We used this restaurant for last-minute catering (called the day before) and they absolutely came through. From start to finish, the experience was seamless and stress-free--no small feat when you're ordering on short notice. The food was fantastic: fresh, flavorful, and clearly made with care. Portions were extremely generous--we had more than enough for everyone, with leftovers to spare. They didn't skimp on anything, especially the abundance of sides. Salsas, chips, toppings, and extras were plentiful, which made it easy for everyone to customize their plates. Everything was packaged well, available to pick up on time and was a total crowd-pleaser. If you need catering in a pinch (or honestly, even if you don't), this place is reliable, delicious, and worth every penny. We will absolutely use them again. read more

We were visiting relatives in Illinois, and had asked my brother if there were any good Mexican restaurants in the area. He suggested El Primo, in Joliet, as he and his wife visit there for breakfast. He took us out for lunch. This place did not disappoint! We sat in the open area, outside of where the bar is located. My husband had the enchiladas supreme with beef and topped with green sauce and avocado, and I had the enchilada with chicken and red sauce. Both dishes included refried beans and rice. Our meals were delicious, and it was one of the best Mexican restaurants I have eaten at, in a very long time. We also had a margarita. They were huge! The waitress was very friendly and prompt with our order. The price for the amount of food was very reasonable, considering how much food they put on your plate. We will definitely come back there to eat, the next time we are in Illinois. read more

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El Primo is our new go to Mexican restaurant. I absolutely love everything about it. The chips, salsa, pickled onions, and hot pepper/ carrots are the bomb. The lunch specials are a fantastic deal. The flavors of the food and margaritas are fantastic! read more

El Primo Restaurant - Tostada lunch special includes a can of pop - Mexican Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

Best place to go for $1 taco Tuesdays and half off margs. Super nice staff and a guaranteed good time. read more

El Primo Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

La comida es espectacular! Y el servicio es excelente! Mi esposo ha pedido unos cuantos platos. Yo siempre pido los tacos de asada que me fascinan. Muy recomendado El ambiente es muy acogedor y un lugar perfecto para traer gente que esté visitando read more

Got here and approached immediately. Served hot cups with a mild tomato salsa, curtido(carrots and jalapenos) and spicy onions for food with two other salsas. The lunch specials come with rice and beans and a drink for 8.95. and on Tuesdays they have 1 dollar tacos. Everything was great and waitress was really nice and fast. Minus one point for beans and rice that tasted like nothing untill I added salt and salsa. read more

El Primo Restaurant - Taco lunch - Mexican Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

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Go there every weekend for breakfast. Food is great, chips, onion and carrots are also great. Need to try this place at night and sit outside on the patio. Strange to go inside , since I worked there 45 years ago when it was Stefanich's. read more

Comida esta muy rica. Unos de los pocos restaurantes con comida de buen savor en la area. Tacos están muy buenos con tortillas de mano. La carne charra tiene unos frijoles muy sabrosos encima de una carne asada. read more

This place was absolutely amazing!!! The food was so good and we loved almost everything we tried. I think the only thing we didn't care for was the carnita tacos. But the steak and birria ones were so good! The server was so nice and made us feel at home and welcomed. Definitely will be back read more

GREAT food! Good service! Love the ambiance! Come hungry because the portions are big! read more

Excellent food Great service Take out orders Always correct Staff very friendly and knowledgeable Clean read more

Love this place after our first visit this week. Excellent food and adult drinks. Service is awesome even with a little bit of a language barrier for for us that don't speak Spanish. Will be going back soon! read more

El Primo Restaurant - The best fried ice cream...only if you have room left! - Mexican Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

Went to El Primo on a Thursday night. Got there $1.50 taco special. The tacos were absolutely amazing. I tried Chicken, Steak, and Al Pastor tacos. Honestly the best chicken tacos I've had at a taco place in the states. The service was good and they had live music. read more

Ordered through DoorDash carnita taco dinner and it was really good definitely recommend

Fantastic service and food. Margaritas are on point and so tasty. Salsa and chips are always fresh and can't go wrong with tacos. Our go to place for sure. read more

I've only had the tacos and they were fantastic. I've been back 4 or 5 time since I first went there. My friend Carlos recommended this place when i asked him where the best tacos were in Joliet. I am glad I took his advice. I love this place. The staff is extremely friendly and the have a very nice setup with a full liquor bar. This is my go to place for lunch when I want some fire tacos. read more

After a quick Yelp search for Mexican food near Crest Hill, it revealed Primo's. We found the food was delicious, we just felt out of place. We were the only Gringos in there on a busy Monday lunch crowd. The waitress wasn't too personable, she dropped off the menus and was back a minute later to take our order, we hadn't even opened it yet. She seemed upset and also overwhelmed. There was several tables that were stacked with dirty plates when we arrived and we were forced to sit at the community table, which wasn't a big deal. They have daily specials as well as weekday specials. I went with the number 7, two chicken enchiladas verde with beans and rice. I really like the flavor of the horchata too. Wasn't impressed with the salsa but the chips were good. Sis enjoyed her sopes. We both commented how fresh and tasty the chicken was, we also loved the rice. It doesn't appear they bring the bill to your table, you just get up and walk up to the register, when you're ready to leave. A strong 4.5 star. I will look forward to another visit. $1 tacos on Monday. read more

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El primo is ok restaurant tacos al vapor are good if you like those tacos and tripa tacos are good if you love asada tacos don't go there

Very nice little Mexican restaurant. We usually go here for lunch but I want to come for dinner when they have entertainment.

I love these two locations. Best flavor of a steak taco I have had ever.all other places are scrap just saying

Great service and delicious food!! Their queso Birria tacos are amazing and by far the best in the Chicago area

There food used to be so good and they actually used to listen to your order on door dash when they where on Broadway st & hickory . Taste went down hill , food taste old and fake . horchata taste like dish water . ): read more

Authentic Mexican food at its best! The minute you walk in this place and see all of the locals, you know you are in for a treat, and this place did not disappoint! It was a Saturday late morning, closer to noon time that we arrived. The smell of the food was as good as it gets. Are you in a hurry? Then give yourself a break and relax for some of the best authentic Mexican food you can eat. Service is a bit slow, but that's the way it should be, no rush no hurry.. Your in Mexico! lol... I had the Tampiquena, I know it spelled wrong but its the skirt steak and cheese enchiladas, rice, beans. Excellent! She had the Chicken fajitas, excellent as well. We both shared the shrimp cocktail.. delicious. The pricing cant be beat as well... Add in the fresh salsa, chips, carrots, jalapenos as complimentary.. you cant beat it. We will definitely be back ! read more

My boyfriend and I came here after a tour at the joliet prison and honestly were just hungry and wanted a cantarito and a margarita. The server, owner, food, and atmosphere were amazing. So hospitable we don't live in the area but definitely would travel just to come back. (: read more

I wouldnt recommend not going to the primo restaurant I have gone a couple times one time I order some tacos and oh my God it was just horrible next time that I went the beans were expired. oh my God it was just horrible I wouldnt recommend the restaurant I'm just letting you guys know because you're going to pay and even make you pay for things that you don't even eat that are spoiled is and bad so I would recommend primo this is my experience and some other fun friends of mine have mentioned it to thank you read more

I stopped here to grab a quick bite before class, Wednesday around 1:30 so we didn't have to wait for a seat or anything. We sat down and immediately got chips, salsa, pickled onions, carrots and jalapeños , this was honestly the highlight of my meal. On Wednesdays they have $1 tacos so of course I'm gonna take advantage of that. I ordered 2 steak, 1 pastor and 1 carnitas. Tried the carnitas first and it was mostly fat, it felt like It had beans in it, nope just fat. Wouldn't get those again. The pastor was dry and the steak was nothing special, the tacos were small but had a decent amount of meat. I wouldn't come back, this place isn't anything special. The service was good and that's why I'm putting a 3 instead of 2. read more

El Primo Restaurant - 2 steak tacos, 1 carnitas and 1 al pastor. $1 on Wednesday. - Mexican Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

The food is actually very good, although the customer service seems to be consistently poor when placing an order for pickup. On multiple occasions there appears to be a staff worker that picks up the phone and immediately hangs up. This happens multiple times a week. Cant seem to place an order. read more

Amazing food and a lot of it. I had 2 meals out of 1 burrito. Will be back very soon.

This is one of our favorite spots for Mexican. The cheese they put in their burritos and on their enchiladas is just so good. Service is excellent. The prices are great. We go here whenever we're in the mood for Mexican. read more

Food is always good, the waitresses are always nice and the pina colada and margarita drinks are on point.

The food is good but one time I came with my family and we picked a spot to sit and a waiter came and forced me and my family to sit at a table near the kitchen.Like c'mon,It wasn't like if anybody reserved the table.5 minutes later a small family came in and they sat in the table that we were originally supposed to sit in before we forced to move.I would just recommend plan to sit somewhere before the waiter comes and forces you to sit somewhere and that you'll probably don't like. read more

First time here and I will be definitely coming back! I ordered the supreme chicken enchiladas and my husband ordered the quesabirrias, they were phenomenal! read more

We have been driving past this place over and over again saying we were going to go there. We finally stopped in and the food was amazing and authentic the waitstaff make sure that you are taken care of every step of the way. It's a little place but the food is fantastic! read more

El Primo Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

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4.5 stars Food was amazing and quite cheap. We ordered a bunch of steak and al pastor tacos since it was $1 taco day (Monday and Wednesdays). Also ordered a refreshing Jamaica drink and a pambazo, which is an open-faced sandwich with bread saturated in red sauce filled with chorizo, potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, and shredded cheese. The 6 tacos had me waving the white flag as I wasn't able to tackle the sandwich. Not your typical taco, burrito greasy spoon as they had regional offerings that I can't seem to remember. I recommend giving this place a try! read more

My wife has been driving by this place for a few months. And she was jonesing for "real, authentic mexican food!". We walked in, and were told to seat ourselves. The waitress brought out chips and salsa, a couple bottles of sauce, spicy onions, and other mixed spicy vegetables... We placed our order and chitty chatted, until our food arrived. My wife ordered the Carne Charro, and I got the Tampiquena. My wifes came with 2 cheese quesadillas, rice, spicy beans, salad, and tortillas. My tampiquena came with 2 cheese enchilades, rice, refried beans, and tortillas. It was ALL excellent!! We were the only non spanish speakers in the place. All the TVs were on Spanish channels, but still the place kicked ass!! The food was great, and authentic. The salsa rocked. The service was great. The price was great! We will be back!! read more

Highly recommend. I've been to some of the best Mexican spots all over Chicago and other areas. Im half Mexican and have made handmade tortillas, sopes, enchiladas etc. I can honestly say this is an authentic Mexican joint. They knocked the Pastor tostada out of the park. Carnitas taco was delicious. Horchata was great. Steak was good. Above avg. However they didn't know how to make a sope. Was in the shape of a tostada and the cook did not let the sope dry so it can harden. However that being said this place gets 4 stars and a half. I will be going back soon! read more

El Primo Restaurant - Tostada de Pastor - Mexican Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

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Ate the food so fast I forgot to take a picture! You can't go wrong with the Launga or steak tacos. Piping hot and prime A top notch fire level status authentic Mexican! Will be coming back soon to try other dishes. read more

great hospitality !!! food is delicious and fresh . i will definetly be back here for sure read more

El Primo Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

We had the taco cart come out to our baby shower this past weekend. Holy hell were they delicious!! The service was amazing, numerous choices for the tacos, and just all around excellence. I tell everyone El Primo has the best tacos and everyone that tries them agrees how amazing they are. Everytime I go to the restaurant, I need help walking out because of how full I am. Stop what you are doing, get some El Primo, and never go to another Mexican restaurant again. read more

Tacos were good and with plenty of meat. Service is friendly. Small location BUT doesn't feel crowded. Salsas were very tasty too.