A sleeper Mexican restaurant serving bomb carnitas. Amazing food and fast and friendly service. Free street parking available. Chips provided and free refills. This was hands down the best carnitas tacos I've had in Chicago! Juicy, slightly charred, soft, and so delicious. I like that the meats aren't overly salty like at other mexican food trucks or restaurants, which allowed me to pour some of their salsas onto the tacos which elevated the flavors much more! I was pretty full after eating 2 tacos and drinking my horchata, but I had to get a 3rd taco because it was just That good! I also loved their cabeza tacos - soft, juicy, and flavorful. Would definitely come back again for carnitas and cabeza, and want to try the rest of their menu! read more

Me-Ga Carnitas - Cabeza and Carnitas Taco - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This place is REALLY a hidden gem in Chicago. I always thought Pilsen was the area for tacos but I have to say it is not cause I've been more disappointed than satisfied by the options/flavors available. I'm always in the hunt for some cabeza ever since I had them LA/Mexico City and some juicy al pastor/carnitas because I feel like steak tacos are overrated these days due to meat quality. My go to meat for tacos were always steak, shrimp/fish, al pastor, chicken, and lastly carnitas until I have discovered this place, Me-Ga Carnitas. I ordered 4 tacos from this place, cabeza, lengua, carnitas, and al pastor. I would rank cabeza first cause I'm just biased since it's hard to find cabeza tacos around where I live. My second choice would be carnitas which I almost NEVER order because it's usually pulled pork that is dry/tough but this place somehow makes it super juicy. They're really good with the ratio of fat/lean meat to make you wanting to order more than you can actually stuff in your belly. I wish they would use the carnitas meat in their pozole because I would buy a whole tub and freeze it at home. Lengua and al pastor would be third/fourth because I wish the lengua would be a bit more chewy and al pastor was really good but not enough to blow me away like the carnitas. This place became one of my top restaurants in Chicago to go for tacos. Whenever I crave al pastor, I would go to De Luna and now if I crave cabeza/carnitas then I will come here. This place is literally right next to Midway which is only 20mins from downtown Chicago. I love how they have street parking right outside their restaurant too. I plan on taking my sister here when she's back in town because I know she will LOVE it here. The service was quick and you can see them chopping the meat up and serving it immediately to the table. They do have a nice little sit down place inside that is very spacious with some small/medium size tables. I thought I was in LA/Mexico City when eating tacos here. It's so hard to find good legit tacos that's reasonable priced in Chicago. Truthfully though, I would give this place a 4.5 star because I wasn't a huge fan of their pozole. I was craving bits of fatty/lean meat in the soup just like how I've had it in Mexico City but their pozole had huge chunks of lean meat which was a slight turn off for me since it was a bit dry/tough. I legit woke up the next morning craving more tacos from this place specifically their carnitas and honestly it's not a bad drive since it's still within the city of Chicago. I can't wait to be back for some tacos on the weekend! Just typing this review up is making me think back about the carnitas and cabeza tacos!! read more

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Amazing carnitas tacos!! My go to and love the service. Very attentive as well as the restaurant in it self is so decorative they always make you feel at easy and everything in there smells amazing. read more

Best tacos I've had in a long time!!! The people are great the service is quick and I go out of my way to go over there.. it's a quiet little hole in the wall place to eat and it is worth it... great price too! read more

Horrible Food . Steak on the tacos is bland extremely chewy and a lot of fat in mean . Carnitas are alright , also very fatty . You can tell this place uses cheap/low quality meat . Place does not look the cleanest and has an odd smell in there . read more

Ambiance: It's meh. Nice. Small. Clean. They have music playing parallel to the TV(‍soaps). The service: idk that I'd voluntarily leave 18% if it wasn't already included with the bill when your party is 4 or more. She was very nice but missed a lot of things when we ordered. We also felt a little rushed. We let her know we had never been at this restaurant and she came around 4 times to ask if we were ready to order. I didn't mind but if she was obviously seeing that we couldn't decide, she should have, #1 Asked if we have been there B4 if she didn't already notice. Or #2 Made suggestions. Our order: 4 adults. Pressured, we ordered the carnitas ( 1lb ). After we ordered the carnitas and beverages we kept looking at the menu. We noticed that there are combos. One of them being 3 lbs of carnitas , guac , cactus, salsa, veggies and tortillas for $49.99. I repeat, a suggestion would have been nice. She should have pointed those combos out to us and let us decide if we wanted to just order that or stick to our original 1lb of carnitas for $13.00 and everything else we might want on the side i.e: the guac or cactus . Anyway, we added 2 gorditas- One was chicharrón the other was nopales with cheese. We also asked for a torta de carnitas. Our drinks were: one coffee, one med agua de guayaba no ice, another agua de guayaba LG no ice and an agua de jamaica large with ice. She brought 2 aguas de guayaba small no ice, the coffee and the Jamaica large with ice. When we finished the pound of carnitas, she brought out the gorditas- the chicharrón gorditas was good but the cactus was plain af. I asked if they had cheese that melts i.e. Chihuahua cheese. She said "no, that's the way the cactus gorditas comes". I didn't say anything in that moment and continued to eat. I passed it around the table to make sure it wasn't just me and everyone agreed it was bland af. I added some salsa, salt and tried to give it some sort of flavor and added carnitas too. It tasted better. She later came with the torta..... DE CARNE ASADA.... My husband waited until she came out the back and asked her to correct the order. She was very polite and took it back to correct the order but my husband ate the torta alone because when she finally came out with the correct torta we had all finished our meals. It was delish though, so I guess that makes up for the delay. And guess what it had, MELTING CHEESE!!! MOZZARELLA!!! I called the waitress over and gave her a suggestion. I let her know that my cactus gordita was not good and that they needed to spice it up. I suggested to make a salsa for it, like a guisado, some salt and instead of fresco cheese that has no flavor at all to it, to add mozzarella or Chihuahua cheese! I could see her make a mental note. Hopefully they take me up on that suggestion. I cook mine like that and everyone loves them. We also ordered a second pound of carnitas..... That took so long that when they were about to come out we just asked her to put them in a container to bring home. ‍ Our bill with tip on a credit card was a little over $70. Not bad. We'll return but we're sticking to the carnitas, they tastes so good. They get a thumbs up! read more

This place is number 1 for carnitas. The price is not bad and the people are very friendly. Nice clean and highly recommended.

Crispy, tender tasty carnitas. Super friendly helpful staff in a clean well organized restaurant. Spicy green salsa was perfect addition. read more

Me-Ga Carnitas - Taco de carnitas - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I ordered the carnitas all meat and got mostly fat and skin! So disappointed. The meat was lukewarm . The best thing was the salsa.

They use very good quality Meats. Tacos are fat and full of flavor. The salsas are freshly made and are delicious. Chilaqiles are the bomb dot com on point so so tasty read more

I usually go for the tacos and order to go, but this time we decided to eat at the restaurant. The waitress (her name is Elizabeth) was very rude the whole time and had horrible service. We ordered a burrito with two different types of meat and we received it with only one meat so we brought it to her attention and she answered with an attitude saying "So what do you want me to do about it?" keep in mind it was their mistake not ours. So we asked for them to add the other meat in and she took the burrito with an adittude. When she brought it back, we opened it and there was a hair in it. Overall, she was extremely rude and had horrible service. read more

Best pastor tacos in the city! Always a pleasant experience. Will always recommend this spot

I bought the menudo early to get it fresh ! This menudo was the worse and horrible taste! I do NOT recommend the food!!! Not worth it!!! Hope this helps someone from making the same mistakes I did and ordering the menudo! Run!!!! read more

La comida está muy rica. Los tacos son esquicitos Y el servicio es excelente 100% recomendado read more

I was actually very impressed with the carñitas (Carnitas, literally "little meats,") and a tradition in most Mexican households. I was very impressed with the braised meats of pork and I am really ecstatic that we have one now within walking distance. What use to be a Puerto Rican Restaurant, is now Carnitas and so happy it is here. The Staff seemed to be very happy that we were there and really went out of their way to make sure we were accommodated. Not the biggest of restaurants around of course, but when you have carñitas made the old fashioned way what more can you ask for? This is what it's all about, serving something that very few do. Totally recommend them if you are in the neighborhood. read more

Me-Ga Carnitas - the front of the restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Excellent authentic cuisine. I had steak, pork & chorizo tacos! Best I've had in a long time.

The meat didn't seem fresh from same day and was dry. The quality was not up to my standards and it was over priced. I only gave them one try and will not be going back. read more

The service is bad I will not recommend this plane I asked for no Onion and then they put onion on my taco when I say

10/10 my husband and i had been wanting to stop by but were hesitant because there's so many great places in the area but I'm just gonna say it these were some of the best tacos I've had in a long time! read more

This is where it's at!!!! Best carnitas in town. Rarely give a 5 star review but this place has earned it time after time!! read more

Me-Ga Carnitas - the outside of a restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I got four tacos two steak and two fried pork(carnitas). The flavor was amazing. The salsas both red and green are delicious! They also give you some grilled onions and peppers on the side with lime as well! read more

Got 4 tacos to go. No salsas were included. Do You have to order salsa and pay extra. i did not know. This is a first for me. Real bad service. Hope they go out of business soon. one star due to zero is not an option. read more

Food delivered by Uber eats; with the exception of an incorrect drink, food was delicious. Pozole was on point, protein was well cooked and the juice was quite spicy and delicious. The tacos de carnitas were delicious. read more

The best carnitas and tacos on the south side ! I definitely recommended . Pastor , asada , cabeza and tripa are my best.

They prefer to eat themselves than to make your order to go smh. Service needs to get better

Went and tried this place when we noticed it had changed from a Puerto Rican restaurant to this. so glad we did, it has a large menu and the food was good. Although we have not tried the name sake carnitas, we have tried many other things that they offer. I love the chicken flauta dinner. Comes w/ (3 or 4) flautas and rice and beans. The flautas are covered with crema (sour cream) lettuce, avocado and cheese. The rice and beans are very flavorful. For me I usually do not eat them at many other places, here I do. We have also tried the pozole (which you get a large serving of) and it was great - could use some more topping offerings but for me it was ok. We tried the chile relleno (these are pretty big) and you can get it w/ or w/out sauce, I recommend it w/ the sauce - the sauce was very flavorful and accompanied it perfectly. My hubby usually goes with the carne asada burrito, it is just that a carne asada burrito. Nothing more, nothing less. Just what you would expect. Love the staff here as they are very friendly and accommodating. We took a large group in one Sunday after church and they handled us as well if it were just me and my hubby there alone. read more

Went in late night, about an hour before closing on a Monday. I ordered 4 tacos to go, 2 asada with cilantro and cebolla and the other 2 were alpastor with cilantro and cebolla as well. I was not a fan of the asada tacos, there was a lot of fat trimmings and was actually pretty bland but the alpastor tacos was what I was craving! It had the sweet yet spicy kick I love in my alpastor. Very nicely done. No fat trimming in that, all meat! I topped off my tacos with the green salsa that was pretty good, not too spicy not too bland. The horchata was pretty good as well...cold refreshing and sweet. I will be coming again for the alpastor tacos. Will have to try the carnitas since that's what they advertise. Tacos are only $1.90 which is way cheaper than what I'm used to paying. And they close pretty late and accept debit/credit which is a plus for me. read more

Me-Ga Carnitas - Front Menu - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went late in the evening. 9pmish. Bought a few tacos de cárnicas they were ok. What do I expect late at night, not fresh carnitas, but they had Good flavor. Service was good since there wasn't many customers. She went out of her way to describe the menu. Very sweet lady. Also took tamales and a sope de pastor (pork). Tamales not good, tasted rubbery. Sope was the best, full of flavor. My favorite was the champúrrado ( thick hot chocolate) ! It was the best I've ever had with a hint a cinnamon. Not too thick or thin. I didn't taste it grainy at all which is my pet peeve about this drink. Would I return, likely. I'll try fresh tacos early in the day next time. read more

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The food was very good. I ordered through Postmates and they advised me the food was ready but when I got there I had to wait 30 minutes. However, it was Christmas day so I believe grace should be extended. I bought the carnitas by the pound and they were great. read more

I love the decorations. Very clean place, super nice server!. Excellent Mexican heritage memorabilia. Carnitas are soo good.. I like mine with cuerito. Perfect..wife loves the flautas!! My sope looks delicious rice looks and tasted good, they have clean high chairs the portion on the tacos was nice size... Bathrooms clean! Nice!!!! Everything is fresh recap...love everything here!! The restaurant owner should be proud to have this restaurant. !! Amazing!! Made me feel like a kid back then when I lived in Mexico! ! I will be back and will definitely encourage ppl to try this establishment. read more

Me-Ga Carnitas - Very nicely decorated! Makes me feel like im in Mexico....great music too - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The staff is very friendly but the carnitas are way to dry for me, and we got the food to go and we order a pico de gallo and it was Disgusting... How can you mess up something so Simple as pico de gallo????I don't thing I will be coming back any time soon... read more

I think the food here is great. I especially love that I can get pozole 7 days a week. And it's good quality pozole. Other restaurants pozole taste like they are restaurant made marios has that home cooked quality taste read more

Well... I was just completely dis satisfied! My friend enjoyed her sopes though! Where do I start, my favorite spot was closed so I went to Yelp to find a place with good ratings.. And found this place! Their menu stated that they had Pozole! I called to make sure! Most places only offer Pozole in the weekends! The lady who answered assured me they had Pozole! I even asked her if she was sure because like I said most places only offer it on the weekends she said yes! Great I head out there!! I ordered a Pozole and a taco!! A minute latter she came back to tell me they had no Pozole!! Bummer that's why I went there and that's why I called!! The taco was ok...Then my friend wanted tamales and champurado! They don't have either!! Half way threw our unpleasant meal they come and tell us the champurado is ready!! Meh! It was ok! I probably won't be going back!! What a shame :/ read more

I had been a little hesitant to order from here, and now my only regret is taking so long to do so! They delivered our food in a timely manner, and we were not disappointed at all with the food. My son loved the carnitas-not greasy and it was cut into smaller pieces. The pozole was delicious! Last but not least, they have one of the best champurrados I have tasted. I fully recommend this place. The lady who delivered the food (she may have been the owner's mother) was so friendly and pleasant. It was such a great experience, a breath of fresh air. Thank you for a great experience! We may become regulars here! read more

I order 2 packages of 3 pounds of Carnitas came with guac, salsa, nopales and tortillas. Everything was tasty, delivery was speedy and the price was just right. read more

Carnitas are way too dry. This place is also understaffed. When we came in a couple was leaving; they told us there was nobody in the front. As we're coming in one of the guys from the back spots us and ces out. His appearance wasn't the best. He was wearing a shoulder sleeve shirt. I don't want arm pit hair on my food. read more

I will never go there again!!!!!!! Very very poor customer service. I placed a phone order for 6 tacos and a dozen of tamales and when I got home there was only 2 tacos in the bag so I called to let them know and the person who answered the phone told me I was a liar because he personally put the tacos in the bag and he said he couldn't give me the order again or refund my money. My husband had to up there to get the refund read more

I placed an order * carry out ( Steak Burrito ) and cashier refused to give an extra Salsa in my order ... *** No other Mexican has ever refused to give me an extra salsa for my order, reason i asked for an extra one was because burrito came with only 1 tiny cup of salsa.. !!! Not enough for a burrito... Not going back again.... !!! read more

This is a horrible restaurant I would not recommend it our carnitas had hair in it also they gave us nothing but fat no real meat in the carnitas never going there again if possible would give it zero stars!!!! Very understaffed and horrible customer service read more

The long and short of it have been there 2 times and both times moderately figured for a local place not bad until I saw the cook reach in his t shirt collar down to his armpit scratch his armpit while in the kitchen and proceeded to touch the food preparation table I immediately stopped eating pay my bill the owner came out and asked me why I didn't finish eating and I told her the only thing she could tell me as we provide a sink and lots of soap my answer to her was what good is having a sink and lots of soap if they don't use it secondly if your attitude of her employees is that it's ok to scratch his sweaty dirty armpit and then continue to touch food preparation tables and utensils disgusting read more