Somehow, I managed to spend 20 years in Elgin without experiencing El Paraiso. Big mistake. This…read moreis the real deal- delicious and affordable Mexican food for everyone - but particularly the working person - whatever the hour. I gave it four stars because of my limitations- not theirs. The Al carbon burrito I had was huge and tasty - but I'm fairly certain there are other dishes on their extensive menu I will like better. The chile relleno taco was delicious and my wife's enchiladas were the best we've had in years. This is not a formal restaurant, so the decor is spartan, but the service was fast and attentive. I'll be back!

El Paraiso has the feel of a true late-night taco shop -- busy, energetic, and unapologetically…read moreauthentic. The food keeps things simple and traditional, delivering the kind of tacos that hit exactly right after hours. Of course, with that comes the full late-night experience, crowd and all. It can get loud and a little chaotic, but for many people, that's part of the charm.

Just opened last week so had to try it out since not many places offer good carnitas (only Al…read morepastor) around the area but these were very good. The tacos dinner with rice and beans was great! I ordered it with 2 carnitas and 1 barbacoa taco and the flavors on both were delicious. My BF ordered steak tacos (they forgot one but oh well... We went back later and got a pound of carnitas with tortillas and rice and beans to go and they gave us extra meat without us even letting them know, which was awesome!!!) And I thought the steak was pretty fatty and didn't have much flavor like the carnitas and other meats we tried. Also got the chicken in my third visit yesterday and the seasoning was really tasty imo. Great flavor on both types of salsa they give you to go as well. Tried the tacos both the traditional way (onion and cilantro) and with lettuce and tomato (plus cheese) and both are great - the onion is diced perfectly enough to melt into the meat when eating. My son LOVES the rice but it definitely tastes exactly how I make it at home, which is a good thing honestly because he likes mine too haha! Tried the cheese quesadilla and it was good... Could have been on the grill longer and had a bit more cheese on it but hey, it's a quesadilla and it's cheap lol Their homemade corn tortillas are perfection tho!! I saw them making them yesterday when I was waiting for my order and the woman in back was hand flipping them on the grill... Love it!! The service is very friendly and you can tell it's a family owned business, everyone worked efficiently. The prices are reasonable and it was actually even cheaper to get a family meal with the lb of carnitas and sides for all of us vs individual dinners which I love - unfortunately even tho we live super close, it didn't travel well and was somewhat cold and seemed a little dry by the time we got home to eat... Will have to try the mix of carnitas vs meat only next time to see if that helps. They kept the diner vibes inside the restaurant and it's very clean with cute little pig pictures all over the walls. I'm curious to see if they'll open and use the drive-thru in the future, which would be even better! Can't wait to see how they do. We'll probably use them for catering. Gave it a 4 vs 5 for flavor... Just needs to be kicked up a notch I think. But otherwise the carnitas that's in the name, they're definitely do the best with! So far so good.

carnitas in south elgin??? ive been wanting to try this spot called carnitas 3 hermanos in south…read moreelgin and fun fact this was spot used to be a beef villa , but the inside still looks the same, red and very spacious, and off their menu i ordered 3 different tacos, their barbacoa was actually very good, and of course i got their carnitas which was packed with a great mix of tender meat and the fatty pieces i enjoy but this was had to be my favorite, and my least favorite was the al pastor.but the horchata was actually on point,overall id come back to try their torta and burrito!

Checked out this locally owned Mexican restaurant in Elgin. El Faro actually has a few locations…read more It has this one on State Street. A pretty standard menu of what to expect from this type of cuisine. There's of course burritos and tacos, along with more traditional items like tortas. Bare bones kind of place with not much of an atmosphere. It's got a counter to order at along with booths. There's just handwritten signs on the walls. A lot of traditional items. There's some that are unfamiliar to most Americans, though they should be able to recognize quite a few things. A bad thing is there's no alcohol. It's about $3 for Jarritos. There's also cans of pop. It's about $10 for one of the big burritos. The one we each got was the Burrito Vegetariano. It's got cheese and sour cream which I left off. There's also beans, lettuce, onions, peppers, rice, and tomatoes. Comes with some bottles of hot ass sauce to add to it. The rest of the menu has fajitas and seafood. Even though it's not pretty, it's still a good option for authentic Mexican. It's located on State Street. There's a lot of meaty items, but there's a few things for vegetarians.

we walked in everything looked pretty nice. We got taken care of really fast. I heard a lot of good…read morethings about this place so I had to come try it out. The tacos were very good and flavorful. The fish was not the best would not recommend. The burritos was also very good and tasty. They also forgot a lot of stuff like try tortillas and drinks and our chips and salsa when we first walked in.

I've only been to El Faro once, but my buddies come all the time and I finally decided to come with…read morethem! From my experience, it's a good Mexican restaurant with a seemingly impossible variety that allows some but not all of their offerings to shine. I loved the enchiladas mole that I got here. The flavor of the mole was mild and sweet, not as smoky as I would've liked. The filling was good and plenty, and the sides were portioned well and had good flavor! I also got two tacos, and I don't think I can recommend them as my tortillas didn't have a great flavor/felt stale. The filling was also lacking in portion and also a bit charred. The flavors were there though, and it may have just been an off night. Either way, I'd be back to try some of the dishes, as they do have such a variety that would bring me back! Definitely go give those enchiladas mole a try!

Great food first time eating here came due to a recommendation got flatas dinner and oh ya it was a…read more10 out of 10 100%. Great service clean dinning area free chips.

Los Burritos Tapatios is one of those places that's been part of my routine since I was a little…read morekid, and in a way, it hasn't changed much--which can be both a good and bad thing. When it's good, it's really good. The flavors hit, everything tastes fresh, and it reminds you exactly why you keep coming back. But the inconsistency is hard to ignore. Some days the food is on point, and other times the meat comes out overcooked to the point where it's almost crunchy, which definitely takes away from the experience. That said, it's still a pretty decent spot overall. The familiarity, the portions, and the occasional great meal keep it in rotation. You just kind of have to accept that it's hit or miss--but when it hits, it's worth it.

Satisfied hunger. Ease of order & customization. Got 2 verde & 1 spicy ranchera, but missing mild…read moreroja. Nothing spectacular; but was last customer before close - I should have broiled it in oven to wake up flavors.

Quesadilla dough was very hard and meat was very fatty. Not worth the $15 at all. I looked up and…read moreceiling and vents had mold all over where we were eating. I asked for a box and they told me to grab one from shelf while 3 of them just stood there. I eat out a lot and never experienced a place like this.

This place is straight fire! The quesadillas are delicious and huge. Fast service, nice staff.ice…read morebeen here so many times I've lost count but they are always consistent

The tacos were very delicious and flavorful. Friendly service…read more And cozy ambiance I will definitely be coming back

The service was great only one worker when we went but he still took his time taking our order and…read morehaving a conversation with us! The food was 10/10 super flavorful very satisfied! The only thing was we ordered a flan for dessert and it tasted a bit old like it's been sitting there a few days other than that everything else was 10/10

have been eating the food for ten years always fresh and tasty i especially love the tacos and…read morechile rellenos

One more cool little Mexican hole in the wall, Streamwood, Bartlet and Hanover Park have lot of…read moremexican places to eat and I am fine with that, there are at least 6 more places I need to try in this area almost didn't see this one, but the Torta sign caught my eye, I decided to stop and try a Pastor Torta for lunch today not a lot of seating in this place but the service was top notch, really nice people working here, and the food was damn good, the Spicy Pork ( Pastor) Torta was Spicy and tasty, there was some good heat from the meat and the pickled jalapeños, just the right amount of Avocado and mayo I was sweating from the spiciness of the Torta oh man my tummy was so happy I got this for lunch if you want some good food try this place out