The absolute best tacos, burritos, Mexican food in town. It is a small Mexican supermarket and in…read morethe back corner they have a little restaurant with the best priced and best tasting Mexican food I've ever had!! I've moved here about a year ago and tried most the Mexican food in mchenry county hands down the best from here they never fail‼

Amazing great yummy!!! I love this restaurant so much I recommend awesome food I love it here!!!read more

Bring salt! Good atmosphere, good drinks(Mango Tango!), good service. Sadly, the food was…read moredisappointing: I ordered tacos and my husband ordered a Chile relleno burger; both were pretty tasteless. The proteins (beef and chicken) were not seasoned. Even the 'spicy' sauce for the tacos was bland. We had to request salt just to be able to eat what we ordered. However, the tableside guacamole and chips were good.

Date of visit: December 13, 2025…read more I love a good Mexican place, and as much as I enjoy Carlos's, it is good to have other options for when I go to visit my friend in the McHenry/Spring Grove area. The restaurant is very large with a variety of seating options including some interesting swings. I say interesting because it's really more of a novelty than anything; honestly, do you really want to have a seat that moves while you're eating chips with salsa? The menu is interesting, with a heavy focus on birria (think brisket, if you're unfamiliar) including in a dipped/fried taco as well as a grilled cheese sandwich, which is what I went with. While the meat in the sandwich was good, there was very little cheese to speak of, and that should be an important component of a grilled...cheese. However the chips and salsa were excellent, with some of the best chips I've had in quite some time, they really taste like more. In terms of the salsa, they are not lying with the "Diablo" in their name. If you are not a fan of spicy, stay away from the salsas as even the mild is fairly potent after a few chips. Also note that sour cream is available but doesn't tend to come WITH things by default, so be prepared to ask for that if it's a key part of your Mexican meals. Also disappointing, the tacos come with raw onions on top. This isn't mentioned on the menu, and was a very unwelcome addition to the dish. Service was a bit of a mixed bag; Jasmine was nice and attentive but struggled on some aspects, including telling us what the three salsas were when she brought them to the table, and saying that birria was a "biscuit," which thoroughly confused us. She asked if we wanted more chips and we declined, but then she brought more anyways.

This is a very nice Mexican place in Mchenry. The combo platter I had on my first visit was good…read morewith the chicken tamale, taco and enchilada. Salsa is nicely balanced and not too spicy for me. But rest assured, they have other salsas that are hotter. The fried tilapia I had my second visit was just exactly what I was craving. Crispy fish with warm tortillas. Really good. The people there are very warm and welcoming. They provided attentive service. My husband really liked it here too.

Went for dinner with friends. We got there and there was a few big parties so the service was a…read morelittle slow but no big deal. The staff was great and took care of us. And we were not in a rush. The food was much more flavorful this time. I have been a few times and thought I had reviewed in the past. I had fajitas they were on special. Very tasty with a nice flavor. The salsa was ok. The other people had tacos, burrito, and stark fajita I had the chicken. The only issue I had was the window was so cold and the draft coming in made it not comfortable to take my hoodie off.

Tacos El Norte in McHenry. The absolute best tacos anywhere…read more They also have the best chilies rellenos and wonderful shrimp soup on the weekends.

The Best Mexican food in McHenry ! They have fabulous Mango Margaritas with Tahin and Birrraria…read moreTacos are out of this world!

Authentic Mexican food with great service. We had carne asada tacos, sope de asada, and tostada de…read moreceviche de camarones, along with the complimentary chips and salsa. The tacos were flavorful and had warm fresh tortillas. The ceviche was excellent and so fresh. All the salsas we tried were obviously home made and very fresh and flavorful too. We both like spicy and loved the level of spice, so for some they may be a little hot. Highly, highly recommend as a great eat in lunch spot or big orders to go. We were there for about 45 mins for lunch and they had tons of to go orders! We will definitely be back to try more things because everything looked and smelled amazing.

How about some EXCELLENT Pozole soup on a cold day! Tacos are out of this world too. Great little…read moreplace. Wonderfully kind people. Great service. This is a must go to place. Please support local restaurants during COVID

Friends and i are on the hunt for the best tacos in mchenry... we decided to do a small taco tour…read morearound mchenry. out of the 3 places we went last tuesday (of course we had to do a taco tour on taco tuesday) Anyway, food was good we got a few different tacos to try. the steak taco was my favorite. i only order my tacos with cilantro and onion so i can not speak to the cheese i saw a previous yelper had an issue with. the food came out hot, quick and perfect. the decor is meh kinda looks like a hotstand with the old school booths and menu on the wall. def will be going back if im just interested in take out!

I used to come here all the time at least once a week. But no longer, I always order tacos with…read moreonions and cilantro and now the onions are chopped so large you get a bite of onion and it just ruins the whole taste of the taco you need to go back to slicing your onions really really small like you used to. But another important factor besides that is the price, I ordered two Taco dinners which wasn't so bad in itself at $32 however I also ordered one side of rice one side of beans and an 8 oz side of guacamole which came to $17 and some change. Really!!! That was crazy and I told that to the girl there at the counter and she nonchalantly replied oh well everything has gone up. Well I won't disagree with that but to charge that much for a scoop of rice in a scoop of beans and a side of guacamole well that was just too much for me. Needless to say after years of being a faithful customer I will no longer be patronizing this establishment. Alvarado has better food now and cheaper prices.

5 stars for The Patroons Mexican Restaurant!…read more From a distance, it looks like just some random hole in the wall restaurant in some mall shopping center. But once inside, you will realize the hidden gem of Mexican cuisine you found while visiting McHenry. The prices are all very reasonable, and the service was very friendly when I dined in. They give you complimentary chips and salsa to start with, and then I had the camarones chipotle and a La Diabla - both were delicious. The Diabla wasn't too hot but had a nice flavor/kick to it. Overall, I'd recommend a visit if you're in the area and want some great Mexican food.

I was here once before and so tonight I brought the wife. We both ordered a steak dish but…read moredifferent versions. We were both blown away at the quality and taste of all the items on our plate. The rice was fresh with a light taste of lime. The beans were hot and full of flavor and not totally blended and the salad dish was more of a avocado salad mix(fantastic) but the winner were the steaks! To start we asked for some pick and that was also a standout. It was an easy five star rating just on food alone but service was also top notch.

Still obsessed. Still the best Mexican restaurant in the area, and dare I say Lake County…read more Everything is just so dang good. My go to is the combo with a steak taco, chicken toasted, and cheese enchilada. My toddler son smashed the chips and salsa as well as a chicken taco!

The best freshly made chips! Everything is always so delicious. My carne asada gets cooked to…read moreperfection. The service is fast and friendly. Highly recommend!

Shout out to El Norteño Island Lake we have been going since they opened many years ago but tonight…read morewas the icing on the cake. We came in on a Sunday night with 25 people (we made a reservation prior for my son's birthday per his request) We were seated immediately. The service was on point and so was the food and drinks. They were already busy to begin with between other diners and takeout but our food took no time and there was not one mistake. Everyone had a good meal and we were all full at the end of dinner. Thank you for the birthday celebration!

Checked out this local Mexican restaurant in Island Lake. El Norteño is one of those kind of…read moresketchy looking places that actually is a lot better than it looks to be serious. It probably is the best Mexican restaurant in town. Actually might be the only one around. The prices are pretty good for the big portions. Basic looking place when going by. It's a restaurant that looks like it's been around a long time to be honest. They probably get a lot of business because there's not a lot of other places to eat around here that aren't fast food it seems. Basic looking inside. There's a good amount of tables. Any okay Mexican restaurant has to have alcohol. It's about $8 for a margarita. Pretty amazing prices. It's about $12 for the Veggie Fajita Burrito. This is filled with beans, cheese, green peppers, lettuce, onions, and tomatoes. I got it without cheese. This was pretty filling for a lunch. For sure it gives people a reason to come to this town of which there's not much going on around. It's even open in the morning. They'll make burritos and tacos for breakfast too if you really want it but whatever.