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    El Tecolote

    4.1 (27 reviews)
    ModerateMexican, Seafood
    Closed Closed

    El Tecolote Photos

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    EL TECOLOTE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - El Tecolote

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    a woman sitting at a table in a restaurant
    Lisa L.

    I recommend you come here for the seafood and nothing else. If you all you want to eat is tacos or tortas I recommend you go elsewhere because this is the place for good seafood! My sister and dad ordered the caldo de 7 mares. I ordered the camarón & pulpo enchipotleado....it is spicy! But I love spicy and it was sooooo good. Also your order comes with either a side of bread or tortillas. The bread is a bolillo toasted and buttered. The tortillas were not that great and were a little hard. We also tried the tostada de ceviche de pescado. It was very tasty. Paid street parking can be found but it's not as pricey as in the city. Very nice friendly staff. I will definitely be coming back when in the neighborhood.

    Michelada
    Daniel F.

    Food and drinks here are top notch. If you're new to mariscos definitely go for the coctel de camaron, I got the small and it was a decent amount of food. Their micheladas will bring you back to life and are good for anytime of the day. One of these days I really want to have the caguama sized one but the regular sized one is big enough to be shared. Portions are very fair and service is super friendly.

    Pico de Gallo Jarocho. Droooooollll! Perfect flavors
    Rosario G.

    Just went today with my husband and son. We are always picky with seafood places. Our 2 go to favorite seafood spots are far from each other and this one was right in between. We LOVED it! We first ordered micheladas (which we are picky about those too) and I had mine with cerveza Pacifico and my husband with Negra Modelo. We enjoyed them. The michelada mix was not overpowering at all. They were actually really smooth drinks. We then ordered the Pico de Gallo Jarocho as an appetizer which consists of shrimp, crab, octopus and fish in a Pico de Gallo and it was soooooo good. I ordered the Shrimp and Crab soup which had so much flavor and it was really hot. I made it very spicy with Habanero salsa. My son had a Torta de Asada. It was good but it wasn't' seafood. My husband ordered the Piña Rellena (Stuffed) and he said he loved the flavors. We give it a 10 out of 10 even though they only had 2 waiters and the place was practically full but we didn't mind. The prices of our dishes were actually cheaper than the other 2 spots we go too. I would love to go again.

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    2 months ago

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    4 years ago

    Their seafood is good, very good. The service was so slow even after I ordered in advance.

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    7 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Very great service, delicious food. Highly recommend trying their dishes, one of the best seafood places I've tried.

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    7 years ago

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    6 years ago

    Food is delish. My husband and I love it here. Great micheladas too! Slightly understaffed, but worth the wait.

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    11 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Awesome food every single time.!!! Never a miss. One of the better places for Mexican style seafood.

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    Ask the Community - El Tecolote

    I would like to have a late lunch here with my Mexican girl friend coming from southern California and I want to treat her to authentic food what's the best on the menu and how are the margaritas?

    They are supposed to be known for oysters. Better Margaritas across down the street at Don Pepe's.

    View All 2 Questions

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    El Xangarrito - Cheesecake

    El Xangarrito

    (216 reviews)

    Lincoln Square, Ravenswood

    Thanks to Yelp El Xangarrito has been on my list for sometime, and I was not disappointed. It is a…read morevery small family-owned Mexican restaurant but the seating does not make you feel cramped. We did make reservations/wait list and was seated immediately. We started off with chips and salsa, and the salsa was a bit too spicy for me, but everyone else enjoyed it. We started with the Chicken Poblano - a savory dish with creamy poblano sauce mixed with chicken and sliced poblano peppers topped with corn. We all enjoyed it. Most of the reviews recommended the enchiladas and we ordered a variety of them. The Enchiladas Poblanos stuffed with chicken and cheese. The poblano sauce was rich and smoky. We also had the Enchiladas Morita. They were filled with shrimp and cheese. It was so flavorful and the morita chile added so much flavor. Each dish was served with a side jicama salad. Their special was a shrimp pasta with lobster. It came with full lobster tail. The sauce was creamy and flavorful. It is also BYOB, which is a nice option. Service was excellent, friendly offered recommendations. This is probably one of my favorite Mexican restaurants and highly recommend.

    Xangaritto continues to be a beacon of delicious food and friendly hospitality. They switched…read moreowners about a year ago and the beginning was a little rocky but today was an amazing experience. I love coming here for the tampiquena and the enchiladas. The tamipquena is marinated in something delicious, pretty sure it includes adobo chiles, making the tamipquena flavorful and tender. The enchiladas have some of the best sauces. We especially love then poblano sauce on the chicken enchiladas. The enchiladas have some tender chicken and the sauce is slightly spicy and creamy. Everyone is super friendly, the waiting staff and chef take pride in their work and it shows. I continue to strongly recommend this place for a delicious dinner out. This is not your typical Mexican restaurant. It s a cozy elevated escape.

    5 Rabanitos - Chilaquiles verdes

    5 Rabanitos

    (828 reviews)

    $$

    Pilsen

    We're from LA, and this is our daughter's favorite Mexican restaurant near the loop after her four…read moreyears at SAIC. She was very excited for us to try it out. We arrived around 7:30 on a Friday night and the place was packed. We only had to wait 10-15 minutes, which passed quickly with the live Mariachi music. The food came out pretty quickly considering how busy it was. We got: - Margaritas -- piña mezcal, passion fruit and pepino. They were good but a little small for the price. - Pozole Pipian -- It has a verde base that's very light. Something that makes it unique is chicharrones on top. My daughter prefers pork over the chicken. - Carnitas Huarache -- good flavors but probably my least favorite of the meal. - Asada Torta -- this was my favorite dish of the night. The bread was really light and the meat wasn't tough at all. For dessert we got the churritos and Mexican bread pudding. Both were good but nothing special. All in all a great meal.

    Got delivery and it was a mixed bag…read more Tacos - 4.5/5. Al pastor, pibil and and chicken tinga all great. Flavorful and juicy. Would be incredible live. Empanadas Camaron - 3.5/5. Unusual with shrimp. Crispy shell. Better without the spicy sauce. Enchiladas mole rojo - 3/5. Decent mole sauce and flavors, but not distinctive. Veg pozole - 2/5. Overly spicy. Solid roasted veggies. But lacked flavor. Pescado à la Talla - 1.5/5. Way overcooked fish. Sauces were either bland or just spice. FYI gluten free by default due to the use of corn

    Manchamanteles Restaurant - Enchiladas Potosina

    Manchamanteles Restaurant

    (142 reviews)

    $$

    Bucktown

    Came here on Valentine's Day with a reservation, there were three of us, one kid. It was full of…read morefamilies, some couples. The had a tasting menu but we opted out of it. They give you a complimentary spicy trail mix. We started with the guacamole, it was okay. Then I got a traditional margarita, my partner got a pina colada with strawberries, and my kid got a pink lemonade (Marz Brewing made). The margarita was good, not strong but not too watery. For dinner I got the chicken fajitas, the waiter asked if I wanted just chicken which I though was odd because I ordered the chicken fajitas and I wasn't sure what he meant or if he meant no veggies, it came with veggies luckily. It also came with tortilla, corn, and a side of refried black beans with cojita, and rice. It was all okay. My partner got the lamb mole, it was sweet and savory, not spicy. And it came with tortillas. They have a lot of mole options, so if you're into that definitely come here to try! Overall it was just okay.

    Chef Geno Bahena is back in business, and his world famous moles are as complex and satisfying as…read moreever. I had the rack of lamb in mole negro, and it was delicious. Get it medium rare. Kelly had steak fajitas and deemed them amazing. The sopa Azteca is spicy and loaded with complex flavors. Huge portion, too, enough to share or take home. For dessert, the chocolate mole tart and the strawberry ice cream are superb. Palomas and margaritas are good, and the wine list is all very affordable. Get the Rioja or the Cotes du Rhone.

    Frontera Grill - Trio Ceviche

    Frontera Grill

    (2.8k reviews)

    $$

    Near North Side

    Delicious food, friendly waiter, militant hostess…read more We came to dinner before a standup performance downtown (Mateo Lane was hilarious, by the way). I arrived at the restaurant on time (4:30) and checked in with the hostess, who said I could only be seated when the entire group of three arrived. This seemed weird given the restaurant was pretty empty at this time, and ordinarily I'd order a drink while waiting at the table. Regardless, I went to Starbucks instead because I knew the other two were a few minutes behind. When I got back to the restaurant, my friend said the hostess told him we absolutely had to leave within 1.5 hours because we were late... which seemed odd because he may have checked in 15 minutes after our reservation, to an empty restaurant, that already refused to seat me on time. Regardless, the food was delicious. I had the Pollo in ChiChilo-- the mole was delicious, and I loved the chicken and sweet potato. I ordered the mole on the side, which seemed like a nice balance. Since the hostess wouldn't previously seat me, I had a lovely iced matcha latte with oat milk and half a pump of vanilla from Starbucks, which was a nice pairing. The waiter did ask if I wanted a shot of something with it, which seemed odd. Ambiance was cute, probably due for a renovation but seemed appropriate for most dining out occasions- dates, families, a day out in town. Note: the restaurant charges an automatic 20% gratuity which may explain the service. Keep this in mind to avoid tipping more than you intend. Overall, I would definitely come back, and the food and wait staff made up for the abrasive welcome.

    Food - pork tacos - excellent execution of tender pork belly. Every piece was so succulent and…read morefull of crisy pork goodness. Warm, homemade tortillas added to the perfect bite on top of flavor town green tomatillo salsa. The black beans was a good balance the rich pork flavors. Also, if the standard salsa was room tamed for.your liking; they have a good habanero salsa for the asking. Maybe too much foe most. Dessert- ice cream with fudge.. Great tasting of vanilla and chocolate, but wasnt quite over the top. The ice cream was nice and thick, but was a bit gritty for ice cream at an upscale place. Partly why I couldnt give it a perfect score. Service - attentive and intuitive. The waiter seems to know what we like and need without asking too much. Spicy pineapple Cocktail- good, strong, but not great. Couldn't really taste any pineapple. Cleanliness- clean and organized. Cost - affordable for special occasion. Restroom - fancy and clean. Ambiance - warm and relaxing, but a bit cheap with the vinyl or cheap wood veneer tables.

    El Tecolote - mexican - Updated May 2026

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