Amazing good service and ambience!! We are vegan/vegetarian and they accommodated. Food was fresh and delicious!

Found this gem last night and can't wait to go back with friends. Everything was complete perfection. Service, food, music and ambiance! Thank you for a wonderful evening. read more

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Good food fresh service good byob they charge 6$ for glasses and ice not bad on prices good atmosphere yes would definitely come back thk you read more

Nicely put together space; Erica is epitome of hostesses; servers, assistants very watchful, food is excellent and fresh. Scallops on cauliflower mash? Shrimp enchiladas with glorious sauce and touch of crema? And side salad too good! Beef, salmon, mole, fantastic guacamole, veggie salads? OMG. read more

What a surprise! Wonderful place, great Yelp find! Will be back for sure! Cute place, wonderful food and friendly service!

Hands down the absolute best! The food, service and atmosphere is top notch. Total gem, will definitely be back!! read more

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Small family owned joint with some of the best Mexican food I've had in Chicago! Walking in.. it's a smaller place but setup well with a view of the kitchen. They also have a nice patio and are BYOB! They are reservations only and usually very hard to get.. especially this month, they said. The Chefs son runs the FOH and does an exceptional job including menu recommendations & nice touches like a name tag on your table as well as excellent service! The menu is rather large for such a small joint & they're known for their Mole sauce. Starting out.. nice list of half a dozen appetizers & I had to try the Chicken Poblano Queso Fundido!? Cooked perfectly & easily one of the best things I've tasted this year. The main menu offers 8 dishes including Chefs special ribs, carne asada, enchiladas, tacos & 4 fish offerings!! Tried the Tampiquena & it was outstanding.. best Carne Asada I've had since Los Nopales closed down. Everything was cooked PERFECTLY & they were very busy...Hell, the Chef even made Jicama taste good! Hoping I can get back to try the rest of the menu if you know what I mean. MUST TRY!! Talk later read more

Great spot! Had the queso fundido app, wife had a steak dinner and I had the steak enchiladas with mole. The steak was so nice, great taste and NO GRISTLE! I always get so turned off when I bite a big piece of tough tissue, blah! Took some of the guac and chips home, couldn't stop eating the leftovers when I was already full. A gem in the hood!!! read more

El Xangarrito - Steak Enchiladas con Mole - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food hits on so many levels! Not one thing in the menu will disappoint or leave one not wanting more!! Family driven business that literally embodies mi casa es su casa. Service is impeccable, personal and beyond lovely. Authentic comida Mexicana. Indoor ambiance and outdoor patio is very romantic. BYOB is four dolla holla! Literally, you cannot go wrong here. They have my business for as long as I am alive. Thank you Erica and Rogelio for welcoming us into your culinary experience. Much love for El XANGARRITO!!!! Let's go!!!! read more

Great food. Great service. Beautiful restaurant. Definitely recommend. Mole was amazing read more

El Xangarrito - Flautas en mole - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great service and excellent food you'll find this gem a real delight! This is a BYOB restaurant.

Cute neighborhood gem. The enchiladas en mole were but the flautas en mole were better. We'll be back with our own tequila (it's BYOB). read more

El Xangarrito - Steak enchiladas en mole. - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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First visit! Everything was a 10/10. Service, ambiance, food presentation, and the flavors! Waiter was friendly and passionate about his job. I will definitely be coming more often! read more

Great food, great service, great ambiance. Tampiqueno and guacamole were great. Not sure why you need 85 characters to post a review.

I made a reservation last evening for 2 people at 8:15 inside. Upon arriving it was very busy but there were 2 tables free inside and we waited for 15 minutes until we were told that we would not be seated and the kitchen was closing, even though the hours stated that 10:00 was closing time. Needless to say we were extremely disappointed and had to find another place to go, which by that time was quite difficult. I can't imagine why the staff would accept a reservation and then not honor that request, especially when there were 2 tables available. Very sad because I've enjoyed the restaurant on a prior visit, and I had a friend visiting from out of state that was looking forward to the experience. read more

It is just a shame that this place is closing soon. My wife made reservations for a group of seven of us for my birthday and they were super nice to accommodate our group as the place is rather small. Well, the food was DELICIOUS, so flavorful and just an all around great experience. The staff was so nice,friendly and attentive. We met the owner and she was so very nice and gracious, made my birthday feel special! Like I said, it is just a shame that they are closing soon, hopefully they are able to get a larger place and re-open soon. What a gem that will surely be missed! read more

Service is perfection. Flavors are incredible. Enchiladas moritas will have you craving their unique flavor regularly. Mole samples are chefs kiss. I don't know what they put in their rice and beans but they are the best around. Go with a friend. You'll want to order it all to share ....and you should. read more

Great food. Great atmosphere. Great service. This local neighborhood spot needed only one meal to convince my wife and I of it being one of the best kept secrets around. Reservations are required as it is a small dining space, but making one will be worth the effort. read more

First visit was outstanding. The enchiladas morita special (shrimp, provolone and a smoky red sauce) was memorable, rich and highly recommended. The chicken fajitas were also above average, with the chicken perfectly done. Service was friendly and smooth. If I had one minor thing to complain about it would be that the salsa served with the chips was a bit bland for my tastes. Overall, great addition to the area and it's nice to see a place fill the void in slightly more upscale Mexican food in the area since old favorites there have closed. read more

Great food and service. A true neighborhood gem! Love that it's BYOB and has outdoor patio space.

Three friends and I have a birthday group. Every four months, I am tasked with finding a restaurant, usually in Chicago, that will make everyone happy and I certainly got lucky and found one in El Xangarrito, and this was several weeks before Steve Dalinsky extolled this restaurant's virtues in his Food Guy review on NBC news. This is not a white table cloth place. Nor is it in Fulton Market or River North and there is no celebrity chef, but what this restaurant has with it's small dining area, wooden tables, and small kitchen and three hard working men in the kitchen is wonderful tasting Mexican cuisine, excellent service by Jennifer and her staff of one,and a very low key and easy, casual vibe. Oh, and it's BYOB for 4 bucks. They provide cold glasses and what you need for your beverage of choice. Ok, the food. For appetizers we had the guacamole with chips, and mini flautas. Both nicely presented and very excellent. Everyone at the table was pleased. Oh, a basket of chips and a nicely spiced salsa hits the table when you are seated. For our main courses. I and one other had the Steak Enchiladas Mole. You have a choice of two great Moles. One sweet and one a bit spicy. We both chose the sweet dark mole which coved three wonderful and tasty enchiladas with sesame seeds on top. Our birthday guy opted for Enchiladas Morita which has shrimp inside. His dish had a beautifully presented sauce covering his three enchiladas. Lovely presentation. And our final member opted for Pollo en Mole. Two nice pieces of chicken topped with a red mole, with rice and green beans. Another great looking dish. Oh, all meals had a jicama side salad. Now service: Without good service a small place(maybe 10-11 tables tops) like this would flounder. Jennifer and the ever smiling young lady helping her handled all tables both inside and outside with ease. They gave all of our requests their attention and they were constantly available throughout dinner. Two of us had beer with our food and two others had drinks off the menu. Since this was a birthday, we had two choices of dessert and we chose the Key Lime pie which was made in house. It came with a candle and a Happy Birthday thingy on top. I have to say we made a good choice for our friends birthday dinner. Everyone raved about the food and we left content and happy. Oh, it was not break the bank as many of the restaurants in the above mentioned areas might be. I walked over to the kitchen area and gave a thank you to the chef owner. Running a small restaurant like this presents many challenges and I hope he and his nice staff take on every one of them. Chicago needs small unassuming storefront businesses like this and lovers of good Mexican food need a place like this. I live far from the restaurant but if I have the chance, I will come back. read more

What a delightful experience here at El Xangarrito. Their place was recommended by a friend. I love that the reservation has your name on the table when you arrive. The restaurant decor is calm and welcoming with a Mexican fusion in a cafe style. Very romantic! Their staff is not that good, they are shy, and can't answer some of the questions. But the food is elevated Mexican with wonderful flavors. Fair and reasonable dishes. Definitely will be back! read more

Love this place!! Staff is so friendly and the ambience is so cute. Went on Valentine's Day and the decorations were amazing. read more

The ambiance in here is very sweet and cozy. The service was attentive, friendly and fast! And the FOOD is the best part of this place. Extremely authentic and just delicious! I'm excited to come back :) read more

I can't believe I haven't reviewed El Xangarrito before now. Right down the block from where we live and quickly rose to the top of our list of favorite Chicago restaurants after our first visit. The menu! The food! The marvelous service - so friendly and helpful! The cozy atmosphere! Our hearts were broken when they took their hiatus and we thought they weren't coming back. We may be able to walk there, but for anyone else, it is well worth the drive. read more

Couldn't recommend this place more. The food is delicious, the staff is very friendly, and it's such a relaxed, trendy restaurant. It's a small space, so I recommend making a reservation to ensure you can be seated. It's also BYOB! Highly recommend the veggie fajitas - it's the best I've ever had. read more

El Xangarrito - Fajitas Veggie - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We're here visiting for the weekend and made an excellent choice to dine with El Xangarrito tonight. What a great find. The food was obviously made with first rate ingredients and an understanding of balance and subtlety even in fairly simple fare. The guacamole was nothing short of excellent as was the service. The mole did not displace all other flavors on the palate which is always worthy of note. Staff were friendly, informed, and present throughout the evening without ever interrupting the table. The attention to detail, including plating, showed. Outside dining was pleasant and the vibe was "neighborhood of literate laughers and undefeated parents" and fully the opposite of snooty. Ok-- I failed at capturing the feel but I tried! Two thoughts: "if I lived here I'd live here" and "who ARE these guys?" There must be a great story behind El Xangarrito. Recommended. read more

The outside dining is really nice here! The service is stellar and food is amazing! It's BYOB, which is awesome.

A beautiful hidden gem that doesn't know it's own worth yet, this sweetly brilliant small Mexican restaurant heals you with their kindness and food. Everyone who works there is gracious and attentive, and you can taste it in the food. I literally can't stop craving the seafood enchilada. I'm trying to limit myself to once every 2 weeks at this point. We loved the sweet plantain appetizer and the mole is complex, smoky and balanced. Even the little salad that comes on the side is bright and tasty. Other reviews are right about the size and popularity, but going a bit early worked well for us. read more

Always fabulous, love coming here, especially in summer and sitting outside. Always fabulous in cooler weather, too!

Undeniably the best Mexican food that I have eaten in the past 2 years. We would never have found this place had not consulted Yelp. We knew that we wanted Mexican. We knew that we needed Vegetarian options. We also wanted to find a place that offered outdoor patio seating due to the current pandemic. El Xangarrito did not disappoint. We highly recommend their Guacamole. Amazing. It is topped with queso fresco, roasted corn and tajin! The best that I have ever had. Even better than my own. I loved their Veggie Pastor tacos. They are made with portobello mushrooms, pickled onions, and roasted pineapples. I love the freshness of their mixed green salad with crispy Jicama side. My husband ordered their Chicken Verde and said that it was to die for. My son ordered their Veggie Enchiladas and was indifferent. This is a great place to bring friends and family. It is small, cozy, and BYOB if you are a drinker. We highly recommend. read more

Beautiful outdoor space! Food was fantastic and service was super friendly! It is also BYOB! Go here tonight!

We came back after 3 years and it is even better than it was then! Highly highly recommend!!!

El Xangarrito is great! After walking by there many times on our evening walks, my husband and I were excited to go in-person and try it out! Unfortunately, a positive covid test ruined the in-person plans this time, but we opted for delivery, as we were still excited to try everything. We got the Al pastor tacos, chicken quesadillas, veggie quesadillas, and plantains; everything was delicious! The food was also packed to perfection and was hot when we received it. I can't wait to go in-person in the future!! read more

Outstanding food, service and pretty cozy place. Highly recommended. The food is really well prepared and very tasty.

Delicious food! This is my favorite spot for a fun sit down Mexican dinner. The ceviche we had was perfectly seasoned and the sneak was cooked well and so tender. Bring your own drinks and enjoy the lovely patio. Ps. Shout out to the server who wears a little blue bow! Your service is so attentive and kind. read more

Its a cute small restaurant, the service was really friendly, everyone greeted us as soon as we walked in. The space was a little small for our stroller but they were really kind to make room for us. We had the ceviche which was really fresh and flavorful. The al pastor tacos were delicious as well, the only thing I would say would be that I would have liked the pork to be cooked more so it would be crispier but other than that, it was all very good! I would come here again read more

El Xangarrito - Traditional Pastor Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is incredible. We waited several weeks to get a reservation, and it was well worth the wait. The dining area is quaint; small, but so comfortable and cute. The service was outstanding: the person on the phone making the reservation, the hostess, and the server were exceptional. It's BYOB, so we brought margaritas, and the server not only garnished the glass with lime, but also asked what type of salt we'd like on the rim and replenished the ice halfway through the meal. The food fills your belly, but the service fills your heart! read more

Nothing like this Mexican food in Lincoln Sq. Their appetizer menu was delicious and creatively made! read more

First time dining at El Xangarrito and I was very impressed. Food was unique and delicious. Service was great! Will definitely be back