I kept hearing about Asian Cuisine Express so I wanted to check it out for myself. At first I was honestly confused because I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be Asian food or Mexican food. Turns out it's both, and somehow it actually works really well together. I walked in and see Chinese decor everywhere, but then right in the middle of the kitchen there's a trompo spinning with al pastor, incredible. The staff was really nice too. I wasn't even sure what to order because there were too many things that sounded good. We ended up getting the General Tso chicken, shrimp, al pastor, and the asada tacos. Honestly we ordered a lot, but worth it. The tacos are on the smaller side, but they're packed with flavor. Every single one was good, but the asada tacos easily stole the show for me. The steak was super tender and juicy with this smoky grilled flavor that hit right away. It had that savory beefy taste from good carne asada, but then there was this slight sweet and garlicky flavor mixed in that reminded me of Chinese stir fry in the best way possible. The seasoning was crazy good too. Salty, smoky, little hints of soy sauce and spice all blended together. Every bite tasted like Mexican street tacos and Chinese takeout somehow had a baby. Definitely coming back for those asada tacos again. read more

Asian Cuisine Express - Tacos de Al Pastor - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was excited to finally check out and try this spot! It's a small spot, definitely expected to wait a bit....especially since we came on a Monday, when they have their special, al pastor tacos for $1.50! They also have different Chinese food on the menu as well. The owner was so friendly! We got al pastor tacos, al pastor fried rice with level 2 spice (you can choose from levels 1-10 spice level), hot and sour soup, and seafood hot and sour soup. The al pastor was cooked on a trompo & it was delicious! We loved the tacos! I would definitely come back for that! read more

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Asians come here for the tacos and Mexicans come for Asian food. It's confusing but it works, where else can you get al pastor tacos at low Chinese food prices? I personally like going for the Monday al pastor taco deal night and the pastor fried rice. There is a trompo constantly being used for those of you who doubt. I believe the owners are a Mexican and Chinese couple who spent time in Mexico so of course this is the perfect fusion idea. Chinese decorations on the wall, Mexican tablecloths, and taqueros in the back, what else can you ask for? No Chinese aunties yelling at me to order faster sadly. read more

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We ordered: 1. Al Pastor Tacos $1.50 on Mondays 2. Happy Family - chicken, pork, beef, shrimp w vegetables 3. Al Pastor Fried Rice You only really need to come here for the Al pastor tacos, $1.50 on Mondays. Decently tender and good flavor. For the price and quality, easily one of my favorite tacos in the city. Quality of the Chinese American food was kind of what I expected for this type of restaurant. I appreciate the fried rice was at least properly dry, cooked using leftover rice. Happy Family's meats were all dry. Service was mixed. Very energetic and nice Asian female server. However, one of her coworkers didn't know that the Happy Family dish is supposed to come with white rice, which was corrected later by our server. read more

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Came back to this "magical realism" spot to show a friend this gem. This time around we tried the al pastor fried rice which honestly was such a fun appetizer before their prized al pastor tacos. The spot was busy on a Friday night so order the amount of tacos you want on your first go because we all started of with 3 but ended up ordering more & the wait got longer as the place got busier Still worth it! read more

Asian Cuisine Express - Al Pastor Fried Rice - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here on a Monday night at 7pm and it was shockingly empty but then filled up pretty quickly. Service is very fast and nice. The Al pastor tacos are actually incredibly, and so is the fried rice. The steak tacos weren't bad but I wouldnt go out of my way to order them. Fun hole in the wall spot, though not much seating read more

Asian Cuisine Express - Al pastor fried rice - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Heard many things about this place on social media. Came in on Sunday got 3 tacos. They were good tacos. Al Pastor with Cilantro, pineapple. They also offer salsa. They were not tiny tacos like street tacos. They also weren't gigantic or massive. Had I known the size beforehand I probably would have ordered 4 or 5. I'm certainly coming back though!! read more

Asian Cuisine Express - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've only been here once, but I adore this place. Yes it's called Asian Cuisine Express. Yes they serve amazing al pastor. And yes, you can combine the Chinese food and Mexican food into something magical. We came after a museum trip and was lucky to find parking on the side streets on a snowy winter afternoon (and I made sure to not stay too long since someone lovingly shoveled out that spot). The decor is like a Chinese restaurant, but once you see the salsas on the table you know something's different here. The staff mostly spoke Spanish, but they have menus in English and I did fine with my high school level proficiency. They were super nice with taking our oder and checking in on us. For my wife and my toddler and I we got a few al pastor tacos and an order of the large al pastor fried rice. The hype is real - the al pastor was layered on super thin so the meat overall was very tender, with a great char and marinade on it. And when you think about it, pineapple works great with fried rice, so having pineapple and al pastor in fried rice is a combo that works. And the rice came with chili oil, and I was torn if I should eat it with the oil or the salsas. So not to blow up this spot, but both Reddit and Yelp led me here so it feels right to share. Next time I definitely plan on trying the Chinese side of things. read more

My #3 son (out of 4) came to Chicago in 2013 to attend college; and never left. He knows more about Chicago in the last 10 minutes than I to know (about Chicago) in 4 years. That being said, when we have a question about the "going ons" in this robust city, he (and his fiancee) are our encyclopedia. My wife and I felt like having a taco dinner last night and our go-to taqueria has always been La Chaparrita; but on a Saturday night the wait to get a seat there could take over an hour. So, they (my son and his fiancee) said, "you have to go to Asian Cuisine Express"? Wait / What? You want us to go to a Asian restaurant to get tacos - YES was their reply; and WOW, did they get that right. This (actually) Chinese / Thai / Japanese restaurant had the best Mexican tacos I've had in years and I was totally shocked. Just the name of this restaurant is such a misnomer it staggered me. It's like going to a Vegan restaurant and getting the best rib-eye steak of your life. We gobbled down: Several Al Pastor - Asada - Lengua - Camorne Tacos all under $3.00 and all unbelievably delicious! And their array of hot sauces were just as good. This place was the Real Deal, taco wise. Just for the hell of it I had to try something Asian, and I did: Al Pastor Fried Rice, and it too, was wonderful. This restaurant was a total "Dive" and we couldn't have been more happy. It was shabby, scruffy, dingy and bare bones; but very clean with amazing service. Asian Cuisine Express here in Little Village, Chicago couldn't have been more of a "Great" surprise for us. We will ABSOLUTELY be back here (and very soon). read more

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Pork tacos and pork fried rice were so good and so much flavor. The pickled spicy onions on the table were the perfect addition for some extra spice and crunch. read more

Asian Cuisine Express - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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My dad brought us in here after seeing the hype on TikTok. We came on a weekday evening and it was pretty crowded but we were able to get the last table available at the time. We were quite hesitant to try tacos at a Chinese spot, but were pleasantly surprised. We got a bunch of appetizers, including the egg rolls, crab Rangoon, buffalo wings and more. Everything was pretty good. Wings and crab Rangoon were a standout for me. We also ordered tacos and Al pastor fried rice. Everything was very flavorful and you could easily see why it's so popular on TikTok and in general. The food tastes good, and there's options for people wanting Chinese or those wanting tacos! Service was a little slow but I attribute it to the fact that it is a small location, they have one server and most tables had larger parties. Good experience and I would definitely return for the tacos again. read more

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This place is incredible. Monday has their $1.50 per taco Al Pastor Taco deal and it's phenomenal. Their Agua Fresca selection was robust and the Passionfruit + Limon Pepino (Cucumber Lemon) was delectable. Our server Lucy was very personable, knowledgeable, and funny! There was no wait when we came in at 5:30pm but a line as we left after 6:45pm. Get yourself to Asian Cuisine Express early and on a Monday - you'll be glad that you did. read more

Asian Cuisine Express - $1.50 - Al Pastor Tacos (Monday Only) - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I heard heard from the executive chef of a fancy schmancy restaurant that this is where you go for the best Al pastor tacos in Chicago. While I'm not in a position to say whether these are the best, holy smokes everyone needs to come try the Al pastor tacos. It's an h likely setup for such great tacos, but don't judge a restaurant by its name and once you get past the door, you'll understand. As if the tacos themselves aren't enough, the price is absurd and how do they not charge more?? The next time I'm back, I need to try their Al pastor fried rice! Oh and I tried their beef tongue taco (first time having beef tongue) and that was fun. They have 3 great sauces, but I do wish they offered jalapeño and radish too! Oh and their cucumber agua Fresca is delicious, refreshing, and generously sized. Don't sleep on Asian Cuisine Express! read more

Mejores tacos al pastor de Chicago! Pero nunca contestan el teléfono aprendí que era mejor ordenar una libra para llevar. Precios buenos y servicio bueno. Loved this spot for some tacos al pastor! I learned it's best to order them to go. They sell the meat by the pound but they hardly answer the phone bc they're always so busy DROVE BY TODAY AND THEY WERE CLOSED. read more

Upon entering you'll be confused because the place is mostly a Latin family restaurant however this does rank with some of the best fried rice in the city especially when you add the provided red hot sauce. It's giving me Hung Wang vibes definitely which is my fav & tbh this place is just as good if not better. I'll have to indulge in more items one day to offer a solid opinion but so far the fried rice is a hit read more

Asian Cuisine Express - Al pastor fried with shrimp additional - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

What exactly are you expecting out of a Chinese restaurant in Little Village? Chinese food? I don't think so...try again. Tacos. Especially their Al pastor tacos. That's the main attraction at this Chinese joint on 31st Street. I will admit, the place is a little run and a bit unorganized. We arrived right at opening, but the place looked closed. The OPEN signed weren't lit up and they still had a sign that said they were closed. I believe the lady thats in charge of all of this was probably running late. We had sat down and one of the cooks took our order. Shorty after a lady came in turned on the open sig, flip the closed sign to open, and brought our food to our table. My wife ordered their General Tso. While it was good, it took the longest to come out and it wasn't anything special about the. I ordered three Al Pastor tacos and one carne asada. The carne asada didn't have much flavor and wouldn't order it again. But the Al pastor tacos are definitely one of the best al pastor tacos in the city. The meat was cooked perfectly and was topped off with a slice of pineapple, cebolla y cilantro. The meat was juicy and very flavorful. They're also a dollar on Mondays, so they're definitely worth checking out. Will definitely be returning. read more

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I went in last night for some tacos. Ended up getting 6 Al Pastor and 2 Asada tacos. Tell me why the girl at the front with piercings, Gabby, had a slight attitude when I tried to add an order of fries. She said "I cannot add anything else to your order" after she took the receipt out of the machine. She must be new or something because I told her if she could do a separate order of fries and lowkey ignored me. They also have an unorganized receipt. They will try adding a card fee of 3% even if you payed in cash. WATCH OUT! The tacos are pretty small for them to be charging $3.50 per steak/asada taco. I ended up paying $33 for 8 small tacos and two big asș drinks. They will trick you into buying a huge agua fresca for $6.50, when I asked Gabby if there were any other sizes, she said no. Their Mexican food is mid asf, but I will come back to try their Asian food. read more

Picked up 10 pastor tacos the other day. Eat all ten within a few hours. Actually affordable too. Heard at one point the did $1 on Mondays? Not sure if that is true still, but will find out soon enough. read more

Al pastor taco Mondays at Asian Cuisine Express is too good of a deal to pass up on. $1.50 per taco is insane for any standards. Dining in, the taco tastes much fresher right off the spit. only gave it 4 stars and not 5 because they're not great and the meat is significantly dry the next day once you refrigerate overnight read more

Asian Cuisine Express - Al Pastor Tacos - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This is a wonderful restaurant. Really cute and friendly staff, delicious tacos. I ordered the al pastor (so yummy and thinly sliced with yummy pineapples), the shrimp taco (so delicious), and my favorite (the tilapia taco). The tilapia taco was so fresh and perfectly deliciously battered. Seriously some fire tacos, and the salsas that they had on the table were also so wonderful. My favorite was the very green sauce paired with my tacos. I ordered a second round of tacos because of how delicious it was. Wonderful place, highly recommend, and hopefully will be back very soon! read more

Asian Cuisine Express - Tilapia Taco, Shrimp Taco, Al Pastor Taco - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Most definitely my to go taco place! I love all their food & never got a dish that i disliked. Overall 10/10

I mean they do top notch tacos and good American Chinese food, what else could you want?? as soon as they pulled out the pineapple with the al pastor I knew they meant business. the 1lb al pastor is honestly such an experience but all the tacos are really good. this is a true hole in the wall and the seating reflects that-- there's about 4 tables. the staff is really really friendly! read more

Asian Cuisine Express - 1 lb al pastor - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Food over 25mins had to get up ask for utensils due to not being provided. unfortunately was commented there was more than one person working to get us things, and when had ask the bus boy lady she ignored and made her seem didn't hear us. Will not be visiting again! read more

Yes, 5 stars. Best al pastor in town. You need to try the Al pastor fried rice. Everything was great the service was also very fast and the waitress (Angie) was super friendly. read more

Omg I got influenced by tikkytokky yet again and it worked!!! Rachel sent me the reel showing the magnificent taco power of Asian cuisine express and long story short I basically cancelled a whole flight for these tacos. So worth it though, they are too cheap and too good, juicy and delicious, we left already fantasizing about the next time we get to go. Got fried Oreos to finish off, bone apple teef read more

Asian Cuisine Express - Fried oreo - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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First I have to say at first sight you feel you are in mexico w/those taquitos and the meat shaved... ufff it's worth the drive flavor is there and atmosphere as well. read more

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This place was super good and a great value. We had the Tacos del Pastor. For a pound of meat with all the fixings it was $17. Glad I split that with my son. They had great salsa and everything was so fresh and fun. My wife went with the chicken pad thai lunch special. Lots of food for under $7 with a drink. read more

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Anytime I'm sick I order their clear soup. It's cheap and tastes good. I've heard good things about the other entrees but have yet to try myself. read more

Their al pastor is possibly the best taco in Chicago, and it's a steal at $2, so it's pretty incredible they knock it down to $1 on Monday. These motherfuckers sling it, I mean they do not waver in the face of very high demand, kudos to both back of house and front, I see no basis for complaint, the woman who doesn't realize it's a health code violation to bring a fuckin' dog into a restaurant and gives ACE a bad review simply for acting in its best interest, if you know her, disown her. She deserves to be the world's loneliest person. read more

Asian Cuisine Express - Aguachile. - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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NO NO NO. Don't do it. Terrible food- hard rice, was like eating plastic, mushy reheated mushy noodles, and the shrimp boiled and then fried multiple times over- refrigerated then heated- it's like eating rubber bands. The place is dirty- vegetables on floor near the bathroom in a black crate right by the back door which is directly steps to the ally. I spoke to the cook about the food and he got angry and hung up on me. They acknowledged the hard rice, but said it's because they normally make the food the day before so it gets softer????? DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. This place is gross and has extremely terrible service- entirely disrespectful and should not be cooking or working in the service industry. read more

Asian Cuisine Express - Disgusting!!!!!! This place should be shut down. - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Staff is so friendly and attentive! They provide great service and even better food! 10/10 recommend! You must get the al pastor tacos!!!

Great al pastor tacos off the trompo as they should be with a little pineapple along with choices of three salsas and pickled toppings (habanero/radish/onion or the carrot/cauliflower/jalapeno mix). Instead of the bottled water that'll cost you the same, consider the canned milk tea with boba. Not as good as freshly made, but better than bottled water. Or go with something else from the variety that they have on display at the counter. Also got the aquachiles that the chef moderated the heat for preemptively seeing our mixed age table. Still had a bit of spice but everyone was able to enjoy it. Was going to try the clam soup, but they were out. Instead, we got another round of al pastor tacos for the table. The tacos are $1.50 each and $1 on Monday special. Call ahead to confirm hours since it seems there's a lack of agreement online what their hours are. read more

This place is a bit of an oddity but the food is legit. Delicious tacos al pastor, with a variety of well made pan-Asian options like gyoza and pad thai. The restaurant feels and looks like a casual Chinese restaurant you would find in Mexico proper. Service was a bit lacking and the food takes a while to get on the table aside from the tacos. Would love to come back and try some more options. read more

The tacos are incredible. I'd be curious to try the Chinese food, but it really seems like the tacos are the star. I saw some negative reviews about the service, but everyone was SO kind when we were there. I'll definitely be back read more

Asian Cuisine Express - The tacos are seriously incredible. - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

$1 al pastor tacos on Mondays might be the best deal in Chicago. Don't sleep on these tacos read more

Asian Cuisine Express - a restaurant counter with items on it - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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It's a small place. Wonderful place for gathering. All the workers are friendly and treated u like friends. My favorite is noodle soup (I try different noodle soups every time). It's a very tasty and great portion. The $1 taco Al pastor Monday Special is a knockdown. The only thing is u need to beware that u call ahead to place ur to go order or got time to wait for a table, since they are very busy on Monday. Well, who does not want a good deal! What can u get for $1 in this days now! read more

This place has a waiting time of a hour for pickup at times the food is ok but not worth the hour wait the food is never consistent it never tastes the same then when you call they make you wait up to 10mins on the phone before taking the order and when they finally answer it's so loud you have to repeat your order 5 times before they get it right I spoke up so the young lady on the phone could hear me after repeating my order back to me incorrectly over 5 times had the nerve to got a attitude with me telling me she's not the one to be yelling at which is completely unprofessional all I was trying to do was make sure she got the order correct I don't recommend this place unless you want to wait a hour to eat bland Asian food. read more

The server was excellent and so was the food, the only thing we did not like was that we got up to talk to the guy making the tacos to tell him we had messed up our order so he wouldn't make it and the so called " manager " said " let the guy know he can't walk up to the chef, he has to tell his server what he wants there and then." In a rude tone. Mind you we did that so it could be easier for the chef. Another problem was some people they knew came after us and their food was out first ?? Manager needs some manners. read more

Asian Cuisine Express - and just look at the bathroom. - Chinese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The place is a small mom and pop place. I went in based on the reviews, and I almost had second thoughts. I asked myself, why would there be a Mexican hostess and cook? I wasn't really into it at one point. I almost stepped out. Mexican music was being played. Again, why is this happening? I've always had mixed experiences at many different restaurants. It turns out, there are different pockets of ethnic groups in the Chicago neighborhoods. This restaurant turns out to be in a predominantly Mexican/Hispanic neighborhood. That pretty much answered my previous questions. On towards the food! I ordered Tempura shrimp and vegetables as an entree and the General Yao's Chicken. I took a star off because it took then quite a bit to serve the appetizer. I had waited about 10 minutes! And I was the only customer. They had about 5 tables. It was clean, I give them that. My opinion started to change once the food arrived. The tempura was hot and fresh! The dipping sauce was ok, and wasn't too sweet. I slowly enjoyed the appetizer. Again, it was freshly made and hot! Next came the entree. I ordered the General Tso's Chicken. I've had this dish many times. It's fried and breaded chicken. The chicken is then covered in a slightly spiced sauce. I wasn't impressed with the spice level, but the food again was hot and fresh. Steamed rice came as a side dish. The dinner portions was large. I ended up taking it back to my hotel room. It was still delicious a second time around. In conclusion, I was surprised with the quantity and quality of the food here. The main thing, I liked from this restaurant, was that the food was hot and fresh. It may take longer than you would expect, but hey! You can't rush good food! read more

So this spot is in the heart of the Little Village/South Lawndale community, which kind of lowered my expectations of the chinese/thai food quality. Just being honest. They quickly proved me wrong. I have ordered a handful of times, and have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of food per "dish", and the overall flavor and quality. Chicken Lo mein, Hunan Chicken, Mongolian Beef, and the fried rice have all been very tasty. Like I mentioned, portions are plentiful, a large can feed at least 2, if not 3 people. We eat family style, plenty to go around. Fast, quick, pain free service via phone. Have not tried their Mexican food yet, there are more options for that around here, but I will someday... read more