Los 3 Panchos

I came here with my boyfriend and his family for his birthday in August. It was pretty amazing and the best mexican in the area that’s open late.

Los 3 is some of the best greasy, late-​night Mexican food in the northern section of Lincoln Park. The only place I’ve been that rivals it is Allende on Lincoln, so I’ll go to whichever is more convenient at the time. As with most places like this, you’ll need a bit of a dive tolerance, but it’ll be worth it, I promise.
I’m a big fan of both the chorizo and pepper steak burritos.

Hot and delicious food at 12pm AND 3am. Can’t beat that. I go at least 2 – 3 times per week. Get the pepper steak burrito. You won’t regret it!

Pretty hit or miss. I came last week and the steak and lengua taco I got was bomb.
Today I got lengua, steak, and pastor — pretty dry and tough, also needed more salt.
Still would recommend.

Awesome and cheap! Best anytime food! They have perfect proportions! Very nice people! This place is a national treasure.

My wife says no pancakes needed! Caused her to sin, lol, I l believe this a wonderful place with great food. Breakfast burrito was toasted!!! Great seasoning, salsa Verde was HOT! Price can’t be beat!!!
Truthful, We were on our way to Batter n Berries but the line was ridiculous. Hesitant when we walked in and there was no one there. But checked Unilocal and they did not disappoint.

My girlfriend and I went there after a concert to celebrate NATIONAL TACO DAY and found some of the BEST tacos in the city. A week later we returned and was pleasantly surprised to know that the caballero behind the counter recognized and acknowledged us. That recognition, acknowledgement and superb customer service will keep us as regular customers. .. and we live on the South Side. When the service is great, there is no distance too far to travel.

Unilocal called me out for coming here so much without mentioning why, so I figure I should respond to their «what has you coming back» question.
First off, you know you found something special if a restaurant is a deciding factor in resigning your lease.
The answer to that is simple, the food and service are great. Whether you’re coming in at 2am on a weekend or lunch/​dinner during the week, Panchos is always my number one, quick, local spot.
My favorite has quickly become the pepper steak burrito with avocado. Its got a nice kick that’s nicely offset by the avocado, got a great flavor. As a side, I usually get a side of guac (or cheese fries after a late night). Cheese fries sound like a terrible option at a Mexican joint… but they are not… try them out and thank me later.
Overall, Tony’s the man, this place is great.

They have ah-​mazing Mexican food. I loved my tacos and guacamole. M loved whatever she got. She’s loved Los 3 Panchos for years and years and going with her this time was a pleasant rediscovery.
The girl at the counter was friendly and patient with us. We sat at a table while we waited for our food. They had about four or five tables and wall-​mounted television; however, Los 3 Panchos did not seem like the sort of place where you linger. Something about it seemed grimy. Grimy because it’s well-​established (old) and doesn’t need to put on airs for anybody.
We took our food a half a block away to Beermiscuous. It was an amazing and perfect way to enjoy the glorious food of Los 3 Panchos. It was so glorious that I can’t wait to repeat that excursion again!

Being from California, Mexican food isn’t that special to me. However, being so far north of the Mexico border, I was curious how this restaurant might taste.
I’m happy to report that it did not disappoint. It had the vibe of a hole in the wall joint, and the delicious hole in the wall taste to go with it.
My dinner was served in a timely manner, freshly made and just the right serving portion the price point is good, and is worth the visit.
Next time I’m in Chicago, I’ll be sure to give this joint another visit.

One of the best steak burritos! Super fast and pretty cheap! Definitely worth trying out!

Decent authentic mexican food. Definitely does not live up to all the hype. Doesn’t look and feel very clean inside. Very small with probably half a dozen booths. I had the tacos al pastor and they were very salty. I’d say Id give them another chance but the place is not very inviting and would only be an option as a late night spot. I honestly like taco burrito king better. If in the area Id rather go to el presidente which is not too far away and way better in my opinion.

Every time I’m within a 3 mile radius of this place, I feel compelled to stop by. It’s a tiny little store front with only three or four tables, but the food is cheap and amazing and the staff is super friendly. Their chorizo is so good (not spicy) and I put it on everything possible. Their al pastor tacos are also great and you get a hefty portion of chips and guac. Everything is inexpensive so other than the calories, you won’t feel bad about what’s on your plate

This Mexican food is as authentic as you can get in Chicago… the carne asada and carnitas tacos remind me of the street food in Mexico City.
My second favorite thing about Los Tres Panchos is their hours: I’ve never had to wonder if they were open since they stay open until 4am on weekend nights.

Best Mexican food in Chicago. A hole in the wall restaurant with delicious food and outstanding service. Tony is awesome!

I love this place so much that I named my WiFi after it. Great quick Mexican meal any time of day. Discovered it during late night excursions as it’s right down the alley from my apartment, and have learned to love it during any time of the day. Fantastic chips and salsa and my staple is the Al Pastor quesadilla. The owner Tony is a certified Boss and a very nice dude. I’m lucky to live so close to the legendary Los Tres.

Now, granted, I lived in Seattle 10 years and that’s not exactly a hotbed for Mexican food. But nonetheless I have a thing for carne asada tacos and came in here on a whim looking for lunch… only to discover the best carne asada tacos I’ve ever eaten, hands down. I got them without cream and sauce and still the flavor was blow-​your-​mind amazing. A load of cheese, a good amount of flavorful meat, and lettuce on warm and soft but durable tortillas hit the spot like no other.
You’ve been dethroned, Tacos Chukis in Seattle. Good thing Seattle doesn’t offer a lot of competition, right? The tacos at Tres Panchos in Chicago have you crushed.

Having recently moved to the Lakeview area, I needed a new taco joint! Looked up the closest to me around 10:30P and low and behold this place was actually still open and serving!
First of all, its great how late they are open. I think it’s until 3 or 4 am. Wonderful. Because sometimes you want a taco or burrito late into the night.
Secondly, the use real steak which makes all the difference when getting Spanish food. They also put a mild (but still has a kick to it!) sauce in the burritos. Loved it!
Thirdly, their service was quick and very friendly. Some places have very rude people and the woman who took my order was friendly and smiling at 10:30 at night!
And finally the pricing wasn’t too bad either. Paid I think around $ 14 for two stuffed burritos.
The only complaint I had was that the burrito wasn’t very «big». It was long and thin and I have had fatter burritos in the past.
But all in all, I will definitely be coming back to this joint!

Last weekend, my bf & I went to the Lakeview Taco Fest and he was a little disappointed that they didn’t have any hard shell tacos. Ever since, he’s been craving them and we finally located this place that has the crispy tacos. His craving was definitely satisfied and the tacos were okay. The rest of the food was fine, nothing special just ordinary.

Sorry, Los 3 Panchos… your food was pretty bland. I ordered a small chicken burrito with everything (chicken AND lettuce. woot woot) and a carne asada taco. The burrito was so bland, I had to check to make sure they didn’t serve me a sponge instead of chicken. Sad when an «authentic» burrito is filled with un seasoned, chewy chicken. Had they tossed it on the flat top and actually seasoned it, it probably would’ve been decent.
The carne asada taco was pretty decent, but nothing amazing. I also ordered guacamole and chips. She asked if I wanted the half order or full. I said «I don’t know. what do you think?» She responded «the full order feeds about 6 people». What??? The guac was heavy on the lemon, and not as green as I would like. My guess is that the avocados weren’t on the fresh side, so they add a bunch of salt and lime juice to give it some flavor. Stock chips from a bag, too… lame.
All in all, not great. Not even good. If you’ve never had real mexican food outside of Taco Bell, you might like this, but for me, I’d say go somewhere else. There are so many other great places that try much harder. Try Picante, L’ Patron, La Tresspasada or Mayan Palace. Unless, you know… you want bland, tasteless food.