I happen to stumble on this place. I enjoy their food and the service is excellent. I have now made several trips because you can't be sure about a place with just one visit. I enjoy their beef tacos. They are cook fresh when you order. I also enjoy their fish tacos. This has become my favorite place for tacos. I also dined in and I found the place nice clean and great service. read more

I already wrote the review but didn't include the photos...so here is the visual! Enjoy, go see for yourself! Yes, they do serve tasty margaritas. read more

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Food was awful. This used to be a decent restaurant now it's just a front for gambling machines.

Have been coming here for years and decided that it was time we stop for a quick breakfast bite. The food quality is still super good and the place has remodeled to a nice trip of being in Mexico decor. One of the women I was speaking to said that unfortunately over the years the patrons have changed and it seems people enjoy stealing the salt shakers, the decor and even the salsa bowls. But she said it with a smile on her face and I respect honesty, I had chilaquiles (tortilla with eggs and salsa) and it was really good, a little heavy on the cheese but still really tasty and good. I also had a homemade orange juice and let me tell you, the oranges they used were big and plenty. I am living for the patin outside right next to the parking lot, although we were told that the new clientele seem to think that the nicely decorated patin furniture entices patrons to take off their shoes (mind you this is a restaurant) and just lie around and are very loud. Unfortunately the neighborhood is changing and it is obvious that people seem to think that they can do as they please in a nicely done Mexican Restaurant. A real shame since the workers are so sweet and nice. Come in and sit a spell while enjoying either a cocktail or a real down home mexican meal. Not at all expensive and very ample to accommodate the biggest of parties. read more

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This is an express review for the tacos and enchiladas. The pastor tacos w/ onions & cilantro are mediocre, as were the steak and chicken. The beef enchiladas w/ mole are pretty good, though the chicken enchiladas w/ Rojas sauce were just 'ok.' read more

Horrible service, food was not good at all. People working there rude. Never buying there again. Made it super difficult when picking up my food. Place sucks. read more

$2.19 for rice to go. Really look at this size. I've gone elsewhere and more generous. This is a RIP off. Must make up for those lawyers from the serenata days in cicero. Overpriced on just the rice alone read more

La Playita Restaurant - A small order of rice. $2.19. - Mexican Near Me - Hometown, Illinois

I LOVE THIS PLACE. (Sorry, don't mean to scream, but...). I've been coming here for what has to be almost 20yrs. I remember when this place used to just have four average looking looking booths. Now, this place has a gorgeous patio with comfy seating and beautiful fountain. Have fun trying to speak Spanish with the Cook and staff! PS I forgot to mention, the food is really good too! read more

Tip may be included already I feel dumb The good, food isn't salty The bad,just not very good Beer was warm It's nice inside I will not go back Service was good read more

If I could give no stars, I would! Avoid the place. Drinks are sad... had to ask for ice to fill a hot margarita. Food is nothing to rave about. Portions are small. Ambiance is nonexistent. Waited a long time to get food. Overpriced AND tip is automatically included at 20%. Really, AVOID this place... read more

Let me start off by saying the food is Great, hubby and I came to eat dinner at 8:50 pm the lady stated that we can not be seated because it's close to 9pm and she will not have time to clean up!!! This is the 2nd time we tried to come to this place. It's always something with this place, Call before you go and see what the stipulation will be for that day....the website and the restaurant shows different hours, Let's not blame it on Covid! read more

La Playita Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Hometown, Illinois

Where do I begin??Chips were stale... Margaritas were Forgettable...Where's the beef? Could have gotten a jose Ole at jewel for dollar and would have been more appetizing. read more

This place was great the asada steak amazing been to many other Mexican restaurants and u can clearly say this is the best asada I had so far read more

The location is good. Inside is clean. Outside sitting area is charming. Service was good. Food was good. Standard fare.

What a joke of a restaurant! Worst attempt at food i have ever seen. Don't recommend going...everything except the waitress was horrible and the owners son who is the manager had a horrible attitude. read more

Loved everything about this place! The service was fast and friendly and the food was delicious!! I had a shrimp soup and my boyfriend had a steak sandwich. I was nervous to order the soup bc I've tried it at other places is it was horrible and smelled like bad fish. But this soup was so amazing. For 13.99 I had some there and took some to go with me. At the end of our meal the owner or manager stopped by to see how everything was and that was a nice surprise and just made us want to come back ever more. read more

Looking for delicious Mexican food?!?! This js the place. We had the steak fajitas and queso fundido which were both ahh-mazing! The drinks were strong and delicious!! Total gem and the inside is pretty too!! Definitely will be back!! read more

Ah the little beach. This place has real authentic Mexican food. Now when I say that, it means that your taco is going to contain pork and potatoes. Your carne asada will literally be on fire when it is served to you. Your Coca Cola will have sugar, not corn syrup. They also have a full bar...which you can't beat for a place this size. Regardless...it's effing brilliant 4 times out of 5. The joint makes some amazing quesadilla dinners, and the rice and beans sometimes make you more excited than the main course. If you come to this place and don't order the horchata, you've made a big mistake. This is the first place in Chicago where the horchata didn't taste like it came from a gingerbread man's tit. The service is ok. They try their best. If you speak Spanish to them your order will be perfect. With English, you may have to deal with a slight error once in a while. The other customers is usually what makes this place not 100% enjoyable. The local drunks seem to pack into this place like it's a "burrito joint", but La Playita doesn't seem to mind the business either. Just keep in mind that if you eat here late...you may have to experience everything from racism to fights to vomiting. If I were king of La Playita I'd dim the lights, put carpet on the floor, double my prices, close up shop at 11pm, and hire a Spanish guitarist to walk around from table to table. One can only dream. read more

Amazing food, accompanied by great service. Doesn't get any better than that. Thank you to the entire staff!

I came here last Sunday (Jan 18, 2015) and they have improved their salsa. It is no longer bland. They have actually used some salt in there, LoL! And it is also a lot hotter than before! I think it's too hot though. I like to taste the actual salsa and not taste the HOT chiles so much. I prefer a HOT sauce over a HOT salsa any day. Anyhoo, their salsa is a definite improvement. This time around the waitress was more attentive to us. So all around this experience was better than the last one. They have free Wi-Fi and the signal is strong. I don't know if they had it before but did notice this time. read more

This place has so much potential! Its very cute, nice patio, fun music. The chips were a little stale & the salsa verde was just ok. My gordita was good, though. If they work a little harder on food, they'll definitely get more stars from me! read more

As a Mexican American. I am so unhappy with this place. My uncle went there and was so upset with the prices of this place. Will never go back to a place that charges for a small salsa that would be enough for a taco. They also charge 25% gratuity for people and didn't even let him know and he also gave $10 tip without knowing about the the 25% that was already charged. My uncle was embarrassed to go back for his tip. What they did to him, he promise to never go back. And no one else in our family and friends will never go there. read more

This has become my favorite Mexican restaurant, and only after eating there twice. Their food and staff are great. I've had the best beef tostadas there, and yesterday I had a huge taco salad. Both meals were really delicious. The staff is so friendly, and also quite efficient. I've been raving about this restaurant for two weeks. I totally love it, and highly recommend it. It's Tex-Mex, but not overly spicy. If you want it hot, they will accommodate your wishes. I give this wonderful Diner the most stars because they knocked my socks off twice. I can't wait to go back again. read more

Second time going here, but definitely the last. The food was just OK , could be way better. My steak tacos had no flavor, nor my guacamole, and my $6 Rumchata was filled with 90% ice. The place is nicely decorated from the inside, but the food needs improvement! read more

La Playita Restaurant - $6 Rumchata , all ice! It tasted like it was watered down. - Mexican Near Me - Hometown, Illinois

The food here is a little above average. The sopes and gorditas are some of the best around. Normally I would ask for tacos, but I do not like white corn tortillas so I do not eat this here. The alcohol selection is pretty extensive, that's a plus. There is a bar area, but you must sit at your table to drink. The decor is nicely done, very accordingly to where this place comes from in Mexico, without being too much. The one thing that makes me coming back to La Playita is the service. You will not get better service from its staff anywhere else. One of the most clean washrooms in the southwest side. BIG PLUS! read more

This place is ok. It's not the best Mexican food I've ever had in my life but it's ok and reasonably priced. They're open late so there's a lot of drunks there around 1am. The reason I gave it three stars was because I went there and had a restaurant.com certificate and they wouldn't honor it. read more

There is something about the way that they season their steak here that is enchanting to me. Maybe they use meth? or Crack? Not sure, but it's delicious. Unlike most Mexican places of this caliber, it's actually really clean inside. The interior is a little cheesy, but bright, and cheerful. It's a place worth eating and getting drunk off their delicious margaritas... not just to inhale grease while drunk (that's what El Gallo is for). If it's just you, get a few tacos or a burrito. Make sure you ask for all their sauces. If you're ordering for a few people, try some of their "dinners" and share. Bistec a la Mexicana... YUM. OH, and whoever rated this place $$$ is a moran. Really? Did you order 5 pitchers of margarita? read more

Enjoyed another great meal! And we saw our girl Angela!! It's been so long since we've seen her. She's always super nice and attentive! You can't go wrong at LaPlayita. The food, drinks and staff are awesome! read more

Here's the thing. I've been coming here for years but I aways get the same dish - bistec a la mexicana. Its really good. Outside of that Im really disappointed with the rest of the menu. Decided to get the Taco Salad recently to change things up. It was not good it was actually bad. Taco salad should have diced chicken, romaine lettuce, shredded cheese - this was just a glob of shredded chicken cooked/ mixed with melted cheese and shredded lettuce so not really salad. It was bland as well no flavor. Chips are terrible...they need to invest in a better vendor. Stay clear of the regular margarita on the rocks its just lime juice super sour and hard to drink. The place is clean and cute but they do need to overhaul their receipes. This place has a lot of potential because of location and the neighborhood needs a mexican family restaurant. If Restaurant Impossible wants a new project this is it! Ill keep coming back for my fav dish but thats about it. read more

Food is ok at best. Had a problem when I used there website to place an order. Got there 15 min later to pick up order and they didn't know what I was talking about. I believe Cashier had language barrier and or didn't know how to use there online ordering system. So Had to place the order again there. Had to wait for order to be prepared and had to get my refund for my online order through my Bank. read more

Been eating here for about 12 years. I remember when it was called La Palmita. All in all, I've never been disappointed. Order anything with steak. Add green sauce. The green sauce is magnificent. Best in all of the land. read more

I have been to La Playita many times both to dine in and take out. I can say in all the times I've been there I've only been disappointed once. Today I had the huevos rancheros which is only 5.99 and it was fantastic. The place itself is always clean and very inviting. read more

La Playita Restaurant - I really like the dining room. - Mexican Near Me - Hometown, Illinois

This place must have new management. My family and I really enjoyed our meal and the staff. If this place continues to push this type of sevice they should have no trouble becoming a Must Have. Thank you Guys for a great experience. read more

Omg, I'm from Chicago and this is the best Mexican food I've had in years!!! It is so fresh and delicious! Staff was incredibly attentive. I won't go back to another Mexican restaurant on the south side. Five stars for La Playita! read more

I was hooked on Zacataco for many years and I use to drive to the 71st & Pulaski location even though I live near the 85th & Harlem Ave. location that opened a few years back until I discovered this hidden gem that I have been driving past for many, many, many years. OMG!! Their juicy taco meat and juicy steak meat in their burritos blows Zacotacos out the water. This is my new to go to spot. Wish I discovered it years ago. The decor is awesome too and prices are decent. read more

This is a hidden gem. The food is well prepared and authentic and is very reasonably priced. I had a taste for Menudo on a Friday late morning with my better half. She had chilaquiles in salsa verde. Both meals were very good, Fresh & did not lack flavor. It's a traditional sit down place with chips & salsa and they do serve beer & booze. Most Mexican beers and also do have various of Tequilas. A see through kitchen with the ladies doing the cooking. That's a plus. You know how Mom cooks. You may be alarmed as this establishment appears lonely, but this place is worth a visit. I will post some photos on my next visit. They have ample parking and have alfresco seating for the summer the servers are very attentive. Give it a try you won't be disappointed. read more

I would recommend their Tacos Al Pastor. They are extremely delicious. The Best, clean Al Pastor tacos I have tried from anywhere.

This used to be my favorite Mexican restaurant until recently. So I go in to place my order for cheese enchiladas, I was asked which sauce I wanted and stated no sauce (mind you I made it a point to stress no sauce because she messed up a previous order that way). I got home and to my disappointment after taking a bite realized it was smothered with spicy red sauce under the melted cheese. I let the prior screw up go because the food was still edible but this time, since I wasn't able to return to the restaurant, called to see how they could make this right. I explained the situation over the phone in a clear manner and the guy that answered asked me (twice) what did you order, when were you in? I said I was there just 10 minutes ago and I ordered cheese enchiladas. He ends up putting the girl who took my order on the phone. I explained that I specifically asked for no sauce. She said "well unfortunately there's nothing I can do, that's how it comes up on the screen". Wow. Really? I also brought it to her attention that she messed up a previous take out order and her response was "oh, sorry". She couldn't care less, so the $14.00 enchilada dinner ended up in the trash. This place does have good food but thats only when they can get the order right. 1 star for bad customer service. Will not be returning. read more

La Playita Restaurant - Overpriced and ruined. - Mexican Near Me - Hometown, Illinois

Early dinner on St patty's day. This place is great. Good Margaritas fresh food and great staff. Had empanadas and combo plate and my wife had chicken flautas. They never disappoint. Seems they have been here a long time and the reason is obvious. Will keep coming back. read more

Loved the margaritas! They were all very nice. Great service very bad weather and they still managed to welcome us and make us feel comfortable! Will be coming back! read more