Decent lunch place in the Loop. Nothing super special, but not half bad for a three dollar lunch. The food takes a few minutes to be prepared, but having a hot, flavorful lunch is more important to me than having something super, super quick and only mediocre. I love the sauces that come with the tacos-- my favorite is carne asada! Definitely worth a try, especially if you are already in the Loop! read more

Dear Owner: I think you should sell tortilla chips for $1 with to-go orders. You will make a lot more money. Lots of people like to use chips to eat the rice and beans that comes with the dinner combos. For dine-in customers, you're giving those chips away for free. For carry-out customers, the only option is to spend $2.50 on chips & salsa. No one is going to spend $2.50 on a full order of chips & salsa with their dinner combo. The WILL spend $1 on an order of just chips - chips you'd otherwise be giving away for free or simply not selling. Try it for 6 months and see if you notice a difference in your profits. I bet you will. Every time someone orders a dinner combo, have the cashiers ask, "Would you like to add chips for a dollar?" I don't know how much business you do in an average day, but I bet you'll get maybe 25 people to buy those chips. That's $25 a day, $125 a week, $500 a month, $6,000 a year in your pocket for something you weren't making hardly any money on before. Also, your quesadillas are too small - they should be full-size, not folded in half. That's cheating. read more

Great place to hit up for lunch in the loop - I always get their Taco salads which are huge - beans, lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, meat, salsa in a huge tortilla bowl - for only $5.50. Their portions are huge and it's good Americanized Mexican food for a cheap price. read more

La Cocina - a woman standing in front of a restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Aside from the chains, authentic Mexican food is rare downtown, which makes La Cocina more of an attraction than it would be in, um, real neighborhoods. This is high quality stuff. They have real horchata, Coke in bottles, serve you chips and salsa if you sit down (there's usually a wait for tables during peak hours) and the cute cashier calls you honey. I shy away from too much fried food, but the Sopes are really great. The burritos are big, and rice and beans above average. They always play disco music, a common trick with restaurants that want people to eat quickly and get out to keep turnover high. That's okay, I just bring my noise cancellation headphones, heh heh. read more

La Cocina - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Good price Good food Good lunch in the loop Clean read more

I think I finally found my Mexican joint downtown. My dislike of Taco Fresco is mainly due to their lack of the pork taco, which is one of my favorite things ever. And La Bamba has tacos that are closer to what I'm looking for, but their pork tacos are not the best item on the menu. So I finally realized there was a Mexican place across the street from work (how did I miss this?) and I tried it today. I got the Taco Dinner and decided to try the chicken, steak, and pork tacos. Chicken was kind of whatever, but I'm not a huge fan. The steak was excellent and the pork was just what I've been looking for! Plus a small serving of rice and beans for less than $7. Excellent. In addition, the woman taking my order was very sweet and she made sure to mention the exact toppings that would be placed on the tacos, which was helpful because you rarely know what you're going to get (cheese? Just lettuce and tomato, or cilantro too? There is little agreement from place to place). So she gave me a chance to opt out of any of the mentioned toppings, which was nice. I hate onions. I will be back as frequently as my wallet allows it. read more

Everyone knows the best coke comes from Mexico. That's the pop, not the nose candy. One of the little secrets about La Cocina is that in addition to your regular gringo coke, they also serve imported Coca-Cola from Mexico. It's in a glass bottle and says "Refresco" on the side. It's lighter, sweeter, and less syrupy than coke here in the States because it's made with real sugar. It doesn't give you that feeling like it's sticking to your teeth afterwards. I stopped in for lunch and ordered a chicken quesadilla dinner, which I ordered to go. It comes with a side of rice and beans. The rice was kinda meh, but the beans included some shredded cheese on the top; as if you didn't feel bad enough already. The chicken was flavorful and each quesadilla was a little bigger than a taco, but you get three of them. The cheese is melty and delicious, and their spicy green sauce is spicy enough to punch your taste buds in the face without knocking them on their ass. Though I took my food to go, I took the time to note that for a small restaurant located on the base floor of a parking garage, it's remarkably clean for a hole-in-the-wall-local type of restaurant, but not quite the "Taco Mall" environs you'll get at a place like Qdoba. I love it. It's places like this that I missed when I was living in St. Louis. Good thing Chicago has Mexicans! I will definitely be back. read more

Cheap, though the portions are kind of small, but since it's so cheap, you don't feel bad ordering a few items. I ordered the chicken quesadilla, and the shredded meat was well seasoned and marinated, as well as a pork gordita, which was pretty good as well, but I liked the chicken better. It's always good to find good, cheap spots downtown, and this is a cheaper alternative than Frontera Fresco when you are craving Mexican, and you don't have to deal with a huge line in the middle of lunch hour. read more

A reasonably priced lunch in the loop is... pretty much near impossible. It was refreshing to find this moderately priced non-chain restaurant so close to my office! A few co-workers and I decided to try this place- and even with it being jam packed, we managed to get a table in record time! I tried the pork taco salad and really enjoyed it. The pork was tender and not too fatty, so major bonus points there! The rest of the salad was good- nothing major to point out, but definitely satisfying. All of us enjoyed the meal, and would definitely go back to try something different. Oh, and they have REAL Mexican Coke. Awesome. read more

My main review is for the Franklin location, which is my primary lunch source, but we frequent the Wells location as well. Fast, cheap, flavorful Mexican food is the strength here. Plus, they get bonus points for kicking people out of their seats who sit and talk for 45 minutes after finishing eating. Hello: when it's lunch rush and you're in a place with 10 tables, don't dawdle, and don't get pissed off when you are asked to leave. Take a look at the line out the door and think next time! read more

This place is across the street from where I work. IT.IS.FABULOUS. If I want mexican food for lunch, this is definitely my go-to place. It's super authentic, and the people that work there are all incredibly friendly. I've never had a single thing from here that's not at least a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10, and I've literally had every single thing on the menu (seriously). If you work in the loop, or wind up in the loop, or feel like taking a field trip to the loop for mexican, GO HERE. read more

Friendly. Solid Food. Took Way Longer than Expected. The dining room was much brighter than I figured, latin dance music described in some other reviews was present and the place seemed pretty clean. Good so far. The guys in the kitchen were making tacos at a pace that met or exceeded the tempo of the dance music. It was fast. It was impressive. So far so good. However, as the minutes passed, and numbers beyond my #93 ticket began to be called out. It seemed like my ticket was lost in the shuffle. That was not so good. After a few minutes of debate, I spoke to the cashier. Within another minute or two I had my taco dinner. It took me a while to speak up, so my tacos took at least double the time I would expect of Chipotle or even my neighborhood Taquería. I would suggest ordering by phone if you are getting an order to go, or order some chips and enjoy the music - because this is not the fastest burrito in town. read more

I don't understand why this place doesn't at least have 4 stars! Tacos are $1.99 a piece, the carne asada and al pastor are both good (though I think there's more flavor with the al pastor). We've had sopes, tostadas, and the horchata--all good! It's a no frills sort of place; the waiter that we get never make small talk, and the staff doesn't often smile but the service is quick, the tables are clean, the salsa is good (and has a kick!)...and sometimes my lunch costs below $6...in the Loop? I may be one of the few, but I'm appreciative of La Cocina for my taco fix! read more

My go to taco spot in the loop! Delicious and quick! Always friendly staff and they just did a great remodel of the dinning area making it a lot brighter and clean looking! read more

La Cocina - Steak, chicken and pork tacos, pork is my favorite! - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Good, cheap mexican food. The portions are small so make sure to order enough. The pork tamales are my favorite, and the chips are great. read more

I've been coming here for years but today was different I ordered the green chilaquiles with the salsa warmed up on the side. OMG...AMAZING!!! read more

Love love love!!!! Frank is doing amazing things here and the food is amazing!! You should definitely stop by here for some real good quick Mexican food. read more

Authentic mexican food with Mexicans cooking it! Delicious, fresh, economical especially in downtown Chicago!

I've been three times, its close to work, fast, friendly service. It feels like a family is running the place and overall it seems as if they really work hard to deliver a decent product. I've had something different go slightly awry each time. First time the ground beef burrito was good but dripping in grease to the point that it stuck with me all day. The second time my order was wrong but again the food was good. The third time i was asked to leave because they needed the table for new customers. It felt really awkward to be pushed out of the restaurant so quickly. I'm going to look for and alternative place nearby in the hopes that less will go wrong. read more

I ordered 5 tacos to go, when I got back to the office I found out that they only gave me 4. The wrapping was super sloppy, the tacos were ok. I would have been satisfied if they hadn't forgotten the 5 th taco. Doubt I'll be coming back. read more

I love this place. It's a hidden gem right in the middle of the Loop. Even though it looks crazy busy when you go inside, they always manage to get you a table in seconds. The staff is all amazingly nice and even started remembering my order after only my first two visits. The decor could use a revamp, but I think the dive-ish appearance is what keeps it lowkey, and I kind of like having an A+ Mexican place where I can go a block from my office and never run into anyone I know. read more

By far the best chilaquiles I have ever had. I have been ordering from La Cocina 1-2 times a week for the past several months and can confidently say that it has ruined all other restaurants' chilaquiles for me. read more

This restaurant is not abiding by Covid guidelines at all. The server cleared a table and nothing else after two people had eaten there. He did not sanitize or even wipe down the table. In addition they have no restrooms. They also do not offer any hand sanitation or places to wash hands. They have salsa in dispensers that they give each table after they sit down but do not clean after use and give to the next person. There is no water unless you pay and everything is a quite overpriced. Very disappointing how this business is run and how it is violating public health guidelines. read more

They charge .35 for salsa? Not cool that should be included in any Mexican dish. The veggie enchiladas are just cheese? What is that?

Very good mexican food in the Loop area. Its about as authentic and traditional as its gonna get around this area. I had the sope dinner. A little pricey at $9 the plate but it was pretty good and made fresh. The mexican rice is excellent. The place is quite small and extremely crowded during lunch time. Id rather go at a later time or take-out. Definitely recommend. read more

This is an amazing Mexican food stop. I was looking for Mexican food as i was craving a hardy burrito and this place did not disappoint. They made the burrito to my liking. I would highly recommend the chorizo and eggs burrito but without the lettuce. I'm not a huge fan of lettuce so i never order a burrito with it. The chips they provide for you on the side are without a doubt delicious, especially with the green salsa. The service was great, very friendly family vibe and accommodating. Great place to eat for a great price. read more

Let me start off by saying that I'm Mexican and eat a lot of Mexican food. I've had good and bad. Now the review: Service: Horrible. The line was all the way to the door.(Not a big deal since it was lunch time after all). I made use of my time in line waiting by checking out what I thought was their menu. When I got to the counter, the guy seemed bothered by a simple question. I'm sorry but It's not my fault you're understaffed and that management hasn't considered adding a second cashier during lunch time peak hours. Their customer service was lacking, to say the least. But that's not really why I came here. I came here for the food so let's get to that part of the review. Food: HORRIBLE! I had a steak burrito dinner. It was perhaps the worst burrito I've ever had. The steak was overcooked and dry and had way too much fat. The burrito was stuffed with cheese even though that's not what the cashier told me it came with.(I hate cheese in my burritos.) It also came with lettuce(I love lettuce) and one small piece of tomato(Really?) The beans on the side were COLD and had onions in them.(Cold refried beans only means they were not made that day or had been sitting out for a while. I'm thinking they were from the day before) The rice was reheated. Yes, the rice wasn't made the day of. I've had plenty of Mexican rice and I can tell when I'm being served reheated rice. This is a big "No! No!" for us. I really wanted to like you La Cocina but I'm sorry. You disappointed with the food and service. I have no idea why people wait in line for such horrible food. Wow! read more

Real unpleasant when you see a cook touching food without gloves I'm not understanding that.... that's a big thing in the food industry their is classes for that!!! It's very disappointing especially because I use to eat their a lot. read more

Garbage Enchiladas with Ground Beef!!!!! Insult to the Mexican kitchen and traditions. If your trying to compete with Taco Bell then go on with your business practices. Your location is awesome nobody has a clue what real Mexican food so if you put enough sour cream, yellow cheese, and ground been anything they will love you. Any Mexican restaurant serving ground beef should not be able to call themselves Mexican. Unless you make traditional picadillo with raisins and potatoes. GARBAGE If your Mexican don't waste your money. If you are American you won't know the difference because all you like Sour Cream, Yellow Cheese, Guacamole and ground Beef. (This was an old post of mine but I lost my password. I wanted to post it under my new account) read more

We just ordered from here for lunch today and it was great!! We had a large order and called it in. No problems with the order and the food was soooo good. The super taco was my favorite. Avocado, sour cream, cheese, lettuce and tomato on top of perfectly grilled steak. MMMMMMMMM.........the guacamole was good too. The price was good for the Loop and the food was ready when I went to pick it up. What more could I ask for? I highly recommend La Cocina and I plan to try more of their food soon. read more

Just ordered a breakfast burrito through grub hub from here. I had a dirty piece of cardboard in my burrito. It was big enough that the cook making it definitely was not paying any attention to what he was doing or he would've seen it. Also the bacon in the burrito was so undercooked it was not edible. read more

La Cocina - Piece of dirty cardboard in my burrito. Absolutely disgusting. - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My review is on breakfast torta - I had the chorizo and egg and it was absolutely delicious! Usually chorizo is very greasy, but my sandwich wasn't greasy at all. The bread was nice and soft and all the fixins were fresh. It was a good portion size and well worth the $6.85. One thing I do wish is that the green hot sauce was a tad bit more hot. Service was friendly and very quick. There aren't many choices in the loop for authentic Mexican food, this place is a great find. I will be back to try the tacos for sure! read more

Came in for Carne Asada A La Tampiquena that I've been craving. They told me it was a 35 min wait. I was willing to wait cause it's what I wanted. They sit me down next to the door that has lots of traffic (not to forget its cold outside and I had to keep my coat on). I asked to move to another table and they told me no because tables were reserved. Finally I got my food. Excited to only bite into an extremely over seasoned meat which tasted like it was dipped in salt. Returned it and had to settle for tacos....the cook's response was "se me paso la maño". Horrible cook! read more

I recently moved to Chicago from Southern California and have been experiencing a major Mexican food withdrawal. After reading all the amazing reviews of La Cocina I very excitedly decided to grab some to-go for dinner only way home. I should have known something wasn't right when the guy mopping the floor when I came in headed back to the dirty kitchen to prepare my food (without washing his hands, by the way). Granted, it was 440pm and the place closes at 5, but it struck me odd that my food was presented to me within 30 seconds of ordering and I couldn't see anything actually being cooked in the kitchen, implying everything I had ordered had been sitting out for quite some time. I ignored these signs, and happily sat down at my kitchen counter to enjoy what I had been told by other Yelp users was delicious "authentic" Mexican cuisine. Yes, growing upon California where delicious Mexican food exists on every corner has made me a bit of a snob when it comes to this genre. However, I have ever in my life thrown away tacos-- let alone a plate of rice and beans-- as I had to do so after sampling my steak taco dinner from La Cocina. The tacos were lukewarm at best. The steak was rubbery with absolutely no flavor. And the beans. Don't get me started on the beans. I have never met a refried bean that I didn't like until that day. The amount of salt that was in the beans made my stomach curdle. To sum it up in one word, my dinner at La Cocina was INEDIBLE. The chips went nicely with my homemade quesadilla though! read more

Garbage Enchiladas with Ground Beef!!!!! Insult to the Mexican kitchen and traditions. If your trying to compete with Taco Bell then go on with your business practices. Your location is awesome nobody has a clue what real Mexican food so if you put enough sour cream, yellow cheese, and ground been anything they will love you. Any Mexican restaurant serving ground beef should not be able to call themselves Mexican. Unless you make traditional picadillo with raisins and potatoes. GARBAGE If your Mexican don't waste your money. If you are American you won't know the difference because all you like Sour Cream, Yellow Cheese, Guacamole and ground Beef. read more

Decent, affordable Mexican food for lunch in the loop. The food was a bit salty, but I love salt, so this was no problem for me. The place itself was cute and clean and had a fair amount of seating. read more

I used to really like this place, but now i don't want to ever go back. Their tacos are not authentic by using tiny flour tortillas and they top it off with lettuce, onion, and ONE square of tomato on each taco. It's horribly skimpy, cheap, and rude. 3 steak tacos =$8.07 Do not go. This owner needs a reality check. read more

La Cocina - ONE piece of tomato on each tiny flour taco. This is rude nonauthentic and cheap of the owner. - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Horrible place. Even the shittier north side Mexican places are WAY better. Their tortas for breakfast are simplistic and had no taste. Their chilaquiles are horrible as well. Their meat tastes like ground beef and their rice is dry. The only good about this place is their salsas and the Mexican coke. That's it! One of the ladies in the register has the this diva attitude. Oh I'm sorry I'm paying with my card and I made you work extra by swiping it. If you value your money don't come here. read more

I have been to this place a couple of times and I usually like it. but this time I got 2 steak tacos and the meat was burnt it was like eating wood. and the pieces that were not burnt was fat! I will think twice before I go here again. read more

My 2nd stop on my quest for the best enchiladas in the loop. And its the best stop yet by far. The cashier guy was nice enough to pause his cell phone conversation to take my order which is awesome. Seriously he was nice. I ordered the enchilada suizo dinner with an orange mexican pop. The mexican pop was great and the food came fast since I was the only one there at the time haha. The food was good but a little on the salty side which surprised me because I'm used to mexican food that relies on the peppers and other spices for flavoring. But it was good none the less. Everything tasted good from the tortilla chips to the bean dip to the rice to the main course. I wish the hot salsa was a littler spicier (I like it extra hot) but I can deal with it. This place would have gotten 5 stars if it wasn't for the saltiness but its still really delicious food and I cleaned my plate. My dinner costed $10.50 but the menu has variety and cheapy stuff like tacos and single enchiladas. I definitely recommend this place to anyone seeking mexican in the loop. Oh yeah and this place is clean and bright I think I came when it was about to close (at 3:30 pm??) so I didn't hear the techno that everyone talks about, I know I would've loved it but my lunch is late and long. read more