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    La Cecina

    3.5 (45 reviews)
    ModerateMexican
    Closed 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    Sandra G.

    I came here on my mom's recommendation and I hit the walls on my first bite. After a long day of work we both came here for something to eat. Our sever greeted us very friendly. I will say that it was a bit busy and our server took some time to take our orders but she apologized and I understood she was the only server for about 20 people and it was busy. Anyways, the coffee was amazing. Super fresh and really hot. I hate coffee and I loved it. I ordered the cecina sope and sorry for not snapping a pic but I was hungry and that sope was just waiting for me to dig in. I was full with one! The meat was thinly sliced but it had enough meat for me to savor. Their homemade salsa was spicy enough to give you a kick. I will definitely be coming back and trying more stuff. Please give this place a try you will not be disappointed.

    Cecina Special
    Diana G.

    *Note* They took the awning off so you might miss it like we did. Came here on New Years Day since it was one of the places open. It was bigger than I imagined. Horchata - This was pretty good. Not too sweet. Chicken Soup - Since I was sick, I went with a soup. It had a little kick to it and the meat was tender and not dry. Cecina Special - I've never had cecina before and it was a bit salty and good. Service was prompt. The waitress forgot my horchata and when my guy asked she apologized and went to get it right away. I have to say the prices are a bit higher than most places, but I would come back again. They do have daily specials too.

    jugo 7 vidas
    Arthur M.

    I rode my bike to 47th st. to eat at La Cecina. Its located in the Chicago neighborhood, "Back of the Yards," which refers to the old stockyards. The South Side has a lot of industry as reflected in the chemical smells. To start off I had the jugo 7 vidas- beet, celery, apple, orange, carrot, perejil and pineapple. Perejil is parsley. The drink tasted healthy and good but was too viscous to cleanse my throat from the ride down. Served first with warm tortilla chips and salsa de mulcajete. The caldo de pollo flavor was so bright. It helped that it was served with almost half a juicy lime plus lots of chopped onion and cilantro. The squash, zuchini, carrots and potatoes were also cut small. The broth flavor was light and it sang more with the vegetables than the meat. I drank a glass of horchata at this point- the house horchata had flecks of spice, really good. The torta ahogada was something I had to try- its the signature dish at my restaurant. Instead of pork carnitas, the meat we use, I ordered the torta with cecina. The specialty of La Cecina- salted cured thin cut steak. The tomato sauce was wicked spicy- the chile seeds are visible in the photo. The salty steak was cut by the spicy acidic sauce, creamy avocado and cooled off with sour cream. At my restaurant the torta ahogada is not available for take out- it is dine in only. There was some joy in taking my torta cecina ahogada to go for the 8 mile trek home.

    Tacos from left to right: La Cecina, Carne Asada, Al Pastor
    Natalie E.

    La Cecina is this little restaurant nestled in Back of the Yards. It's is a sit down restaurant and it was empty when we got there and we were seated right away. The waitress was very nice and honest about the size of the tacos. There were telenovelas playing on the tv in one corner and a few people in there that seemed familiar with the servers. It looked like it was going to be dope. I ended up getting 3 tacos: the cecina taco, the carne asado taco, and the al pastor. My friend and I had somewhat opposite experiences here - even though we were here together. I was STARVING on arrival so the first couple bites of my tacos were absolute heaven. However, that feeling faded for me to a steady - these tacos fit the bill. My friend, on the other hand, retained her high opinion throughout. Of the three, the Cecina was actually my least favorite - it didn't have as much flavor and I felt that the guac distracted me from the meat. I'm a fair weather friend of guac so maybe those of you that builds shrines for it will think differently. Overall, average but not bad by any means.

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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.

    La Cecina - mexican - Updated May 2026

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