Tortillaria Mexican Kitchen

My time in Chicago spoiled me in a lot of ways. One example: there is an abundance of Mexican restaurants in every neighborhood. Those restaurants range from the corner Burrito Palace to the high-​end Mexican-​fusion dining experiences. Tortillaria lands between the two. It’s more of a restaurant, rather than just a place to get your drunk tacos. It’s good, but nothing over-​special.

Awesome, awesome food! Can’t recommend this place enough. Be warned it’s a small place so use the No Wait app before you go.

Unfortunately after taking me, my spouse and mother in law there we all became ill. The guacamole seemed to have been sitting all day. The cadillaca margarita was way to sweet and did not have blue curacao which it normally comes with at any other bar. The beef taco had an odd flavor. Literally the worse mexican place i have ever been too. This is unfortunate considering the great location and décor. Only good if you have the stomach of a college student.

I hate to update a review to make it more negative but I really tried to give them a couple more chances. I used to come here for happy hour like once a week but the last few months I don’t know what happened to the service. I’ve sat at a table in a half empty restaurant waiting for service for up to 15min before. Then it takes another 15min for our food order after the drink order. They also changed the menu and took off the grilled fish burrito which was basically the only thing I ate there besides the queso, so now I have even less of a reason to frequent the place. Also, last week they were out of queso, which was my sole purpose for going there. El Burro is getting my business from here on out until I hear better things about Tortillaria… it’s too bad because it really is in a convenient location but the average food is not worth the poor service and wait time.

The chips and the selection of salsa are good and the waiter we had was nice. My only problem was the actual taste of the food. I ordered the shredded pork taco and the taco al carbon and although they had all the components of good tacos, the actual flavor was kind of bland. It tasted like Americanized Mexican food that lacked the typical spices and flavor of real Mexican food. I had a good time here but I probably wouldn’t return or recommend the place to someone who wants a really good taco.

One of my fav lunch spots! Very friendly staff.

We each had a quesadilla chicken and steak. Food was delicious. And our waiter was awesome. Atmosphere was nice. We were just walking by. Thought about pizza joint next door but when we saw how busy this place was compared to other we chose Tortillas. And we are so glad we did. We were told half hour wait. We actually got a text 10 mins later a table was ready. And the have a salsa bar. Pretty cool.

4.5 stars
Food is top notch 5 stars, problem is parking in the area is scarce and getting a table since the place is small. Have been 3 times and had the steak tacos and the battered fish tacos would recommend both, black beans and street corn are great sides as well

Be careful or you may walk right past this small Mexican restaurant (like I did) as it almost blends in with the other restaurants on the block! It is quite cozy, but does have a outdoor seating area as well.
One of the highlights was the complimentary salsa bar with 4 choices to choose from. I recommend the Spicy Chipotle. I had the Sangria which was very good and also strong. I also had the fish tacos and street corn, both delicious and very fresh. The prices are very affordable, especially for the area. They also have Happy Hour on Saturday from 3−5pm.
Plenty of bars, shops and even a movie theatre within walking distance in order to make the Tortillaria part of a day in the Central West end.
Service was great. Waitor was very helpful and attentive.
Will definitely be coming back! Also vegetarian friendly.

Ordered a steak burrito togo at the end of the night tonight. When I got home I had a gross veggie something burrito that was all rice. No meat. This is the second time they’ve messed up my togo order. Ugh… I’m so angry.

This restaurant Is a hit! If I lived in saint Louis, I would be here regularly. I had the pork enchiladas and they were amazing. The street corn was out of this world and I could have easily eaten more! I loved the salsa bar they had. The environment was relaxing and fun. Overall I would give this a 10 out of 10 and will be coming back the next time I am in town!

Oh Tortillaria. You are my back-​up plan when I fail to make dinner. Or when I burn whatever I’m cooking.
I keep coming back because the food is solid and affordable, especially if you hit happy hour. I would LOVE to give this place 5 stars, but unfortunately the service leaves something to be desired. We’ve actually had a few rude encounters. We’ve also had great service (but it’s been lacking my past three visits).
We’ll return and continue to return because the food really is that great (my fave is the steak taco) and it reminds me of our favorite Mexican places in Chicago. Worth the service gamble to get the food.

Chips and assorted salsas to start, decent Mexican food — what more can you ask for? Outdoor seating, when the weather is nice plus you never feel rushed. Great place to get some grub and hang with your friends.

Bland, Mexican-​ish food that requires a lot of additional condiments to make it enjoyable. Based on two trips, the fish tacos are the only thing worth ordering on the menu if you end up here. The house salsa tastes like spaghetti sauce and the other ones range between terrible and average. Fine if you are in the area and need a quick bite but don’t expect bold or delicious food.

So the interior is cute, the location is great, the waitstaff was friendly, and it has a very inviting feel. Now to the food… I wasn’t a fan… at all.
I ordered the famous baja fish tacos. They were okay. The fish itself was nicely cooked, but again, nothing had flavor! It was all bland and boring.
The guacamole was really flavorless too, like they forgot all of the usual suspects in it like garlic, cilantro, lime, etc. It just tasted like an under-​ripe avocado.
Maybe if they had salt at the table (which they don’t. .is the chef French? ?), I could have doctored up the flavor, a bit of salt can make a huge difference.
I don’t think I’ll go back. There are way better Mexican places that are less expensive and more authentic.

First time here last night, will definitely return! Was fairly busy, but we got a table with no wait. (Surprising for a Saturday night at 7pm) Food was excellent! The guacamole is great for an app. I had the Caribbean shrimp tacos for dinner, with street corn, and black beans. Was delicious. Big portions, I ordered three and could have done with just 2. The salsa bar and tortilla chips are great too.
My only gripes: Our waiter left something to be desired. The service was good, however he wasn’t very personable. Another guy (thinking he must have been a manager) stopped by our table a few times though and was awesome.
Also didn’t think the margaritas were all that great. All in all though, I look forward to going back and trying other things on the menu!

Came here last night with wife and experience was just okay. We had the potato and chorizo tacos as well as the Tacos al Carbon and the street corn on the cob.
Service was great and the potato and chorizo tacos were amazing — I would recommend to anyone to not mess around and go for this as they’re very flavorful!
Where we were let down was that the tacos al carbon were flavorless — the steak had no seasoning and these needed a lime wedge or some other component. It was a pity as the presentation was very good. Also, the street corn on the cob was not cleaned properly with a lot of silt remaining. This is the 2^nd visit I’ve ordered it and it’s come out this way so I guess it’s par for the course?
It’s kind of interesting to me as I know this restaurant is related to mission and I love the street corn there and know the closest taco has more flavor. If these two dishes could be revamped would be happy to give them another try!

This place is pretty good! If I was not going down to Cherokee street to get Mexican this would be my place in the city to go. The food is to die for, I get the enchiladas verdes every time I go because I crave it, it’s so delicious. My boyfriend got the shrimp tacos and they were fantastic with a homemade mango salsa on top. The house margaritas are top notch too! The patio is nice and it was perfect with a breeze and shade on a hot day. The wait staff is friendly and know a lot about the menu. When a waiter knows enough details about the food to be able to give you options for meals based on how hungry you are, whether you like spicy or mild flavors better, whether you like chicken, fish or beef better, then they know what they are doing. Let’s just say he did a great job, and it’s what I expect from when I go to a restaurant and he surpassed my expectations.
The reason this place is getting three stars is for a few reasons. It is constantly crowded and there is not much seating both inside or outside. While, it seems to go by quickly, they do not take reservations either, so you are stuck having to wait. Also, outside there are certain tables they will not separate. If it’s a four top that can be separated for two groups of two people, they won’t do it, which seems to waste space and I actually saw multiple people leave when they could have had an easy solution. There is only one bathroom which makes for drinking margaritas not as fun when you have to wait a long time to use the restroom. Lastly my last experience there was not that great, there was a long wait and while we waited we wanted to have drinks but they would not allow you to have drinks outside while waiting for an indoor table. The patio at this time was completely empty and it was cold outside so instead of shoving 20 strangers in to the front door area, we thought we would bare the cold and stand outside to wait. We asked about drinks and sitting out there and they would not let us, unless we wanted to eat our entire dinner outside. It was too cold for a group to eat outside so we just had bare and suck it up and shove in the door frame smashed against the windows with no room to move around with a bunch of people we didn’t know. Then there is the parking situation, just prepare to walk a ways unless you have good luck and really good parallel parking skills.
All and all this place is good, but there are several things that could make this place great!

Decided to try a new spot today — we made a good choice. I’m thrilled to have this Mexican gem so close to my office!
The ingredients they used were fresh and super flavorful. I had the Caribbean Shrimp Tacos with Mexican Rice and Street Corn, and I’d definitely order it again — but I look forward to trying something new too. The menu is diverse enough to entice my taste buds for another visit. Plus, I need to come back and enjoy a non-​business hour margarita with those yummy warm complimentary chips and salsa.
The seating space is small inside, but there is a nice patio with additional seating on nicer days. If you come during the lunch rush, and they’re only seating inside, either come early or be prepared for a 15 – 20 minute wait. You know the food is good when people wait around like that — and they were.
The service was friendly and attentive. Can’t wait for another lunch, or perhaps an early happy hour. The boss «cat» is away next week; so perhaps us worker «mice will play» a visit to Tortillaria Kitchen again!

When I’m in town — this place is a once a week staple stop!
On my last visit, I was hoping to catch a show at Frontenac in an hour but I figured that might be a stretch when I was standing in line for seating for one. I started to chat with another young lady and she too was hoping to catch a movie but at the Chase (this will be interesting soon — see my review for The Cup).
So, I get seated and immediately I am brought complementary lightly salted and fresh tortilla chips & mild salsa. I am rather picky about salsa and could hoard their classic mild salsa. They also have a salsa bar with varying degrees of heat.
Cult classic here is the Baja tacos, I always get those and I did on this trip. I also had the black bean empanadas. My dishes came with no lemon or lime (acid is needed for flavor & balance). I asked for some and was told they had none at all. My waiter, Darryl, was great and seemed so worried but I would never punish a server for an ordering mishap via the owners.
So, did I make my movie? Hecky naw but I had some dang good food and like Arnold «I’ll be back»!