all. Don Rafa's would not work with an outside flatware/silverware company, even when it would have been significant savings for us. Also, we did discuss a vegetarian option at all of our meetings and tastings, yet, we did not have a vegetarian option the day of the wedding. Ciso tried to make this right the day of our wedding by asking our vegetarian guests to come into the restaurant for meal on the house. However, some of our guests traveled far, so it was a bummer they didn't have a meal option the day of. read more

My husband and I visited this restaurant on their opening day. The front of the building and mural along the side exterior wall are so eye-catching. The day was warm enough that the front windows were open to the sidewalk. The interior of the restaurant is just as bright and friendly! We sat down and were greeted immediately with a friendly smile from our server. We had a delicious meal: Guacamole & chips: Some of the best guacamole I've had! You can tell that fresh avocados are used, and my number one gripe with restaurant guac is that they never use enough salt. Not at Carnitas Don Rafa! Perfectly salty with a zest of lime. The chips are delicious! Chilaquiles: We were there at brunch, so I ordered this dish because I love it -- it's an excuse to have nachos for breakfast. I ordered the red sauce, but it came with green. I was also not asked how I'd like my eggs prepared, they just brought it out with them scrambled. All self-respecting Chilaquiles eaters get it with fried eggs over easy, so I was a little disappointed. The overall flavor was delicious, though. Add carnitas! Plato Michoacán: This is a combo of their famous carnitas and barbacoa, served with rice and grilled veg. I'm not joking, come here if only for the carnitas. They're so flavorful, melt in your mouth and are just delicious. Throughout our meal the service was good, plates could have been cleared a bit faster and I would have liked more prompts from the waitress (like, "how would you like your eggs cooked?"). UPDATED: We went back and it was consistently great food! We will be back again! read more