Great reunion with my family celebrating my cousins birthday! The portions here are insane! You will probably take half to go! The guacamole was good. I ordered a ceviche and it was full sized, not your regular ceviche. It was cut into big pieces. The margaritas good and they had several flavors. The service and staff were great, including Jocelyn! Very lively atmosphere. They sang happy birthday to my cousin and pounded on pans for other birthdays that were there too! Love the Frida mural! read more

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Stopped by Tequila CJ Cantina today with a small group for a birthday dinner and left with mixed feelings. On the positive side, the food was really good. Everything we ordered came out fresh, well-seasoned, and they offer big portions. Definitely a strong point and the highlight of the visit. However, this is the third time service was less than impressive. There were long and noticeable gaps between check ins. It wasn't overly busy for a mid afternoon and they didn't seem short staffed. Also worth noting for those planning to stop by: gratuity is automatically included for parties of four or more. While that's not uncommon nowadays, it stood out more than it probably should have due to the slow service. Overall, the food was great, but the pace of service really put a damper on the experience. We ended up being there for close to two hours, largely due to the slow service. Toward the end of the meal, we also weren't offered a dessert menu, which made the experience feel a bit incomplete since again we were celebrating a birthday. It's unfortunate, because we came in wanting to support a local neighborhood spot. That said, the service challenges once again made it hard to fully enjoy the visit, and I'm not sure I'll be returning. read more

My first visit here. It's an open, spacious location. Parking could be difficult. There is a limited number of parking spaces next to the restaurant. The rest is street parking. I stopped by around lunch time. They were serving from the brunch menu. I asked if I could see the dinner menu. The waitress was nice and said, they don't usually do that but did. The fajitas are a pretty generous portion. We could've shared one order but our waitress suggested we should order separate orders. Salsa and chips came out first. Very surprised the salsa was served hot (temperature). It's the first time I have warm salsa served with chips. The chips were delicious. The warm salsa took some adjustment to get use to. It was good but I didn't love it. I asked what tequila they used for their margaritas. I was not familiar with the brand our waitress mentioned, so I asked for Lalo, G4 or something similar. Unfortunately they do not carry that type of tequila. That was a big disappointment. I still ordered a margarita and found it light, watered down for my liking. I am unsure if I would be back. read more

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First place I've ever been at that refused to offer soap. No soap for customers or team. The cooks came in the restroom, took a piss and walked out. I asked the waitress twice. I asked to speak to the manager. Manager "what do you want me to do about it." This place needs to be closed down, they are going to get you sick. read more

One is there prices. Holy cow. For the price in food . U can buy 2 days worth in groceries. There prices b4 were reasonable . Not any more . read more

tonight a little before 8:00 PM walked in restaurant half full Peso Pluma blasting looking to have a quick dinner and drink and were turned away because you were "closing," despite your posted hours indicating you were still open. This is the second time this has happened to us after coming straight from work and planning our visit around your hours. About a year ago, we also tried to dine here and were turned away because we didn't have a reservation, and the host was unnecessarily rude about it. At this point, it's beyond frustrating. We've tried to eat here three separate times and have been turned away every time. Turning customers away an hour before closing, especially when your posted hours suggest otherwise, is unreasonable and misleading. read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Hours for Tequila Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is so fun and inviting! Perfect for a small party or just a treat yourself dinner. I went many times including for a birthday party and LOVED my cocktail! read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Not coming back. To start with, the downloadable online menu should be updated to reflect the current high prices. $2 to make my enchiladas, 'suizas?' Come on!!! Speaking of..... I ordered the enchiladas with chicken in molé sauce, to go. It was definitely hot and fresh but tasted just 'ok.' Twice, I came across what I like to call, "feet and beaks." It was probably cartilage but large chunks. No way, Jose! And the beans were pretty gnarly, too. Crunchy, with a 'dark' oil taste; almost burnt or bitter-like. Again, I say, "No way, Jose; not coming back!" read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Chicken enchiladas, suizas w/molé - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Girls' Night Success! On November 3, 2023, the ladies and I had the BEST girls' night out celebrating both my birthday and Sam's -- and Tequila CJ's Cantina Grill did not disappoint! The vibe was energetic, the food was delicious, and the drinks were chef's kiss. The service was warm and welcoming, and the south side energy made the whole night even better. This is definitely a must-visit spot if you're looking for great food, great drinks, and an even better time with your favorite people. We'll absolutely be back! read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Scorpio Sisters celebrating our birthday!! - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food is delicious! Everything is freshly made, the portions are big. The environment is the best always feels like an event is happening. Great for parties! And the prices are incredible! The only thing is the parking. And the weekends they're always very busy. read more

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My husband and I ate in the restaurante Piña Rellena we were satisfied. We order to go DO NOT ORDER BEEF MILANESA taste like rubber, worse milanesa in my hole life, skinny steak over breaded and hard fried. My son just ate the rice and beans I asked for corn tortilla and they gave me flour tortilla very disappointed. This was on April 17th. read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

No steak available for dishes that had steak on them, not a full menu. Very disappointing, not the experience I wanted for new customers in my party. Very different Saturday vibes from 1 year ago. Never again will I go here. read more

Paper napkin wrapped silverware at $50-60 per person? NOPE. My husband and I are on the hunt for a new Mexican favorite, cuz let's face it, we are Mexican food connoseiurs! My first warning should have been having to request queso blanco on my nachos. Otherwise you get whatever yellow cheese they typically serve. Now, let's start with the GOOD. The hostesses on Friday night August 1, 2025. So sweet, polite, helpful and accommodating. The music was SO LOUD at 6pm. I asked to be moved because of this, they couldn't find a table, so they lowered the volume! Earned: ONE STAR Waitress, Yera, so polite, nice and checked on us regularly. She earned our 2nd star. completely FOOD: Well something gave me the raging doo-doos within hours. I NEVER get sick, cast iron stomach! I ordered chicken enchiladas en mole. I don't blame them entirely, I should never eat chicken made in the USA and I typically don't because chicken farming in this country is a travesty. So I split the fault of this calamity with the USDA and Tequila CJ. No veggies served. The plate of enchiladas en mole lacked presentation. No lettuce, tomatoes, avocado slices, nothing. This made for a lackluster dining experience. Very little carne asada on the 12 nachos. OMG Margarita: We were told the XL margarita was 28 oz. it was not. Further, figuring that at most a margarita would be $18 to $20 with premium tequila and 28 oz, we ordered without looking at the prices. Y'all, $31/EACH for what was MAYBE 12-14 oz drink (see photo). It was good. RATING: NO STARS because the unbelieveable price of $62 for two drinks on Archer Avenue, low rent district in Chicago cancelled that star completely. I was WONDERING why our two drinks came with FIREWORKS, cuz they were saying "GOTCHA". Also when your average cost per person is $50-60, why do I get silverware wrapped in cheap napkins instead of an actual cloth napkin and a place setting? But kudos to whoever is managing, promoting this spot cuz they are making bank. Place was packed! Good on you, just not out of my pocket again! FYI, from Google: A 28-ounce glass holds 3.5 cups of liquid. could you get even 2 cups of liquid in these glasses? I think not. read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - 28 Ounce??? XL Margarita $31 EACH. - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Been coming here for years. Have celebrated a couple different family members birthdays here. Tonight might be the last time. First off, where did all the menu options go??? The Mezcalazo was my favorite--gone! The options are very limited now and the food, meh. Queso panela appetizer was cold. The four tortillas no longer what they used to be. Waitress forgot to bring them and when finally got them, only got two and they were hard. Looked and tasted like my 4 year old niece made them. No disrespect to my niece. service--subpar. What happened??? Is this under new mgmt/new cooks??? So disappointing. read more

Made us wait an hour to tell us that there was not a single cook at the restaurant. Do not recommend.

Tequila CJ has been a favorite of mine since before they moved to their new location, and the food has always been consistently delicious. No matter when you go, the quality and flavor never disappoint. As it gets later in the day, it can become a little loud for conversation, but honestly, the great food makes up for it. The waitresses and waiters are attentive, friendly, and do a great job keeping things moving even when it's busy. Still a solid spot that delivers great food every time. read more

This is the perfect establishment to celebrate a birthday, life event, or date spot... the ambiance, the music, the service and attention to detail were all perfect. My family ordered the Fajitas Mixtos plate (which portion was big enough to serve 2-3 people), their delicious carne en Jugo (fed me for two days), and for dessert we enjoyed their beautifully plated red velvet cake. For drinks, mother ordered margaritas and my piña colada was definitely something I'd go back for alone. It was so pretty and the orchid is real! All around great establishment and I look forward to coming back. read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Piña Colada - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We have been coming for a few years but today ordered enchiladas wow price goes up I am good with that, but quality and quantity should not. No more portion of salad cheese or sour cream on top. I asked waitress she said sorry that is now extra. Fine put that on the menu. And now most items say MP just leave them and open CC. I see this happening mostly at Mexican restaurant's bad enough the charge for soda refills lol. And now MP guacamole. Try Burrito Jalisco 120/Cicero better food, service and prices. No music though. read more

Probably closer to 3.5 stars when it comes to food, but the friendly and welcoming staff definitely bumped it up to 4! Tequila CJ is a super spacious Mexican space in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood. We met some friends who live in the neighborhood here to celebrate a birthday and meet their new baby. Because it is so spacious it ended up being the perfect spot for this. Like I mentioned, the staff working was really wonderful. To drink I sipped on an iced horchata which was so yummy! We started with queso and chips and salsa. The salsa was hot even for me, and I like spice! For my meal I ordered the flautas with chicken. They came out looking SO delicious and piled with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream. Unfortunately the actual flavors were underwhelming, with the chicken being pretty dry and bland. The others I were with seemed to really enjoy their meal, so I'm thinking I should have just tried something different. Overall we had a good time and enjoyed the hospitality! read more

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Be aware that they charge a 3.00 dollar credit card convenience fee. They also charged 3.50 for additional chips/salsa without letting us know first. They included a 20 percent tip for my party of four, and charged a 3.00 charge for a dab of sour cream for my wife's meal. read more

The food was actually really good. We ordered the nachos as an appetizer. I loved how every tortilla chip was perfect. Each bite was perfectly assembled. The fajitas were also delicious. The service was pretty rushed. They have a 90 minute per table. We got there around 4 pm and it was pretty empty. However, we already felt rushed. We had just been seated and they were already asking for our order. We didn't even get a chance to check the menu. They do have live music so that would explain how they got full so fast and why there was a wait by the time we left. read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Food was well made staff well trained great experience fun and exciting experiences I will be back read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Skert steak Carne Asada Tradicional - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I ordered enchiladas with chicken. Chicken tasted very weird and like rubber . Not fresh at all. it was like black and gray. Just horrible tasting. I got so sick with diarrhea afterward. I will never go back. !! other family members have complained also. Not good anymore. Owner should monitor the cooks. seems like they are serving old meat!! read more

So 5 stars because nothing was wrong. Service was great, people were kind, server was informative, knowledgeable, and helpful , he checked on us enough to be attentive and not overdoing it. Ambiance was beautiful, great space, great designs, great esthetic. All the food was good nothing was bad. I will come back again. Parking sucks read more

what happen to this place it used to be amazing! To start the menu has been downsized tremendously. we went on a wednesday afternoon it was pretty empty and service was slow. i asked about the ceviche options and the waiter informed me they only had shrimp because the fish and octopus they were receiving was bad quality. i ordered the chicken enchilada verdes and to my surprise it was only a tortilla w salsa and chicken, no toppings no sour cream no nothing and they tasted very sour. to top off this not so great experience the bathrooms were all clogged and no soap to wash your hands. i was truly disappointed. read more

The food here is just okay, with some things being worth the money but most not so much. The rice and beans lack flavor in general, but the omelettes here are phenomenal so it kind of depends. Service can be slow - we had to wait over 15 minutes after we asked for our check to get it, and this happens quite often for whatever reason. We will be back if we're in the area but it isn't a destination. read more

Como Siempre amazing food & drinks. My favorite place for Mexican food and you guys take it to another level Well done read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - El patron - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The vibes are really nice here! We came to celebrate birthdays and they gave us free shots and sombreros. The food was overall delicious too. Highly recommend their Skirt Steak platters. read more

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No food Ran out of beer Made us wait for no reason. No idea how severs work there with terrible ownership and management. read more

Service was extremely slow and disappointing. Nice server just left us then passed us off to someone else who vanished. The bus boy was good but we had finished plates stacked up the whole dinner No silver ware when they brought it was forks only no knives my wife's plates was served and had to wait a good few minutes for the silverware to arrive. No napkins when they brought the chips and salsa out first should have included napkins and silverware a complete set. Water came in small glasses and you only got one cup. Guy constantly coming to the table with flowers badgering me and my wife to buy some I get it but no Thank you so why not keep coming over asking while we are eating . We tried to be nice it was too much. I wasn't planning on a 2 hour lunch. It wasn't slammed in there it was moderate at best. My margarita had oranger liquor as expected and mix but I didn't taste a hint of tequila..If it did have some I didn't taste it I got the Cadillac. It came in a water glass no fancy glass and for that money it should have . Bathrooms seemed clean but needed a nice wipe down and some better ventilation it was smelly. The food was average nothing to stand outside about .I got the chicken soup it don't have potato's in it like it said it was tasty but was expecting potatoes and never got my tortillas had to asked wanted corn so they brought both corn and flour. Enchiladas are decent but small ordered double rice no beans got beans and rice. The cheeseburger was surprising good thick juicy and done perfectly but the fries were crunchy cold on the inside . The restaurant itself was clean and decorated nice . In that area there are so many places to choose from I was recommended to try it and won't be back . Maybe an off day idk but little attention to details might be something they need to work on. Hard pass for me in the future . I live in an area that has the highest concentration of Latinos outside of Mexico and expect these places to be traditional with food,service and drinks this place fell short on all the marks for the hype I received. I gave it one star because out of all the good things it had as many disappointing things so that's what it is . read more

If i could put 0 stars i would. Worst experience ever and also experience for some cold food and a burger with no meat literally.! They forgot to put the burger which is hard to explain hwo that mistake was made. Also it was empty and still made my family wait for 30mins to get the worst experience and service definitely not going back and not recommending to anyone. read more

Food was good and delicious and came out very fast. Has a huge projector screen to watch games. Our server was informative and very well prepared. Great food options and atmosphere. Two thumbs up for this spot! Will definitely be back for more!! read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Guisado - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

If I could give tequilas a 0 I would. We had a reservation made 2 weeks in advance for my father in law. At 7pm for 14 people. We received a call from the hostess at 6:15 telling us if we would consider canceling because they were not busy and wanted to close the restaurant early. My husband kindly ask why we didn't get a heads up at an earlier time? She couldn't give us an answer besides that they wanted to close early at or by 7:30pm. We hurried to get our party of 14 together to be at the restaurant by 6:30. When we arrived they sat us down with a smaller version of the menu. They told us they couldn't make chicken flautas. They only had something similar (potato enchiladas ) . We wanted a few other things listed on the menu but restricted us from ordering because they didn't have the ingredients. I felt super embarrassed for brining my family here and having them rush through the entire experience. Btw the restaurant was not empty. Lights went out at 7:20pm read more

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Three strikes & you are out! We have been following this place since Nuevo Leon in Pilsen. Come to find out ownership has changed. Quality of food and drinks has noticeably declined! My favorite were the margaritas de pepino. Now they are sweet premade syrup. The carne asada at once time tender & juicy is now low quality meat that is hard to chew. Has a reservation and waited over an hour for cold, lesser quality m food to be served after crappy margaritas. Waitress tried her best, that was the only plus. Don't waste your time & money. ¡A la tercera, fuera! Llevamos siguiendo este local desde que se llamaba Nuevo León, en Pilsen. Y resulta que ha cambiado de dueño. ¡La calidad de la comida y las bebidas ha bajado notablemente! Mis favoritas eran las margaritas de pepino. Ahora son de sirope dulce ya preparado. La carne asada, que antes era tierna y jugosa, ahora es carne de baja calidad que cuesta masticar. Tenía reserva y esperé más de una hora a que me sirvieran comida fría y de peor calidad que antes, después de unas margaritas horribles. La camarera se esforzó al máximo, eso fue lo único positivo. No pierdas tu tiempo ni tu dinero. read more

My food was overcooked and items were missing from my order. The manager left me on hold for over 20 minutes, just to disconnect me , then won't answer my calls. Very unprofessional! he is a total joke. tequila CJ cantina place lacks customer service and their food is going down downhill. Do not recommend. There are other better local places than this. read more

"Llevé an mis tres amigas a desayunar esta semana para celebrar sus cumpleaños. Quería darles una sorpresa pidiendo que les trajeran un pastelito (cupcake) para cantarles el 'Feliz Cumpleaños'. Antes de que los trajeran, se me ocurrió preguntarle a la mesera si tenían algún costo, ya que en la mayoría de los restaurantes suelen ser cortesía de la casa. Me dijo que me cobrarían $15 dólares por cada uno--¡o sea, $45 dólares por tres cupcakes! Me pareció un abuso. El desayuno de por sí ya era caro, y cobrar esa cantidad por un gesto de cumpleaños es un abuso. Les pedí una disculpa an mis amigas, pagué la cuenta y nos fuimos. ¡No pensamos volver jamás!" " I took my three friends out for breakfast this week to celebrate their birthdays. I wanted to surprise them by having the staff bring out a cupcake so we could sing 'Happy Birthday.' Before they brought them out, I luckily asked the waitress if there was a fee, as most restaurants provide a small birthday treat for free. She told me they would charge $15 per cupcake--that's $45 for three small cupcakes! I was shocked. The breakfast was already expensive, and charging that much for a simple birthday gesture is shameful. I apologized to my friends, paid the bill, and left. I definitely won't be coming back." read more

Great service ,Exelent food and drinks Live music on the weekend. Definitely will comeback. read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Orchard - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Three call attempts before reaching staff who indicated that no reservations were accepted for weekends. An hour and a half wait to be seated. Full menu not available and customers not notified during lengthy wait. One of the orders was incorrectly served. Restrooms not properly equipped (no toiletry / no hand soap). Looks like there are management changes since a previous visit ... and the changes are not going well. Overall, dissatisfactory service. read more

way over priced for the quality of the food and service, two friends and myself sat at the bar had food and drinks and they added the tip to the check! really for three people! my advice.... go to any other mexican restaurant in the neighborhood! read more

Used to love this place, but the last few visits have been really disappointing. The rice and beans were spoiled more than once, which is a huge concern. Hoping they fix the food quality because it was so good before. read more