Came here on a Friday evening, with a big group from work (someone's going away party), the reason why we chose here was cuz they have a big back patio that accommodate big groups. I gotta say I love their back patio, and the narrow hallway that leads you from the front to the back, it had a bit "havana" feel to it. The back patio was really nicely decorated, with hanged lights, trees, it felt like being in someone's back yard, having a party. The food, for me it was just ok. Maybe having a Mexican husband and living in a Mexican household had spoiled my taste buds for Mexican food? But the flavor of the food was really blend. I had the taco dinner, ordered steak, lengua (beef tongue) and pasdor (pork), came with beans and rice, pretty standard, and it was just average. Would not go back for the food, and it's slightly pricy for Mexican flare... Their magarita, however, was excellent. Our waitresses, were also really good (we had a big group like 20 people, so I think we had 2 watresses). So overall, food was blend, decor was nice. They have a pretty cool bar on the 2nd floor, if I happen to be in the neighborhood I don't mind getting drinks there. read more

I have been to El Cid twice now and I wanted to throw up a review so that others can go enjoy this place! The first time I went there I wanted to sit outside but it was a little too chilly out so I was able to go back the other day and sit out back and it was perfect! Both times I shared a few pitchers of lime margaritas (yummmm!) $22 will get you a pitcher which I think is just fine, you can actually taste the tequila and lime, unlike some places that will charge you $30 and you do not feel like you are even drinking alcohol. The first time I went we shared chips and guac and I got the steak flautas for my entree. Sooo good. The second time I went we shared chips and guac and some appetizers....again, I cannot complain about the food. The first time the service was terrible, as our server was not attentive and I had to look around for her and even though other servers could tell that I was searching for my server, they did not stop to ask if I needed anything or to let her know I was looking, which I thought was rude. The second experience was much better and our server was very attentive. The second time around, the manager stopped by our table to check on us and chat for a few minutes. She was SOOO friendly and welcoming, it made the experience. It just shows more hospitality and that they actually care about their customers and I appreciate that. If you want yummy food and drinks and lets talk about this back patio for a second...AMAZING! You feel like you stepped out of the city for a minute, its relaxing back there and I definitely would go back for the outdoor space. read more

This is my third time here and my experience keeps getting better. This time I got a skirt steak burrito with green salsa and I gotta say for the price it was really good. I used to live in the neighborhood and the competition for Mexican cuisine is fierce, I'm actually disappointed I didn't discover this place when I lived by it. They have live music on Wednesday on the patio in back (this week was lounge music) and it is a nice touch. The service is friendly and prompt and even the manager Jana stopped by and introduced herself. She genuinely cared about our experience and even recognized our party from our previous visit (good experience that time as well) el cid 2 is a solid offering in the neighborhood and worth a try. I will be back again. read more

Sour cream in your guacamole = bad, bad Mexican food. Any Mexican who works here should hang their head in shame. Serving guacamole with sour cream in it is an abomination against Mexican food generally and the creamy natural deliciousness of the avocado in particular. I haven't had guacamole this bad since ordering it in France, but at least they used creme fraiche and at least it was totally my fault for going into a "mexican" restaurant in Champagne. I don't know what came over me that day and I take all the blame, but decent mexican food in Logan Square should not be a stretch. The rest of the food and the margaritas are bad, the guacamole will change your life - it will sap away just a little joy, just a little fulfillment, just a little hope. Stay away. read more

I have a love/hate relationship with El Cid. I go here out of convenience and habit more than anything else. The upstairs and the back patio are both great. The vibe is good, the atmosphere is festive. The downstairs is shabby and completely out of place with the rest of the restaurant; it just doesn't jive. The service is good; the owner is friendly and determined to please his customers. Sadly, the food is mediocre. Fish tacos might just be my favorite dish in the entire world, and theirs are rather "ehh" and bland, despite the framed article next to the downstairs bathroom which claims otherwise. The enchiladas are yummy, and the pico de galo might be the best in the city. Charges accrue for extra chips and pico, however, and the wine servings are incredibly stingy. The margaritas are great, but pretty expensive, as is everything, really. I wish I could love you, El Cid, I really do, but I need a little something more...(more spice, more umpf, something...) read more

I love Mexican food/Tex-Mex and El Cid has neither. The food is awful. The pico de gallo is sweet, like it has ketchup in it. No spice to it at all. Chips were boring. The papa rellenos are definitely made with instant mash potatoes, and not very good ones. Sauce on the side was absolutely french dressing with a kick of spice in it. Empanada filling was sparse and tasteless. Margaritas were 90% sour mix. Not sure if there was any alcohol in them at all. I could go on but you get the point. I only give two stars because the location is decent, right off the train and enough cabs around. They allowed us to have a large-ish group without gripe. And the decor and atmosphere are pretty good. In my opinion, this is not authentic Mexican food. read more

This was maybe the best burrito I've had all year. I did the roasted veggies burrito suizo, and even the server seemed to be surprised by how cheesy this thing was. Wow. read more

El Cid - Roasted Veggies Burrito Suizo - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Their outdoor seating is the greatest place in the entire world. I used to meet friends for a writing workshop here & we would eat & drink pitchers of beer/margaritas. I've only had great experiences here! read more

Twenty years ago I frequented the original El Cid near the Congress Theater. No longer around, the new El Cid 2 on Kedzie and Milwaukee in Logan Square still supplies the best carne asada tacos I've ever had. Nuff said. (Cute and polite waitresses a bonus) read more

El Cid - Back patio, cool and quiet. The place to be. - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Lets get this out of the way, when I'm sick, i love the shrimp soup take out. But, for the restaurant not so great. Used to be ok, now heading somewhere not great. Last meal was cold, not exciting, cooking olives in the martini!. Table was too small upstairs (stools, tall tables). If you can't seat for dinner, don't!. Rest of menu same old same old, try Las Palmas for some completely different Mexican menu items! read more

Short: Great Mexican place for those eaters who need 'mericanized Mexican food because they have kids who won't eat anything experimental. Long: I'm guessing it's pretty difficult to go out to eat with me, my poor lovely wife. My suffering friends. I'm a foodie. I want authentic everything. I don't want Americanized anything. I want salsa with obscure ingredients, little old ladies with visible gold teeth making my food, serving it, or double bonus points, making and serving my food. I like the restaurants that are filled with folks of that given nationality... Mexican, Korean, etc. And being from the East coast, which I constantly remind people even though I moved here in the late 80's, I of course only like thin crust pizza from a select few places (3 actually in all of Chicagoland if you were wondering), none of which deliver to my house. But I also have two kids under the age of 7. My kids don't seem to very picky about where we eat, so long as they can either have (a) a kiddy cocktail, (b) crayons and something to color on, and/or (c) desert they are happy. Hitherto this has limited my options. I've done what I can to introduce edgier places but they don't like it when I bring my own crayons. Congratulations El Cid, you guys made the cut, I like your food and my kids did too. Watching my youngest happily work his way through some cheese quesadillas and a plateful of refried beans made me almost tear up... I now have a Mexican place that the crew likes. I liked the steak fajitas, a very safe choice, but resolve to try other items on the menu next time. I'll try to signal my desire for the real experience, you know, something much spicier and funky, preferably served by a surly grandma who pretends not to understand English even though she's been here since the 70's. But for now, huzzah! Your upstairs is nicely appointed. My inner foodie in me yearned for rickety tables and faded linoleum, but my outer dad in me silently applauded. My wife liked it too. She's not a fan of places that proudly display gas station calenders, eating while sitting next to a gray-haired grandmama darning socks. So we'll work on this, we've got something going here. I'll be back, along with the picky brothers. I'll ignore the 30 something hipsters who were sitting at an adjacent table wearing matching flannel. I'll instead savor the opportunity to dine out and have Mexican food again, it's been way too long. Perhaps we can talk about El Milagro in Pilsen and a few ideas I have for my next meal. Can I call you? Gracias. read more

One of my friends said that being upstairs reminded him of a sushi restaurant. With electronic music, small tables and dark lighting I guess he had a point. The menu is divided in three with fancier entrees, cheaper texmexish fare, and delicious (at least in our case) appetizers. I went with a steak burrito which was on the cheap side of things at $6.95, but turned out to only be ok. I've had better burritos in NYC. GASP!!! Fortunately, our appetizers (bacon and ham wrapped shrimp and veggie chimichangas with guacamole) were rockin' awesome, and so were our (unfortunately a tad overpriced) organic margaritas. The first round of margaritas were perfectly balanced and full of the taste of delicious fresh lime juice. The second round was oddly stronger which elicited mixed reactions, since it was a weeknight and some were planning to accomplish work of some sort the next day. The service I should mention was very friendly and good, apart from an incident with a fork, and it'll sound more intriguing if I just leave it at that. read more

If God decided to make tacos for all his buddies (Jesus, Muhammad, Vishnu, not the holy ghost -- he's vegan, fuck that guy) They would probably taste something like the Tacos from El Cid. I went with friends for the first time Wednesday. Got Queso Fundido as a starter, because a plate of molten cheese is fucking smart. Super delicious. I got an enchilada for dinner, which heretofore I had never known was actually a DEEP FRIED BURRITO. A nobel prize to the mexican food engineer who discovered that. Decided to kick it up a notch by ordering it suezas (?might be spelled wrong) style, which means they smother that fucker in a pound of cheese. I have to imagine that there is a small sweatshop grating cheese 24/7 for this place. All in all, it was a DANGEROUSLY CHEESY dinner. As a side note, the margaritas we had were just OK, a bit to sweet and pre-made tasting for me. Doesn't affect the score because this place was already at a 6 after the food. eat here. read more

The more I go to El Cid, the less good it seems to be. Like the first time I went, I was really stoked. Delicious mojito! Cheap-ish and good veggie burrito! Nice servers! Its main feature is that it's a five minute walk from my apartment. The veggie burrito is pretty damned consistently good. However, splitting a check at El Cid is a freaking nightmare. I don't mind some restrictions on check-splitting because I know it's inconvenient, but it should not be this difficult to figure out when we write everything very clearly on the receipt. Also, why all the weird restrictions on where you can and can't have various sized beverages? Some places you can't have pitchers, other places you can't have smalls. Is it that complicated? I'm pretty sure all the drinks come from the same great drink in the sky and get poured into vessels in roughly the same way. The vegetarian options aside from the burrito are mostly so-so, and it seems to be a complete tossup whether you're going to get charged for things that supposedly come with your meal, or not. The owner (?) is very friendly as are most of the servers. El Cid is at its most charming in the summer when you can chill on the back patio with a pitcher of margaritas. The drinks are pretty great. The food is just ok, with the exception of the pico de gallo which gets a solid 5 stars - they make it fresh and you can tell, it's DELICIOUS. But for the most part, you go to El Cid (2!) because it's close and convenient and pretty good, but it's not really a destination. read more

Thought I would update this since it has been several years since I first came here. 2 stars for the atmosphere - they have a great back patio area in addition to their cozy upstairs. The service is also pretty good, and delivery is fairly quick. The food, on the other hand, it probably my least favorite Mexican food in the area. I have eaten here probably 8 - 10 times (my sister loves the place) and EVERY time, no matter what I get, I feel sick. Their rice and beans are completely mush and the flavor is wonky. I've tried quesadillas, tacos, enchiladas - nasty. read more

Very very gringo-friendly Mexicanish restaurant. Authentic to the style of restaurant you might take your kids to in Cancun. They do seem to try accommodate Gringo preferences -- they ask if cilantro and onion are OK, the menu says the beans are cooked with oil (but doesn't explicitly say they are not cooked with meat). But everything was very very bland. So bland it's boring. Menu says margaritas are not available by the pitcher on the patio (why??), but after we ordered it by the glass a bunch of tables got pitchers. I found this to be annoying. The margs themselves are clearly just mixes, nothing special and, objectively, kind of not that great. Service was friendly, reasonably prompt, and fluent in English. With one drink each, our tables bill was about $20 a head before tip. read more

You get knocked down hard for not opening your back patio on a fucking Saturday afternoon with no clouds in sight and temps in the 70's. Also, you're overpriced and getting a little too full of yourself. read more

This place is getting 3 stars because there is little that is more charming than margaritas on a patio in the summer. However, the rest of the experience wasn't as sweet. Our service was subpar (and the waitress completely impersonal) and the food we ordered was disappointing. We won't go back. read more

I love the tacos. Best chicken tacos ever after I have them do a little customizing to get them to my liking - and I'm probably the pickiest eater I know. My fiance loves the bean soup. The margaritas are usually pretty good too - I've had some that were better than others but you are going to get that anywhere you go! I recently moved out of Chicago but will make it a point to come back here when I am in town. read more

Visited for the first time yesterday evening for brother's bday. The service was awful. I ordered a burrito with mole. The mole was bland and my burrito was served cold. The shrimp cocktail appetizer tasted like plain ketchup with a splash of hotsauce. I got a sangria with no fruit in it. It tasted like some cheap Boones farm wine. This place has nice decor and flavorless food..that is served COLD. I will never go back. What a waste of money. This place is made for hipsters who don't know real food. Just a place to be seen..not a real dining experience, especially for the price. We should have went to a local mom and pops spot for some real food! El Cid 2 is garbage!!!!! There is no option for zero stars..cause they don't deserve a single one. read more

El Cid - The cold burrito. - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've visited this establishment in the past on several occasions. Unfortunately, this last visit was unacceptable. Our party of nine on a Friday night was served cold food. It surely put a dent in our evening. We were there for a celebration. When we asked for a manager the server told us they didn't have one on hand. If Yelp allowed us to rate zero stars I would. After coming here for years, we won't return. read more

Stopped in on a Saturday for a quick lunch. I found the burrito average for the area, but there are definitely better spots for mexican in the area. The girlfriend ordered the fish tacos which she thought were great. Too bad I didn't get the chance to sample them. I will go back again, but not before I try out some of the other mexican restaurants in the area. read more

yet another place tried just because of the wait at longman. some friends and i came here after putting our names in and it was pretty good! we got the fish tacos and regular steak tacos and they were both really good. the fish taco is as good as everyone says - get it! it's juicy and squishy and hot, just the way you want it to be. this is coming from someone who usually doesn't enjoy cooked fish. the other taco was normal in a way that was also good. on a whim, we got margaritas and a pina colada too. i had never had a pina colada with booze in it since i try to avoid sweet boozey drinks, but it was pretty good. i tried my friend's margarita, and it didn't make me gag, which is the most i can say for anything with tequila in it. the chips and salsa are really good, and the salsa verde is notable. i told myself i wasn't going to eat a bunch of chips (to save room for the main event) but it didn't work out because the salsa verde was too addicting. three of us were downstairs in a booth when two other friends decided to join us. we started pulling up a chair for our fifth person but the people working ran over and told us we couldn't move the chairs in a really panicked way. not sure what that was all about - maybe they had just gotten some kind of fire code violation thing for something similar? that was a real turnoff since we then had to squish into the booth we were already in. an explanation would have been nice. overall, the service was okay and the most of the food was fine. good for decent cheap snacks, and definitely better than the place next door for waiting. read more

All of the one star reviews here are people that have had drama with the service... people should stick to reviewing the food and not the personalities of the help because you might just be bad at talking to people. Anyways I get takeout from here at least once a week and the food is solid and well priced. Their beef soup is great they're al pastor is some of the best I've ever had and the food is made quickly. Actually very happy they're in my neighborhood. read more

There is little to really set this place apart from other mid priced Mexican restaurants, besides the outdoor seating and some pretty flowers. The food is fine, but nothing all that noteworthy. read more

El Cid - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Finally, Mexican food I was able to eat when I wasn't wasted. This was my weekly go to spot for margaritas, yummy chips and salsa and my favorite, carnitas tacos. The back patio is wonderful in the summer. However, I always seemed to go when it was raining so I'd end up sitting in the small dining all cramped. Service was always very good here and I came here enough so the waitresses all knew me. Definitely one of my favorites in the hood, which is saying a lot because there is a lot of fine Mexican food in Logan Square. read more

El Cid has some pretty decent Mexican food. There is plenty around in this area, but this is probably one of the nicer establishments. The big draw is the back outdoor patio. Even if I wasn't eating, it would still be a good place to hang and drink coronas. The food is plentiful, cheap, and pretty fresh. Of the 2 locations, this is the better one. (the food is about the same I guess), simply because of the outdoor area. And the service is friendly and quick. A well run place. read more

So my son's bestie chose this spot for a long overdue meetup b/t the two kiddos, very happy she did. They have a pretty great patio out back and really the only issue I had about the whole experience were the flies that were a bit pervasive at times. Apart from that, the food, quality, price, value, atmo etc were all good. If you like quality shrimp I suggest you get the basic Shrimp Tostada. Basic in price at around $4 but you get a ton of fresh shrimp plus avocado, LTO, beans and a kicked up sauce that rounds out the dish nicely. Also had the chicken tamale which I liked, but was a bit dry. Adult #2 had the Tamales as well and the kids had chicken tacos. Plates clean, satisfaction was the overall consensus. Comp chips come with a sweet pico and spicy verde the latter being my preference. [x] will be back read more

Food here is solid. Great service. $22 pitchers. Mango salsa... Yumm. Fajitas mixtas came with skirt steak, chicken, and shrimp. Everything was well seasoned and cooked perfectly. Corn tortillas are fresh. Chorizo tacos are the best here... A must try. read more

Average. The guacamole is pretty good and the lime margaritas were tasty, but I know there has to be better Mexican food in Logan Square. My fajita dinner was just eh. I've made better fajitas myself at home! The service was really good though. Overall I don't see myself running back here. Way too many other places to try! read more

I was in desperate need of some tamales a few nights ago. I also wasn't in the mood for trying a hit or miss shop that I knew nothing about, because I didn't want to be disappointed. Luckily El Cid 2 was open just a couple blocks from us, and we got an order to go. I enjoyed my tamales, the pork was what you would expect, but the chicken one also had long strips of green pepper in it and cheese, something I wasn't expecting but it was good. Their soft tacos were simple and good, but I was kind of disappointed in the chicken sandwich we got as well. The chicken was good, but then there was just some limp lettuce and tomato on a slightly soggy, chewy Italian bread loaf. Luckily they included some of their salsa, which I was able to just dump all over it to make it more edible. I just wish there had been more of the red salsa! I think there are many more Mexican places to try in the Logan Square area, so I'm going to keep searching for that place that is going to be my tamale heaven. read more

Wow! My husband and I were on our way to a Yelp event and the most convenient meeting point was the Logan Square Blue Line/Diversey Bus stop. We were starving and in a hurry, and you can see this place from the bus/train plaza so we decided to give it a shot. The back patio was really cute, and the food smelled great - we were already getting excited while waiting for the hostess to find us a table. The tables were so close to each other that we could hardly even sit in our chairs without elbowing the people at the tables next to us. (As it turns out, the food at this place is so bad that it wouldn't kill them to remove a table and make some breathing room). We ordered a pitcher of margarita. We were brought chips - and just in time since I was about to starve to death! But the salsa really wasn't very good - quite bland - and after we scarfed down one plate of chips they took away the salsa (I like using it on my entree :( - and I could have eaten another plate of them). At this point, it just felt stingy. I ordered the enchiladas with mole sauce. AWFUL. The mole was sweet and bland and there wasn't much of it. The corn tortillas were dry and the chicken inside was barely seasoned. The mexican rice was worse - it looked like they threw a bag of frozen veggies in the rice and then let it sit all day (the edges of the lima beans (wtf?) were crusty and dry). My husband had a burrito which wasn't half bad. The 2 stars go for his food as I would give it a 0. The service was slow and the people around us that sat after us received their food before us. It took a long time to get our order taken and for the food to show up. The wait staff kept trying to clear our food plates before we were done eating. If you're in such a hurry to get us out of there - man, this place stinks. There's so many good Mexican places in this city, so I see no point in ever going back. read more

I came here as a kid, but since kids don't know crap about food, I decided to come again as an adult. The food was pretty good, the tacos were fine, not great. I really did enjoy their mango margaritas, extremely refreshing for a hot summer day! I will come here again because it has a nice vibe to it, and I do love their outdoor patio. Lastly, the service was good, not amazing. It was difficult to get the attention of our waitress a couple of times. but the meal came out at a decent time. read more

Logan Square classic. For decades, this has been the go-to source of happiness in the Square. Right by the El!

This place has some great mexican at great prices. Is there anything else to talk about really? 34/52 read more

Awesome: Stews Fish Tacos Patio Wait-staff $$$$ (cheap) Right around the corner from us Okay: Guac (too salty) Tacos (too bland) Decor Burrito Not so good: Wierd sweet/ vinegar tasting salsa read more

A jump away from the Logan Square Blue Line stop and you've got savory fish tacos, or if you prefer land based toppings, try the al carbon, al pastor, choriso, or lengua (that's tongue - oh yeah, give it try), etc. Some of my other favs are the whole fried fish, tamales and sopes topped with anything they've got. Some of the menu is rather uninspired. I was never a fan of the burritos, and the chili relleno had some serious freezer burn, the straight-from-the-can octopus offerings can be a bit of a turn off, and the guacamole was too expensive for what it was worth... BUT if you head to the more authentic side of the menu, you have a treat (and a good buzz) that won't break the bank and keep you out in the neighborhood. The patio is the best - away from the street and nicely shaded with incense wafting through the gangway leading you in from the street. In the winter, when sadly, the patio has to close, the inside is warm and welcoming. It's a place you can go on a regular basis and always get a good bite. How I miss this place, but when in the Windy City, I head to Logan Square's El Cid 2. read more

Coming from SF, i have very high standards for mexican food. I can get a $5 burrito in the mission with chips and salsa that rivals $100 meals i've had. My review focuses on tacos and burritos. At El Cid 2, tacos are cheap ($2) and done well. Not mind blowing, meat is average to above average, the tortilla was better than average (not saying much, since so many places have bad tortillas), and salsa was slightly above average. I will definitely be back for more tacos and burritos, cuz its less than 2 blocks from my house. read more

yay! I'm totally into this place. The last few times I've been there the food has been subpar, but I've also had some great meals there as well. I personally think its the long winter that is drying out the cooking staff, but once warmer days appear, this place's meals can hit the spot right and knock your socks off...the Margaritas are super yummy. I'm looking forward to seeing the outdoor part open up, and the truly exceptional cooks coming back and making me another fine meal. read more

pitcher of frozen mango, yes thank you. Not quite the strongest I've had but what a primer to a night of binging! Kept it simple and cheap with a burrito to suffice. Was quite tasty and filling. Pico de gallo sauce, surprisingly sweet, sweet to the taste- i dug it. Hope to return for enchilladas and get my fill. read more