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    Carbon

    3.6 (657 reviews)
    InexpensiveMexican, Desserts, Salad
    Closed 11:00 am - 11:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Order Carbon Takeout or Delivery

    Carbon Photos

    Business Info

    CARBON ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Carbon

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    The Mother Clucker: 1 lb tequila lime chicken  w/ creamy sauce, onions & cilantro. Served w/ black beans, rice, chips & salsa--delicious.
    Bernardo A.

    I'd give it 4.5 if that was an option. The food was very good. This is the second time I've had this burrito. The first time, the chicken was very moist, tender and juicy the second time around, the only downside was a few of the chicken pieces seemed a little dry which was just a little bit surprising but it was still good. I do like the rice and the black beans that come on the side with it. I was a total glutton and ordered the chips with hot salsa but I have no regrets. It was good. I also love that the Diet Pepsi fountain had the right amount of fizz. The last couple of places I've been to they were kind of flat. So kudos to Carbon for this. The staff are great and they definitely keep on top of keeping tables clean (which I am noticing lapses at other places). The ultimate verdict is that I look forward to going again.

    Jocelyn H.

    One of my favorite caterers and tacos in Chicago. I got the fish taco and lomo taco which I think are perfectly flavored by themselves (I barely used the salsa). We also got a chicken burrito but I liked the tacos better. Each taco is about $4 and it took about 15 minutes for our order to finish, but I think the tacos are worth it. They have about 10 seats inside and some seats outside.

    Happy hour every day. This is a berry margarita. Yum yum yum
    Lisa G.

    Who knew this place had a sit down restaurant next to the whole in the wall. Still yummy food and happy hours all day everyday!!! $7 margaritas. Go!!

    Stelote Burrito
    Antonio M.

    The Stelote Burrito was truly impressive. The steak inside was tender and really delicious along with the awesome taste of the corn. Employees are courteous and always smiling. Carbon remains consistent.

    2 fish tacos. Just a snack for us.
    Lisa P.

    Tacos are such a treat; hand-held, versatile, deliciousness that can be filled with anything your heart desires. Was in the area and decided to try the fish tacos. Made to order but worth the wait. Carbon uses cod and it's crusted with tortillas, served on a flour tortilla with cabbage and cilantro lime sauce. One taco is filling as they use a generous portion of fish. Next time I will try it with the corn tortilla and less sauce. There was a couple that sat down to eat and was served huge taco salads in tortilla bowls. It looked amazing. I'll have to try that as well.

    Key lime pie
    Akshay S.

    I tried their Chicken Burrito & Key lime pie, loved both. Wish they were a little less expensive though, but still, amazing food!!

    Leftover catering tray from Carbon including corn, steak, chicken, rice
    Michelle G.

    I have to preface this by saying I have never once eaten in any of Carbon's locations, but I have attended events where Carbon was catered countless times in my life. It was a popular catering option in college because it feeds so many people with great prices, and I most recently had it catered at a professional event. Is it my go-to for Mexican food? No definitely not, but it's definitely a good place to feed a group. I love their corn so much that even my colleagues know this about me. Their chips are also good and they have so many yummy sauces that come with it. If you ever want affordable catering to feed a group of people, Carbon is the place to go.

    Angela H.

    Food spectacular, service so friendly and consistent. The atmosphere makes it an experience. First timer and I'll be back consistently! But, back to the food! So delicious and savory! The drinks were delightful. I had the strawberry maguerita

    Amber J.

    The food is amazingly delicious. The staff are awesome. The environment is warm and welcoming. The Birria tacos are outstanding and full of flavor. And the mixed berry margaritas are out this world. I definitely recommend !!!!

    Jess H.

    Carbon Mexican Grill is my office's go-to for catered meetings, and it's always been so good that I had to try it on my own! I ordered the steak burrito bowl, which came in a crispy shell--so tasty! The meat is seasoned perfectly, and I'm a big fan of their elote as well. Great spot for flavorful, satisfying Mexican food!

    Premium Fire Grilled Steak Quesadilla and Tortilla Encrusted Tilapia Signature Taco
    Maricel J.

    I have eaten here before, but this is my first time writing a review. Every time I order from here, I always order anything steak. Today, I ordered the steak quesadilla, and since I love seafood, their tilapia taco sounded tasty, so I ordered one. Their steak is always tasty and cooked well. It comes with melted cheese, but you also have the option to add other ingredients, which I added onions, cilantro, and jalapenos. Jalapenos were hot! My choice of salsa was the picoso (hot). Next time I will try the roasted red pepper (medium) salsa. I wasn't sure what to expect from the tilapia taco, but the cabbage and lime sauce, make this taco delicious! Next time I order tacos or another quesadilla, it just might be tilapia instead of my beloved steak. The service was great as well. Someone from the restaurant called to let us know that our delivery would be about 15 minutes late, which was very much appreciated.

    3 tequila lime chicken tacos, 1 with cheese

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    7 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Loved dining outside and their food was in incredible Lots of parking by the bridge too!!!

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    2 years ago

    The food is always great here. They are friendly and fast. I had a bowl recently and it was delicious.

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    2 years ago

    Went to the Carbon cantina behind the regular restaurant. The food and service were great!

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Food was good but I got minor food poisoning from here. Probably have questionable food handling in the back.

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    6 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Cute little joint by China town. Great food! Part of Chicago's ambiance. Not a large restaurant but always busy.

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    3 years ago

    Love eating their food when I want a tasty night in! It's quick and easy and I haven't had a bad service experience yet

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    Page 2 of 17

    Ask the Community - Carbon

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    Ema

    Ema

    4.3
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    3.1 mi
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    Amazing food. I'm literally still thinking about the crispy mushrooms…read more I just wish the menu had marking for which dishes are vegetarian. It's great that our (lovely and attentive) waiter knew that the chocolate cake wasn't suitable for vegetarians, but I shouldn't have had to ask.

    Some friends and I were in town for a birthday and decided we wanted to do the riverboat…read morearchitecture tour. Our friend group is split between two groups. The 1st that plans ahead and gets to places early. And the 2nd that is there for a good time but always gets everywhere late. Those of us that wanted to come early and not worry decided that we wanted to go to a restaurant close by to wait for our tour time and that's how we found Ema. As soon as we walk inside we see how beautiful and modern the interior looks. They had a lot of seating available and we got a nice table by the window with a view We wanted to eat light before the tour so we shared a bunch of small plates. We ordered the mushroom escargot, lemon Caesar, crispy potatoes, a couple orders of hummus and some chicken kebabs. That mushroom escargot was one of my favorite things I ate during the entire Chicago trip. The mushrooms were creamy and rich. It tasted umami, bright from the lemon, slightly spicy from the Calabrian breadcrumbs, and paired perfectly with some warm pita bread on the side. The hummus was smooth and well seasoned. The lemon caesar was fresh and fairly standard. The crispy potatoes were perfectly textured and were soft and pillowy on the inside. As long as they sat on the table they never lost their crisp. The chicken kebabs were tenderly, juicy and garlicky. We were all putting together our perfect bite combinations with the pita bread. Everything we ordered I would actually order again. Though may want to try a different salad next time since the Caesar was pretty simple. Regardless, still no real complaints with the food Our server was charismatic and funny. He had a great attitude and entertained us throughout the meal. Everything came out promptly as well so we made it out and could take our time walking to the riverboats. Lucky for our friends the tour said they'd be docked for a few minutes after our scheduled start time to set everything up. As 3 minutes after our start time we see group 2 sprinting up from a couple blocks away Overall Ema was consistent, flavorful and reliable. Not a bad price point either for what you get. I'd definitely recommend and come back

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    Ema tables and bar
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    Double chocolate.
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    Doc B's Restaurant + Bar

    Doc B's Restaurant + Bar

    4.3
    (1.2k reviews)
    3.2 mi
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    Roger was so great to us and so accommodating, we appreciated it so much! We do wish there was some…read morecoke zero, but other than that the vibe was good, it wasn't too busy or overwhelming, and the fries were delicious! I'm pretty sure the other location has coke zero, so it would be great if they could get some here as well. All in all, great!

    Great experience all around! We arrived for lunch on a…read moreSaturday around 12:15p and didn't think to make reservations in advance. It was packed! Luckily the window high top bar-seats were available. Not great for catching up in conversation over a meal, but it was better than the a fast food place nearby. The food was great! We had the guacamole as an appetizer - if you don't like cilantro - you will want to avoid it. It was an interesting appetizer, as it came with sweet potato chips. Both were good...not sure it pairs well. (I saved the guacamole for my burger) I had the wedge burger, primarily for the egg. It was great! The burger was perfectly cooked as was the sunny side up egg. I ordered it with a side of fries. Perfectly cooked fries. They give huge portions. I was able to share with my friends. I ordered a cranberry and tonic for a beverage. It was great, however, they served it in a "bar" glass, so it was not a lot of liquid. I had to order two. I prefer pint glasses for non-alcohol beverages. Tasted great, just needed more. Prices are reasonable for a city restaurant. Without tip for 4 adults, 4 entrees and 1 appetizer and soda-water beverages. It came to about $130. Parking...If you can walk or take a ride share. It's the city and parking options aren't great.

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    The Smith

    The Smith

    4.2
    (827 reviews)
    3.0 mi
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    From the moment we walked in, everything was exceptional. The restaurant was extremely clean, the…read moreatmosphere was beautiful, and the service was top notch! We started with the Spicy Salmon Tartare, and it was absolutely delicious fresh, flavorful, and the perfect appetizer. For drinks, I had the Cucumber-Pineapple Mimosa and a Bloody Mary, and both were fantastic. The mimosa was refreshing and unique and the Bloody Mary was perfect and full of flavor. For my main meal I ordered the filet mignon Steak cooked medium rare with sunny side up eggs, home fries, and hollandaise sauce. The steak was cooked beautifully!! Very tender and melted in my mouth and so full of flavor. A huge shoutout to our server, Zach. He was truly amazing! He was attentive to every need and so friendly. He made sure we never had an empty drink. Our water and sparkling water were constantly refreshed, and our empty plates were cleared almost immediately. I also want to recognize Eric, the General Manager, and Kiffa, the manager, who both stopped by our table and introduced themselves to us throughout our meal to make sure everything was perfect. The restaurant was busy, but you never would have known it because of the level of hospitality. It really stood out and made us feel valued that we were there. Sorry for the long review.. But finally, compliments to the chef and culinary team. Whoever created this menu did an outstanding job and deserves recognition as well. Every dish and drink was thoughtfully prepared. We were a party of five, and everyone ordered something different, yet every single item was beautifully presented. The food, drinks, service, and hospitality were all outstanding. The Smith exceeded our expectations and we will absolutely be back. Highly recommend!

    I had one of the best salads in recent memory during a business lunch at The Smith…read more I went to The Smith for the first time with a small group of colleagues on a beautiful summer day. We were seated near the open windows in a pleasant and airy space. While I don't normally order salads, the sugar snap chicken salad caught my eye. It had a terrific balance of flavors: a base of arugula nicely dressed with a lemon vinaigrette and tossed with sliced snap peas and fennel, well-seasoned grilled chicken, farro, and pistachios. The ingredients were all very fresh and complemented each other well. Colleagues ordered the chicken sandwich and were very happy with it. Portions all around were generous. This is a place for a pretty hearty lunch rather than light bites. Service was friendly, though a little slow, and one of my colleagues had to remind them of her drink order. Prices were on the high side but not unusual for the neighborhood, and the high quality and size of my salad made me feel like the price point wasn't completely outrageous.

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    Crushed by Giants

    Crushed by Giants

    4.4
    (295 reviews)
    3.3 mi
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    Was craving a burger and a beer and with such a cool name, how could I not check this place out! I…read moresat at the bar around 5pm and it wasn't very busy. They played good music and wasn't too loud. You could easily carry on a conversation or , like me, continue listening to a podcast. By the time I finished, the place was completely full and a bit noisy, but not bad. I started out with a 10oz Birds of Prey Pilsner. It was very nice. Light and crisp and very easy to drink. I followed that up with Melodious Maibock and ordered the CBG burger with fries. I didn't have lunch so I dove right in and forgot to snap a photo. It was a very good smash burger. It was cooked well and I really liked the combination of pickled onion and caramelized onion. I didn't see it until later but you can add bacon. As much as I loved this burger, bacon would totally take it up a notch! I started chatting with the bartender about their different beers and decided to have the Super Melodious Jalapeño Maibock with the burger. It's soooo different, but in a good way. It paired so well with the burger. You get green bell pepper on the nose and a hint of it on the palate. When you swallow you get a little heat at the back of the throat. It was so good! Great bar. Great food. Great beer. Go check them out!

    Good, not great, beer…read more Good, not great, service. Awesome location! We only came for beer and sat at a table (bar was full). This place seems to be much better as a dinner spot. If you want to hang out at a brewery and drink amazing beer, I'd probably choose one of the other breweries in town.

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    Carbon - mexican - Updated August 2026

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