Great food, good margaritas! Service was exceptional. Anita was our server and I asked for a recommendation between two things. She gave me her honest opinion even though it wasn't the most expensive option. Filled our water often and was generally great. Would definitely come back! read more

This place has great, authentic food with a very cozy atmosphere. My boyfriend and I go here on a chilly night when we want a romantic night out. It is usually busy on week nights seeing that it is a small restaurant with only about 10 tables. read more

I went to El Mariachi on several people's recommendations! It wasn't as great! The service was okay-ish! I was alone and the waitress/bartender seemed to ignore me as she was busy making drinks! I wasn't even given the complimentary chips and salsa! The tacos were good and their specialty, the guacamole, was a little too salty for my taste! But kudos to the waitress on the great margarita! read more

Love love love ! So happy I discovered this little gem ....Amazing service and delicious food !

There we were, at the corner of hungry and starving. When out of nowhere jumps out a wild El Mariachi, and boy did it show us a good time! To start off with such impeccable tortilla chips and the best salsa you could ever come by. They serve us this guacamole that's second to none while once again following up with another basket 'o' chips. Then comes the meal. And this meal, I tell you.. You simply must try the steak enchiladas. They are the epitome of Mexican dining. Out of this world. Simply spectacular. 10 out of 10 would dine again. read more

A delicious hole in the wall! The tortilla soup is so good, but deceptively spicy. And the tamales are super authentic. Randomly, my favorite part was the rice and beans, which tasted like my grandmother's. read more

Great food and excellent service. It's a quaint space where you're truly treated like family. The staff are always attentive and smiling. The food is authentic, delicious, and FILLING. One purchase could be two meals! Adan is usually around and an absolute joy to talk to. read more

Arrive just a few minutes before closing time and the staff made us feel welcome, and never rushed us while we enjoyed a delicious meal with out an friend from out of town who was craving authentic Mexican. Made-to-order guacamole and huge well prepared combination plates did not disappoint. read more

I went here on a chilly Tuesday evening around 8pm - there was one table finishing up before us and then a couple more tables arriving once we finished and got ready to leave. Very small & cute atmosphere. Some of the best service I've had at any restaurant in Chicago for sure. Attentive but not too attentive. I like this place because they give you chips & salsa for free - not many places do that anymore. We added an order of guac which was really good and fresh. Chip refills were free and we ate too many which resulted in two of us bringing leftovers home (no complaints with that though). I had the chicken flautas which were great - three of them were big and it also came with a side of rice and beans. Overall between the two of us, it was 2 entrees, 2 beers, chips and salsa and a side of guac. Very yummy and a great little getaway on Chicago's North Side. If you're looking for good mexican - this is the place! read more

Good Mexican food. Try the mole, yum. Negative-a bit pricey. Positive-the BEST chips and salsa. Homemade, fabulous. Quick, friendly service. I would recommend going when it's nice, they open the "front window" and the first few tables have a great view for ppl watching on Broadway. read more

This is a fun neighborhood restaurant with high quality Mexican food. The margaritas are terrific! They also have a good bar to just go and have a couple of drinks and a snack in. Food highlights when you go include the camarones al tequila (shrimp marinated in tequila), the flautas, the chimichangas, the guac, the mexican corn, and the guadalajara combination plate. read more

It took over an hour to get our food, which did not arrive together and was not without mistakes. The check was also slow. We were a table of 7, but it wasn't very busy. Disappointing, and not our first time. The food was good, but maybe because we were so hungry by the time it arrived. read more

We were looking for a late lunch place to eat. One of the other Mexican restaurants nearby was a little too pricey for us, so we decided to check out El Mariachi across the street, and we're so glad we did! The complimentary chips and salsa were delicious and we were given so much food for such a great price. It's a small restaurant with stellar service. The owners were so friendly and loved joking around. I will definitely be back! read more

El Mariachi has some very delicious food and strong margaritas. The best I've had in the neighborhood. I prefer this smaller location by Broadway and Roscoe over the larger one farther north... The service has just been way better in this location. read more

Pros: Chips and salsa as well as guacamole were delicious. The chips are thick, crispy, and taste very fresh. Margaritas are good and reasonably priced but not very strong. Cons: TINY restaurant that can only fit about 20-30 people. Also, we went here specifically for their Sunday giant margarita special that is advertised on their website as well as the facebook page. We were told they do not offer that at this location, which to me is unacceptable and should be specified online. They did not even try to offer an alternative (ex: pitcher at the same price maybe?). Not the best service, I would recommend going to the larger location a few blocks away with the beautiful outdoor area instead. read more

This is such a cute little restaurant, with maybe 10 tables in the whole place. The service is outstanding! Our drinks were never empty and our server always had a huge smile on her face. The food was amazing! Everything about this place makes me want to come back again and again. read more

Do not understand the bad reviews. The food is good and the restaurant is charming. I've lived around the corner for two years. Never tried this restaurant because of the bad yelp rating. Wish I had tried it earlier. read more

This place is great. The food was very delicious, and the wait staff is superb. We just moved to the area and will definitely be visiting this restaurant in the near future. They also accommodated our young daughter and were very good with her throughout our meal. read more

So there is no confusion. El Mariachi has TWO locations. Adding to the confusion is that they are both REALLY close to one another. Adding more so to said confusion, is that they recently had another location, across the street from the newer location, of which closed when the newer version opened. Still with me? I am reviewing the location further south on Broadway. It sits next to Kanok and is really, really tiny. Like squeezing 20-30 patrons into a closet. But, it's OUR closet. This has been a favorite for a few years now. A nice little hole in the wall with good food. It all starts with the chips- unlike SO MANY Mexican restaurants, their chips come out warm- hot even. And are delicious. I'm tired of going to Mexican restaurants and getting the same old stale chips that you'd find in my cupboard, half-broken-from-the-bottom-of-the-bag-forgotten-since-the-last-time-I-had-people-over-chips. Not so here. The service is always excellent and the food (beyond just the chips) is also always excellent (though not entirely inexpensive). If you're looking for a livelier experience. Head a couple blocks north for the much bigger brother of El Mariachi- complete with much bigger seating, a patio, and a bar. But, this quiet, hole-in-the-wall gets my vote. One of the best Mexican joints in the neighborhood. read more

Finally! I truly great Mexican restaurant in Chicago. Food was excellent, margaritas are to die for. Guacamole is overpriced but it is good.

My first visit and I was not too impressed however the guacamole is great and freshly made at table side. Beware of the Margarita Pitchers..they are a whopping $38.00 each. We ordered two thinking of average prices for a pitcher! The mole is actually quite good. I had the cheese enchiladas in mole sauce with rice and beans. The meal arrived tepid so that was a bit disappointing. I tasted my friends carne asada dish and the sauce was delicious but the meat was spongy like filler meat. Not a bad place to go but a bit over priced for Mexican food. I mean, you got beans rice, meat cheese...same four ingredients in most dishes so I don't know why the price is so high. Meal for 4 came to $175.00. The Margarita Pitchers screwed us and I didn't even get a buzz. read more

One star for the margarita. One for the atmosphere and view. Great people watching if you're seated near the window. Service was also good, but couldn't save the food. The food was mediocre at best. Typical Mexican fare, no imagination, and poor quality. This place was recommended to me, so I have to assume that things have changed - or that there's some confusion between this place and another similarly named establishment nearby. read more

The service was wonderful. The Mimosas and bloody mary's are 3$ from 11-2 and the brunch menu had lots of options. My food was DELICIOUS and presented beautifully. Loved the chips and salsa. Great little hole-in-the-wall feel for this delicious food. ABSOLUTELY go. It's worth every penny. read more

I have never not enjoyed a meal at this place. The food is very good, the waitstaff has always been attentive and friendly, and the prices are comparable to any typical restaurant in lakeview (but honestly the food is so damn good that I wouldn't complain if it was more expensive). read more

Good food. Tortilla chips seem homemade. Small cozy restaurant. Service is a little spotty at times for some reason.

I love this restaurant in the summer when you can sit on the patio. Indoors the restaurant loses its charm. The guacamole is terrific. The burrito dish is very good, I like their mole sauce. The prices are reasonable and the staff is friendly. read more

I order delivery from El Mariachi all the time, well, it's because the place is so close to my apartment. Lately, I've started to branch out and try new Mexican restaurants because I've grown tired of mediocre Mexican food. I've become a little bit of a snob when it comes to Mexican food, but when you've tried the best, it's hard to go back to so-so.... Last week I ordered tostadas and the tostada itself was stale and overly greasy. The steak and beans were tasteless. Anyhow- I ordered again last night and decided to eat something different; so I ordered the steak burrito with everything (everything: beans, lettuce, tomato, & cheese). I was like- really? How about some onion, cilantro, or sour cream? But NO. The burrito was a big mistake. It was more like a bean burrito- really guys? Also, while ordering multiple dishes over the phone, If you ask for certain ingredients not to be in one dinner, they tend to not add those to other dinner dishes you place in the same order. That's aggravating! Now that I've gotten all the bad things said; I really do like their salsa and their customer service is great. I personally think this place must have multiple chefs working, because one day it's good and the next day it sucks. Try being consistent and more authentic. read more

My husband and I had such a wonderful time at El Mariachi! The manager, Jose, greeted us with such a pleasant attitude and made us feel so welcome. Our server, Anna, was so delightful! It was like talking to an old friend everything she would come to our table. The food was FILLED with flavor. I'm a picky eater, especially when it comes to Mexican food. I can honestly say that this was some of the best Mexican I have ever had and I spent a few years in Houston, so that's saying a lot! If you're looking for a fun Friday or Saturday night out, I highly recommended this eclectic and inviting joint! read more

I went for dinner and had shrimp fajitas. My wife ordered flautas. It took forever to get our food and when it did arrive, mine seemed to have just been sitting under a heat lamp for 10 minutes. And I am pretty sure flautas were the frozen ones. Guacamole tasted quite good but it had dark green colour so I think it was 1-2 days old... read more

Really solid Mexican place, but a bit forgettable and bland. Impressive in house made tortilla chips and salsa are a stunner. I didn't order them, but in the future I'd love to try the guac or fundido with the chips. I had some mole, it was tastey but a bit too sweet and lacking balance. The tamales were a bit dry and lacked the typical corn sweetness I like. They should come with a sauce. I think this place has potential, maybe I just ordered the wrong entrees. I'll try again in the future but can't give a strong recommendation. read more

Great Mexican food. The steak was amazing! margaritas are great too and strong. I had 2 and that's all I needed. Hahaha. Will be back for sure! read more

El Mariachi - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We both ordered the burrito. Upon cutting into it, we found a plastic bag (yes) inside the burrito. The manager immediately apologized and got chicken fajitas instead. The fajitas were great, but my appetite had been taken from me. We got a free shot along with a free margarita. Overall, not bad with good enough service. But it blows my mind how that bag got inside the burrito. Good spot, kinda small. read more

One word review: Yummy! We have gone to this place a few times and have never left disappointed. The last couple times I have gotten the enchiladas and they are so darn good. Greasy, but good. Sangria is tasty and the place is very intimate (a nice word for frickin' tiny). I think there are only about 10 tables total (2 in the back by the kitchen/bathroom and you literally feel like you are in a hallway (which you are). But do you notice those little things when you are face deep in a plate of delicious enchiladas? Of course not! One pieces of advice - avoid this place in the cold weather because the dining area is so small that when the door opens, the whole room gets the chilly draft. One time we were seated at the table right in front of the door and we FROZE! After another table was vacated, we asked to move tables (which they cheerfully allowed us to do). Oh yeah, that brings me to my final point - the waitstaff - very friendly. We have never had a bad/rude waiter and they are all very pleasant! read more

Just a great place to get great Mexican food! It's a really small restaurant, so I wouldn't bring a large group. I've come in groups of 6, which is a bit of a squeeze, but we still had an excellent time. The place has a nice authentic vibe, ingredients are fresh and delicious- the guac is awesome. I'm also a fan of the giant blue margaritas! Has definitely become our staple for basic Mexican cuisine. read more

Best Mexican food in Chicago! This place scores with the necessary staples: margaritas, chips and guacamole. The chips are the salty greasy kind that come out warm, mmmmmmmmm. The food is excellent, the atmosphere laid back, the service friendly and the price is right! I love sitting at the front when the doors are open on a summer day! I could eat here everyday! read more

service was great and the food was authentic + delicious! The homemade table salsa was so good too! If you haven't been here, highly recommend you give it a try! read more

went there for dinner and MARGARITAS recommended by my boss. I wasnt too crazy to have anything special so had the Nachos $9. They were ok! nothing special... nice little place - cozy / GOOD DATE PLACE :) oh almost forgot--- the salsa is AWESOME! Margaritas, are good could be a bit stronger. read more

Love love love! This is my second time here and they never fail to disappoint! The servers were so friendly and the food came ouT fast! The food is authentic and absolutely DELICIOUS! I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND! read more

Great service! Nice, cozy atmosphere with generous margaritas to boot. The complimentary dessert shot was a nice touch as well. Highly recommended! read more

Amazing tacos! Great for dine in or carry out. They even give you chips when you carry out free of charge. Amazing nice service and awesome in the summer with the window open read more