Bodega

Is this place closed now? There’s been a sign on the front door for a while now.
Well this place is great to chill on some tacos and margaritas in the summer. The outside patio is awesome but the inside is dingy and kinda creepy. I love their pork belly + kimchi taco and shrimp taco. They also have huge beergarita fish bowls that always make me smile.
Nice joint to eat and drink outside without the insane wait time of Homeslice. Plus it’s a 3 minute walk from my apartment so that’s a huge plus. Bodegas a no-​frills, convenient place to go for some nice tacos and margaritas!

Not exactly a happening spot by any stretch of the imagination the few times I’ve been there, but the tacos are surprisingly good — unique combinations and cheap. The inside area is a bit of a dive bar vibe, but there is also outdoor seating, which is a plus!
The service was pretty bad (first time waitressing ever?), but for the price, the tacos made up for it!

Fair food and drinks the first time I was here made me return here last week, unfortunately, they decided to close without even calling me to cancel my reservation! The door was open and my party went downstairs, where we were rudely told they were closed, no reason given… went down to Butcher Burger and had a great meal. I won’t be back here…

Booze: Sangria was boozy.
Service: Very slow. Friendly server.
Food: Good ideas, meh execution.
Duck taco: Missing peach jam. Was dry and tasted like duck. No variety in flavor.
Pork belly taco: The pork belly itself was okay. Pork belly is inherently fatty, but it was a little too gelatinous for me. The kim chee would have been better as a slaw. As the tortillas were smaller, the kim chee was the size of the tortilla, which was awkward to hold when trying to pick up and fold the taco.
Shrimp taco: Either I got something I didn’t order, or this was the most breaded, overcooked shrimp I’ve had. Bland flavor profile.
Guacamole: Pretty tasty.

Let’s set the scene:
My party of 7 sitting in the corner and another party of 6 across the way. We were ready to order right away and placed our order. Our waitress informed us they were out of many dishes. One person ordered a diet coke only to find our they were out of that too…
Our drinks took 10 minutes and the food took over 50 minutes! Please, can someone explain to me why this took so long when there were only 13 patrons total in the restaurant?! From where we were sitting we could see into the kitchen and it looked like the cook was working but a quesadilla, 3 salads and a few tacos should not take 50 minutes with a dead dining room.
The food is decent. Not horrible but not amazing. I would be fine going to chipotle, it would definitely be faster.
On top of this when we got the bill gratuity was added… That was deemed illegal back in January here in Chicago.
So to sum it all up the service is deplorable… For our troubles we could have gotten some complimentary chips since we told our waitress we had somewhere to be and this wait was insane. The food is okay but I would direct anyone to taco joint down the street. I give this place a few more months before the doors are closed. Sorry Bodega but I miss Twisted Lizard!

So good! I had the carne asada, baja, and avocado. Mango margarita was strong and delicious.

Hmm, I think this is a 3.5 star review… please note this .5* I am adding to my rating…
I had a recent experience at Bodega. I am having a really hard time deciding if it was a good or bad one. We were the first customers that night and we were so pumped for some margaritas and tacos. All tacos are not the same, I am aware of this. I am also aware that it is hard to f*** up a taco. Tacos are scrumptious, in ALL forms. There are better ones and worse ones, but they’re all good. And im not saying that their tacos broke this rule but basing on how long it took them to prep them and bring them out I would have sworn they were still trying to catch the tilapia and collect the corn from the fields for my tortilla. However, once we finally received our food, the tacos were solid. Flavorful, saucy and unique enough to be memorable. They deserve 3.5 stars. The margaritas were pretty standard but like tacos, they’re never bad. Tequila is ALWAYS good. Soooo lets speed it up Bodega and I may pay you another visit.

Oh man, what happened? We had been here more than once and had enjoyed our experience until our visit Saturday night.
Main issue: they were incredibly understaffed. Though the inside is not huge, limiting the crowd while the patio is closed, you would have to be crazy to not have a single waitress working on a Saturday night. 1 bar back and 1 bartender serving 8+ tables all eating full dinners? Sounds like a recipe for a 20+ minute wait before even putting in your first drink order and 45+ minutes before a plate of tacos showing up (now cold from sitting out).
Sucks that it seems like this place maybe stopped caring, but we won’t be back.

OK. The meat is crash and well prepared and there is a nice variety of items.
I would love to see them embrace the Lincoln Park mentaliry and so some weekly specials based off of market analysis and creative dishes that we wouldn’t think of.
Overall, good food. Good atmosphere. Friendly service.

Such a creative and friendly little Mexican place! These are no ordinary tacos. Great for vegetarian and gluten free.

M *hated* this place but I thought it was good.
We went on our way to Home Depot one Saturday afternoon. Street parking was easy. Their sign is HUGE and easy to spot, which is good because when you walk in it seems as if you’re walking into a Starbucks. You really go downstairs into a basement bar.
Bodega is decorated rustically and homey. It has large, flat-​screen TVs that were turned to football games. We sat at high stools and tables along the wall. We were the only patrons.
Three employees clustered around the register on the bar chatting like teenagers. Even though we were the only people there and we were a few feet away from where they gathered the service was pretty shoddy. I’m not sure if it was because the employees had other priorities besides serving us or perhaps simply naïve inexperience. M was P.O.ed regardless of their excuse.
M also hated her food. She got chicken enchiladas. I think she liked the rice. She ordered two margaritas and, although she admitted that they were not made from a mix, she didn’t like them either.
I had the taco platter with chicken, duck, and shrimp tacos. I also got a veggie taco. I freakin’ LOVED it all! I scarfed it down with gusto. I loved trying different kinds of tacos. I thought that they were creative and fresh. I also enjoyed two horchata cocktails. I couldn’t have been happier!
In the end, I would have liked to go back and eat more of their wonderful tacos. It’s too bad M had such a miserable experience and probably can’t be convinced to return.

A Friday night drink special and having a really sweet server are the only things that saved Bodega for me.
Small basement restaurant with a few tvs and maybe ten 4 top tables. We grabbed a two top that was so close to the table behind us people had to crawl under the table to get in to their seats… huh.
$ 6 Friday night special for a delicious jalapeño margarita was a pleasant surprise, and it definitely hit the spot. Considering the size of the restaurant and that it was never more than half full it took way too long to get my hands on one though!
Taco’s are affordable and creative, if you are looking for a classic ground beef taco, Carna Asada with fried potato strings is as close as you will get. Though, they were very accommodating in bringing my simple pallated dinning companion shredded cheese and a boat of sour cream.
Places serving up creative a’lacarte tacos seem to be a dime a dozen in the city and unfortunately Bodega just didn’t stand up. They serve the tacos on doubled up corn tortillas as is common, but unfortunately a few of my corn tortillas were a bit hard. I love the Duck Confit Taco at Taco Joint a few blocks east of Bodega but I just couldn’t get my taste buds to agree with this one and sent it back. The Baja fish taco had an odd flavor as well, like maybe the oil it was fried in wasn’t the best. Carna Asada taco was good and stuffed with so much steak I had to eat half of the meat before even attempting to pick up the shell.
I have high expectations and they just were not met sadly. This place could be a great chill place for Depaul students, but if I want fusion tacos on the north side, you will find me at Taco Joint or Del Seoul.

There are few things I enjoy more in this world than having a margarita or sangria with a girlfriend while nibbling on chips and tacos and I found Bodega to be the perfect place to do just that.
A friend and I met up for dinner this past Tuesday and randomly chose Bodega. I was enticed by their $ 4 sangrias and adorable patio on the gorgeous evening. My friend and I each had a glass of sangria (pretty delicious for the price) and nibbled on chips and guacamole as a starter. I was really impressed with their chips, a huge helping with the perfect amount of salt AND they were warmed prior to serving. Definitely a win. I also enjoyed the guacamole which was garnished with onions and was not the pitiful serving size you get at a lot of the trendier Mexican places in Chicago these days.
I was pretty stuffed from chips and guacamole so I opted to try two of their tacos, the avocado and the tiger shrimp. Both were delicious and had plenty of flavor. I also really appreciated you can order the tacos individually instead of in a dinner.
I had a great experience at Bodega and would definitely recommend it to anyone. I’m hoping to be back soon to try their amazing margarita list. Also worth mentioning that it is very affordable!

We wanted to order for pickup to take some dinner home with us tonight. They say they offer carryout, but when we called, we got a recording that if we want to make a reservation, we should leave a message or send them an email. What restaurant doesn’t answer their phone?
Bodega, pay attention: you want business? You need to answer the phone to take orders and reservations!

Two taco places within a few blocks is not a bad problem to have as a resident. I was really excited to see something opened back up in place of the Twisted Lizard but was a little skeptical (and still am) of how another taco place could survive a few blocks away from Taco Joint. Bodega does a good job differentiating itself though. The taco and drink quality is honestly much better than Taco Joint, but I swear, I always end up with a bill double the size I’m expecting. On Mondays they offer $ 4 mojitos and I believe on Wednesdays they do $ 4 frozen margaritas. I haven’t had a drink there I didn’t love! Everything is very fresh… dare I say it: some of the best margaritas I’ve ever had. The tacos themselves are great. I highly recommend the grilled fish or shrimp tacos. Skip the vegetarian… that’s one thing Taco Joint does better. The guac is also nothing special for the price. Overall, Bodega is great for a couple of tacos and/​or a couple of drinks but definitely don’t come hungry, or you’ll end up spending more than you would at any other Mexican place in the city.

I used to frequent Twisted Lizard for years. It was a great place for people watching, strong margaritas and shitty food.
Bodega seems to be continuing the tradition. Good people watching on the patio. Chicken flavored mush passes for taco at this place.
Not a bad hang out place. Just bad food. Take it for what it is.

I was disappointed to see the old Twisted Lizard go, mainly because it was a mainstay in the LP neighborhood… but I am so happy to welcome Bodega to the hood!
We had 9 people in our party, and were able to sit outside. The service was great, the waitress knew exactly what each of us ordered and the food was very good. Definitely better than what was served there before! I would definitely go back and love that the menu is limited, unfussy and straightforward.

I would rate this higher, except service was truly bad and really made me not enjoy my visit nearly as much as I should have. Our server just seemed generally confused and was not welcoming or friendly at all. My order was totally incorrect (which he took back and fixed), but my friend’s order was missing 1 taco. He noted that he was missing a duck taco (the one he really wanted most) and the server informed him he didn’t order it, see I didn’t write it down. Then instead of getting him a duck taco, he offered my incorrect tacos (neither were duck) and then just did nothing else. It was bizarre and unacceptable.
Other than the service, it was fine. I loved my shrimp taco, very light and fresh. The grilled fish taco was good but slightly overpowered by the chipotle sauce. My margarita was very well made. Be aware that the tacos are traditional/​Mexican style, so they are small. We shared the carne asada fries, which were awesome except that about half the fries were undercooked– not soggy from the toppings, just not fried enough. Luckily the toppings were great and made us overlook the semi-​raw fries.
For Chicago, the food is pretty decently priced. Honestly, I probably would not come back, but if you’re in the area, go in for a taco or two and a margarita. I recommend sitting on the patio, which we unfortunately did not.

Despite a certain sub-​par review above, I decided to give Bodega a try on a quiet, sunny Wednesday night.
Yes — the menu is limited, but something anyone could figure out with a simple glance online, as most people do before venturing into a new restaurant that has limited reviews. I did not find the menu particularly difficult to read, nor do I believe that it is a reason to hand out a «1» to a restaurant just trying to get its legs.
As far as the aforementioned plating of tacos, they are sold «a la carte» so it would make sense that the amounts would be different based on the quantity ordered. Perhaps «a la carte» is a technique unbeknownst to the Lizard locals. Or, perhaps Greg had one too many iced down margaritas to remember how many tacos he ordered. And by the way, Greg, are you aware of restaurants that evade the ice portion of mixology? Please point me in the right direction.
All kicks and salsa aside, the restaurant is nice. Great Tortas and tacos (tried the Chicken, Shrimp, and Pork Belly). The chips and salsa were a ³⁄₅. Margarita menu offers a wide variety — I suggest the traditional or blackberry.

Live in the neighborhood and had been going to the former Twisted Lizard for years. Was happy to see another Mexican option move in. The atmosphere is classier and the bar now spans most of the length of their space. It was quite empty for it being new and a Friday night.
Unfortunately the menu is extremely limited and hard to read in the dark. There were two of us and we each settled on four tacos. The food came on two cutting boards– oddly one with five tacos and one with three. The waitress said that’s how the kitchen prepares and tried to help figuring out which tacos belonged to who and even commented that it’s hard to tell them apart in the dark. Is it really that hard for the kitchen to separate each order? Overall the tacos were alright but small and the pork belly was very fatty.
The traditional margarita tasted good but with all the ice wasn’t very big and still ran $ 8.
When the bill came they added on $ 3.50 for chips n salsa. We also attempted to pay with Amex as the bill came in an Amex billfold, but was told they don’t take it.
Unless they expand their food options, give larger portions or lower their prices we won’t be going back. After all, it is a basement.