The food was pretty good...the wait staff wasn't that friendly. I got a lime margarita and tacos.

Mexican food here for us gringos is always superb. The last time we visited, we had queso fundido and pork nachitos as appetizers. And as per usual, my guest and I had the tasty pork taco dinners. The service here is always excellent. If there is a criticism, it is the margaritas. I always order the pitcher of margaritas on the rocks (which by the way, is not cheap). It is consistently watered down, to the point that I question whether it contains any tequila at all. Granted, I should know better, but each time I hope it gets better. It doesn't. Muy decepcionado! read more

I have ordered from this place a couple of times. the food is fresh! the best rice and beans in Hammond and the chicken tacos are amazing! the staff is very nice and efficient with very pleasant phone etiquette. Defienetly my place from here forward! read more

Great food. Print friendly service. Great place to celebrate with a large group of friends and family.

Zero stars if possible. Extremely poor service. Walked in , was given some Chips and warm ketchup which I assumed was supposed to be salsa. Nonetheless, I sat there reluctantly picking at this sauce because Noone came to ask if I wanted at least a glass of water. 20 minutes later still no water , and Noone asked if I was ordering food. I stood up to leave and placed 5 dollars on the table for the chips. My wife asked me to save my money, so I did. There are many restaurants in the area with the same menu. I was out of there and drinking lemonade elsewhere in 10 minutes. read more

I ordered Caldo de Rez and was very disappointed. The meat had a lot of fat the vegetables were hard. Will not go back.

I went back recently and had chile relleno, one of them stuffed with beef. I prefer the traditional cheese stuffed pepper, but the beef one was still decent. This place is still a favorite for Mexican in the area, and more of a traditional full service restaurant with its own bar area, etc. read more

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LOVE THIS PLACE! I don't understand the three star rating. I'm from St. Louis, when I come to the windy this place is a must! The queso fun fido with chorizo is AH-MAZING! read more

The food is great. The service not so much.... My husband and I stopped in after work for a quick dinner. Our waitress came to take an order for an appetizer and our drinks. After she brought us our drinks we did not see her again. She did not come back to check on us, did not come back to take our dinner order, and I had to try to get her attention at least 4 times before she bothered to even look my way. She stopped at all the tables except ours and when I finally got her attention and asked for the bill she got an attitude with me. So like I said if you want a good meal get it to go. Their waitresses tend to ignore you.... And this is NOT the first time this has happened to us here. I only went back because I thought they where just busy because of the time of day. read more

Food was quite good, service was friendly but a bit scatterbrained. Our main server forgot the beans for one of the people and didn't come back to check until we we're almost done, and then left before another person at our table could order a second beer, but she was very pleasant. I had an enchilada suizo style(melted cheese) and a quesadilla, my mom had the sope dinner with two pork and one beef, my dad got pork burritos and my brother got two beef enchiladas and a hard shell taco. The enchilada were good, they had an brown sauce and shredded beef with potatoes mixed instead of the ground beef with red sauce that is typical with Tex mex. The pork was flavorful, the sopes were very good but not at all spicy. Didn't try the burritos but my dad seemed to enjoy them. The decor is definitely a lot-- think dozens of piñatas and brightly colored wooden parrots hanging all over the ceiling-- and it's on the darker side but neither really detracts from the experience. The salsa that was brought at the beginning really is closer to tomato paste than salsa and they brought a decent pico. I personally think it would have been better not having the salsa at all because it's the first impression and it was a little concerning to receive lackluster salsa at a Mexican restaurant. I think that if I had to come back to Hammond this would definitely be on the top of the list of restaurants to eat at. Would recommend. read more

Great food. Authentic down to the spices. And friendly service with a smile. Always a plus. Will be back here a few more times. See you there! read more

El Taco Real - Chicken and pork tacos with double rice. The pork tacos and rice are fantastic! - Mexican Near Me - Hammond, Indiana

Went here for an early dinner. I ordered a pork burrito and it was good, small but good. My wife ordered a pork taco on corn tortilla and got it on flower. Told the waitress and she got her one on corn witch I eat because I was still hungry after eating my small burrito. The service was ok. So if you're looking for an ok meal, this is the place for you.. read more

So on NewsBreak how good the food was I immediately order food was terrible beans were old rice not cooked well I'm paying for this meal days later from being sick. read more

People are talking about this place is authentic Mexican food? I beg to differ. I had the chicken enchilada Suiza's and the chicken was not seasoned, the beans and rice were bland. When we arrived we had salsa with our chips. You would've thought it was ketchup! I asked for something spicier, they brought out pico de gallo with chunky diced tomatoes which was even sweeter than the ketchup! Then I asked for something spicier. They then brought me something even sweeter than both the ketchup AND the pico de gallo claiming it was spicier! It could have easily passed as mild Valentina sauce! The waitress never came back to refill our water! Very disappointed! read more

El Taco Real...The legend of Hammond Mexican cuisine. I've heard of this place for years. Stopped in this evening for dinner. So, my first impression was this place looks very tired. It's clean, but old. Tacky lights and art...but i suppose that can be charming for some. For me, not so much. The service was fantastic. Maria our service was so sweet and genuine. She made you feel welcome. So this made me feel a little better. The menu is really not very exciting. It has all the traditional items. So not fancy or interesting. I started with a Margarita and it definitely had a kick. Of course i ordered patron on the rocks....it wasn't pre-mixed. This saves me the aggravation of ordered pre-mixed drinks. So nice start. The chips were good...not greasy. I ordered the pollo endiablado. I had very low expectations. The sauce was fantastic. The chicken was a little dry, but paired well with the sauce. The beans were very good. I have to admit i was pleasantly surprised. I couldn't see anything else on the menu interesting, but may try again. As the pollo was so good. Overall, a nice decision to go. read more

I love this place and have been going there for decades! The food is consistently delicious and the servers and staff are A+!

Best Mexican food and margaritas in northwest Indiana! I've been coming here my entire life, and have grown with the wait staff! I would HIGHLY recommend if you haven't tried yet!! read more

By far the best authentic Mexican restaurant in the Chicago area. I've been coming here ever since I was a kid. Their chips and dipping sauce are the best ever. Tostadas suizo style is my favorite thing to eat. Definitely recommend this place. read more

El Taco Real - Menu - Mexican Near Me - Hammond, Indiana

Our family has left the area, but anytime we drive near Chicago, we purposely go out of the way to pick this up. My boyfriend drinks the salsa like soup he loves it so much, but more importantly, the queso fon dido is one of my favorites! read more

My wife and I have been going to this place for some 25 plus years and when we are in the area, near the Calumet exit off of I80, we make it a point to stop in here. My kids which we brought here when they were young, come here with their families and our grandchildren. This is a testament to how good the food is has always been. I do have one suggestion though, for the steak tacos, strips of steak would be much better than small cutup pieces as they have a tendency to get hard making them to hard to chew. Otherwise, food is excellent. read more

Just left... pretty sure we were forgotten. We were seated right away and then sat for over 20 minutes. Not even a drink

El Taco Real. Real BAD. The first bite I took of the chips and salsa, I had a terrible flashback of a Mexican restaurant experience in New Buffalo Michigan during 1999. This is not real Mexican food. The first thing you'll notice is the chips and salsa: Dry unsalted bland chips from a bag, and the tomato sauce they refer to as "salsa." Then I ordered the Tostadas "The Works". Instead of your traditional tostadas with the ingredients on it, you get a crisp tortilla (not tasty at all) with beans and meat and cheese. I had gotten beef, chicken and pork on each of the 3 tostadas. Problem 1: The colorless lettuce and diced tomatoes were thrown off to the side on a separate plate with out-of-the-can dry beans and rice. Problem 2: My tostadas looked like mini pizza hut pizzas, and the cheese didn't taste like Chihuahua cheese. It kind of tasted a bit like mozzarella. I couldn't quite identify the cheese. Problem 3: No sour cream. No guacamole. No jalapenos. Nothing really here to compliment my tostadas except tomato sauce, which at this point I'd much rather have the Diablo Sauce from Bartolini's Italian Restaurant in Midlothian IL because at least that sauce tastes great and is spicy. Problem 4: One bite of the beef tostada and I had flashbacks to my elementary school in Chicago. It tasted like lunchroom cafeteria food. Chicken tasted like bland chicken. Pork tasted like it was out of a can with some red sauce - that was the best of the 3 which isn't saying much. Problem 5: The back bottom of the menu reads to please be courteous "if there is a long line to get in, someone is waiting for YOUR table." So basically, eat and Get the F out if we're busy. Problem 6.... oh nevermind, you know where I am going. HOUSTON WE HAVE PROBLEMS. Summary: El Taco Gringo. Otherwise "El Taco Real" is just plain sarcasm. The only thing real about this place is the non-authentic food and the check at the end of your meal. If you like this place, that's okay - not everyone likes real Mexican food. Gringos have to eat, too. read more

I would give this place no stars if I could. Sure it looks darn cute with all the birds hanging from the ceiling, the soft yellow lighting, and the wall paintings. But this is not Mexican food. The salsa is marinara sauce. GROSS! No spice, and no chunks of any real veggies/peppers/whatnot. I ordered a beef burrito which turned out to be CHILI in a flour tortilla! It tasted straight out of a Hormel Can 'o Chili... GROSS! I also had a margarita... Can I say Jose Cuervo Margarita Mix? (Not too gross, but really, I could have bought the bottle from the grocery store and poured it over ice myself.) This place is full of Gringo Locos! Best travel somewhere else if you like spicy, fresh, Mexican food. read more

My dinner here didn't begin well. We arrived about five-fifteen and found a line of people waiting to be seated. Who eats that early? Well apparently the people of Hammond do, and they all wanted Mexican food tonight. Finally someone came by to take our names, and Dawn and I went in search of the bathroom. It was easy to find because the whole bar area had that really unpleasant bathroom deodorizer smell, and the latch on my door didn't lock properly so that someone half walked in on me while I was busy. There also was apparently a near riot of young children in the bathroom while we were in our stalls, to the point where I was about to yell "Will you please curb your children?" when they left. Well finally we got seated, and ordered margaritas and an order of frijoles borrachos. That the salsa tasted like a roasted tomato sauce didn't bode well, but then we got the pico de gallo, cheese and jalapenos that is served only when you ask for it, and that was pretty darn good. The frijoles were wonderful! I'd never had anything quite like that, and I would love to have a place nearbly where I could get it again. Since I don't, I'll probably end up trying to find a good recipe for same. Jim, who loves huevos had the carne con chile especial, and Dawn and I both had the pozole. I tried the pork from Jim's plate and it was delicious, but it didn't come close to the awesomeness of the pozole, which had all these wonderful flavors and textures and even a combination of heat and cold going on with the shredded cabbage, radish onion and lemon wedges to add to the hot soup And believe me when I tell you that for most people the half order is more than sufficient! I'm a good eater and I couldn't finish even the half order. The margaritas were very nice. Nothing really special, but quite good. And the service was friendly and accommodating. Seriously, I don't think you can go wrong in this place if you truly enjoy Mexican or Tex-Mex food. read more

I've heard about this place since the 70's and thought it was the "rave".. Wow were we disappointed! They charge extra for more of their poor tasting salsa on the table that flavorless tomato sauce (not joking). The prices are high. The food did not look appealing and was burnt and salty. The food was also bland. The dessert was small and expensive. Spanish rice- packaged. Refried beans- canned. Chips- bagged. Margaritas- unnaturally chartreuse and sweet was weak and diluted. The place does not look clean either. I frequent a lot of Mexican restaurants and rate this one far below all of them. I would recommend a chain type establishment over this poor excuse for Mexican food. The "down and dirty" of it is the same people don't run it anymore, I hear the son or somebody who does not care about quality and fair prices and only greed is at the head of it. Check your bill twice because they may over charge, at least I was. It is not worth the drive here, so don't waste your precious time and hard earned money. Don't go here, hurt them in the cash register and maybe they will turn it around! read more

I was a little wary about going to eat lunch in Hammond. There isn't much around there beyond industrial facilities, fireworks shops and fast-food joints. However, the family was meeting in northwest Indiana, so we had to make do with the limited options. There certainly were not as many vegan options at El Taco Real (only one that I could tell) as are typically found at Mexican restaurants within the city of Chicago. They didn't joke about the veggie-only fajitas being enough for more than one person. I ended up with enough leftovers for about two more meals. There was a huge skillet of green peppers and onions, a plate of rice, lettuce, tomatoes and a lemon wedge, the tortillas and a bowl of beans. The refried beans have lard, but the whole beans don't. The restaurant made the substitution for me. Interesting little snack served with the chips before we ordered: Granny Smith apple, jicama and cucumbers in lemon juice. Random decor: There are wooden parrots and other tropical birds hanging from the ceiling about every foot. read more

If you only have one meal left before you perish, please, please, come here for the queso fundido with pork! You will move on to the after life with a full belly and a smile on your face. It is simply to die for. Warm, melty, creamy, salty, cheese with just the right amount of sauce and hunks of indescribably tender, pork. You ladle a healthy portion of this into a warm tortilla. Wrap tightly into a little bundle of joy and welcome to amazingville. The pork tacos are fantastic. The ground beef enchilda suiza is so flavorful. The nachito appetizer with meat are great too. Have I mentioned the pork?!? It truly should be designated a national treasure. The recipe should be kept in the National Archives next to the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Epic in every way. The service is top notch. Many of the staff have been the for years and years and welcome you like family. Do yourself the favor and drive out to Hammond to explore this gem yourself. read more

Not the place it used to be. Now operated by the families children and they seem to only watch the cash register, ouch... Prices are just too high and the quality has suffered. Needs a good cleaning. read more

I seriously think that the only reason people are giving this place such high reviews is because it is *THE* original Mexican restaurant in Northwest Indiana. So all these white people in the area have been coming here for 30 years so they think it's all that and a bag of tortilla chips. It is good, but I can't say that it's the best. It's average, if anything. If you can think of a typical Mexican restaurant with tacos, burritos, and the usual on the menu, then this is it. Maybe the only difference is the whopper prices this place throws at ya. Seriously, $9 for 2 average tacos? read more

No horchata sold here. No carne asada tacos but a carne asada dinner. That's all I have to say. read more

Great mexican food! Their salsa is thin, warm and just the right amount of heat. Pico de gallo is perfect. Guacamole is creamy and chunky. Their fajitas for 2 leaves 2 more servings to take home. Great flavor. Their queso fundido is a must! This place is always packed and there is a good reason for it. Reasonable prices - 8 people 4 appetizers Side of guac, 2 sides of pico, endless chips and salsa 6 dinners 4 sodas 2 margaritas 1 beer 4 deserts = $120.00 read more

Family run with excellent service: the queso fundido is fantastic, all of our meals are delicious and we stop here whenever we travel to Chicago. We live in porter county and it is worth the stop every time. read more

I gave this place two stars because the food is highly over priced. As I was looking at the menu, I could not believe the prices for a taco. I got a chicken enchilada with rice. I thought the prices were ridiculous, because I did not get a meal but al la carte. As soon as my food came out, I began feeling constipated with all the cheese that was on the enchilada. I ordered one enchilada and there was more cheese. As I'm trying to eat, I had to dig through the levels of cheese before reaching the chicken or shell. At least for three or four bites all I ate was cheese, I could not believe how much cheese was on this one enchilada. I even began cutting it with a knife and I still couldn't reach any chicken. once I finally got to the chicken, I should have just stuck to the cheese. The chicken was so bland and I'm used to places using white meat chicken, but I did not have any white meat but only brown meat. As I was eating I thought it would get better, but nope didn't happen. I don't even think I saw a piece of shell because the cheese absorbed it. There's not much I can say about the rice because it was just that, rice. How can you really mess up rice, but whatever. The first course on the menu was chips and salsa with a side of pico de galo. I really liked the chips, they were fried well, very sturdy and crispy. However, the salsa that went with it was so soupy. I was like red water and bland, but the pico de galo was excellent. I felt that the pico de galo should have went into the salsa to give it some taste, but maybe the salsa was a hit and miss thing. I went to El Taco Real because my aunt just adores this restaurant, the people, and the food. Today she was very adamant about going to this restaurant, so I was open to it. The outside of the restaurant was nice; I thought the outside was inviting. However, the inside of the restaurant was not that inviting at all to me. It was dark inside and all of the seating was tight. I did like that the staff was constantly cleaning the restaurant. I really liked the cleanliness of this place. The employees were very friendly. All the staff was so inviting, they wanted to make the customers make the customers feel comfortable and enjoy their experiences while there. While we were eating they were attentive, and if we couldn't get our servers' attention and asked someone else to do something for us; our server rushed over to see what we needed. I really liked that because it showed that they somewhat cared. I have definitely had better food than this. I believe this restaurant only deserves one star, but with the great customer service, they'll get two. Never again will I subject myself to this type of misery. read more

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I have eaten quite a few tacos and assorted other Mexican fare and have to say that El Taco doesn't do it for me. My favorite part of this place is their pico/cheese/pickled jalapeno starter trio. They do a decent Enchilada plate, but like all of their dishes that I've had, the flavors are pretty bland. Their regular salsa appears to be Hunts tomato sauce fresh from the can. The margarita's are overly-sweet and a color of lime green that certainly doesn't appear in nature. You get a lot of food, but none of it does anything interesting, and definitely lacks the depth of flavor that I'd like. Finally, all of the employees are very nice and I have never had a bad experience with the level of service here. I guess I just don't understand the infatuation with this place. It's probably nostalgia for youth gone by more than really good food. read more

Cinco de Mayo. This Italian family wants Mexican. I haven't been here since 1985, but I remember it being delish. We were not disappointed. Wait staff was extremely friendly. Our kids ordered virgin drinks. Our oldest son, my husband and I ordered margaritas. Very yummy. The enchiladas were very good. I had the huevos rancheros. The pork served on the side was to die for, as was the flavorful ranchero sauce. Can't wait to return!! read more

El Taco Real - Strawberry margarita. Yum!!! - Mexican Near Me - Hammond, Indiana

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Has been a few years since I been here. Still one of the BEST Margaritas I ever had. (no mix here) Was just a little disappointed in Sopes. The Sope Cups were a little to thick, and the Pork filling which was very little was not to flavorful and and to much. And it was cubed not shredded. They still give you warm salsa with chips, but no jalapenos or Queso Cheese like before. My wife did LOVE the Enchiladas. Seems like everyone has to focus on FAST service. The waitresses were running around rushing. I hate that. I like taking my time. Maybe I just had the wrong thing. Hated to reevaluate this one the way I did. read more

I heard people talking about so had to try it. It's a real restaurant so nothing is cheap but reasonable. Food was ok. Hot sauce tasted exactly like tomato soup. The pico de gallo was fresh. Chips were ok. Tried chicken enchiladas with beans and rice. Came with no sour cream and guacamole. The enchiladas were so so and the sauce bland Came "cheese" but was dried powered cheese. I always had melted cheese every where. Staff was nice and friendly. Neighborhood seems nice. Another taco / pizza place is across the street. Place was clean but is very outdated and very dark inside even during the day. Price was .50 higher then the menu. Their is small dimly lit bar in back. I have eaten a lot better places all the time. I wouldn't come back. read more

You go here for pork tacos and queso fundido (with or without chorizo). You will NOT be disappointed. I've been coming here for over 20 years and those two things have not changed. They are still amazing. read more

ETR is ok. It's not great and I don't think it's worth the hype. I think some of you have been living in NW Indiana for too long. I've been there 3 times, the last time was in Sept. 2011 on my way back from South Bend and it was pouring outside. Wanting to get off the highway and get something to eat, I decided to stop in at ETR. As many have mentioned, this is not the best part of town. Also, the establishment is cheesy looking, but I think it's fairly clean. The chips and salsa they give you is embarrassing. The salsa looks like crappy tomato juice with no flavor whatsover. The food is decent. The queso appetizers are deadly, but some of the food is so bland and has stuff from a can used in it. I can make that myself at home. There's also some interesting people watching... read more

I realize I'm bucking the trend of high praise, but hear me out. Having been raised in Northwest Indiana,, I've frequented ETR over the years. They've been fairly consistent with their food, their service and their atmosphere. I must have been missing that particular something that makes people rave, b/c I tend to find that although the dishes have a little heavier, comfort-food quality to it, I'd have to say that the flavors lean toward the blander side of Mexican dishes. I've been to places around the entire Chicagoland area and in the Southwest that serve food that has a little more zing, a little more life, and that's without using peppers. For the market of NW Indiana, they rate near the top: I'd go to them before any of the other local and national chain restaurants any day (in fact, I would insist.) I just can't say that against the larger market of the entire Chicagoland area that they would be my first choice. If you happen to be in NW Indiana and you have a hankering for Mexican, by all means go; but if your final destination lies in Illinois, there are many more options worth choosing from. read more