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    La Cocina

    3.8 (60 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Order La Cocina Takeout or Delivery

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    LA COCINA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Outdoor seating
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - La Cocina

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    Drink menu.
    Tommy O.

    I visited here a few weeks ago as I am trying to find my go-to hole in the wall Mexican joint. I have eaten at La Cocina years ago way before COVID around 2017 and they changed quite a bit. I thought it only used to be just a fast food breakfast/lunch spot and now it has turned into a full service bar. The ambiance is modern/contemporary with a weird shaped bar and a decent amount of seating. The renovations/conversion to a bar are nice! I ordered carryout, but I was shocked to see the conversion to a bar so I decided to stay for a Margarita. There were some people at the bar as it was around the time of happy hour on a Friday. The Margarita was good and I ordered the steak quesadilla. The portion size was good, but the flour tortillas were a little dry. It needed a little bit more grease and oil. There was a ton of steak on it too, but it was also a tad dry and needed a little bit more flavor. I would recommend getting the corn tortillas and I would try a different type of meat next time. Although the food wasn't amazing, it did hit the spot. Overall, prices are cheap and the portion sizes are big. Service was great and the staff were very friendly. Since there are not really any hole in the wall spots in the West Loop, I will definitely try La Cocina again to support businesses in the Loop. Food is a-ok and the Margarita was good. Overall, if you are craving some good cheap Mexican food in the Loop, then check out La Cocina.

    Menu
    Marina C.

    I came here for lunch with my coworkers, and I ordered the burrito dinner. "Dinner" just means the plate will be served with rice and beans. Also, if you dine in, they will serve you a basket of chips. The food wasn't too special. The portions are large, but the quality of the food is so-so. My pastor burrito was pretty bland. Also, a lot of the pastor pieces in my burrito were the fatty pieces of pork that I don't really like. Rice and beans were decent, but nothing tasted very flavorful. The service is fine. They were pretty busy during lunch hour, so they didn't check on us, but it wasn't an issue because we pretty much could handle it on our own. Water and cups are at a side table that is self-serve. The ambiance is alright. It's quite loud. And the theme of the restaurant throws me off a bit. It's decorated like a miami-esque bar (i.e. tropical foliage, splattered pink wall paint) with a designated space for a DJ booth to the side. And I get that they appeal more to the "bar feel" at night. But then, during the day, it clashes with the restaurant vibe.

    Adrienne L.

    Excellent! Clean and fresh place. The salsas were great and the portions huge. The women's restroom was spotless. The place has a fun vibe. My husband doesn't eat cilantro and the kitchen was able to make accommodations.

    This is 6.00 worth of extra salsa
    Jana B.

    Ordered a burrito dinner from here an hour ago. I asked for extra salsa on the side, which they provided. two of those little sauce cups. AFTER THEY CHARGED ME AN ADDITIONAL 6.00. Barely even salsa, it's Franks Red Hot. Lol. What a joke. The burrito was also a loosely wrapped, wet, sloppy mess. Waste of money and Worst Mexican food I've had.

    Jeremy B.

    This review is only for weekday lunch but let me start by saying I'd love to come back for an evening meal or even happy hour! Considering there are at least three other other Mexican joints in the vicinity, La Cocina has some competition. But the awesome food, service and crisp interior of this particular joint will certainly have me coming back. The menu is fairly simple, and I love how you have the option to order either as a dinner or ala carte. Wanting to try multiple different things I went w the latter, and tried Steak tacos, a quesadilla and chicken tamale. All were excellent! My photo probably doesn't do it justice... The place is popular for carry out during lunch, but you can also dine in and if you do, you receive chips and salsa at your table and they bring the food to you after ordering at the counter. All the staff was super friendly and efficient. They have a little bar as well which was empty at lunch tho I felt it was a somewhat tempting me to order a margarita...on a Wednesday haha Overall an awesome place, highly recommend!

    Courtney H.

    Great lunch spot, very quick and efficient. Service was good and food was delicious! guacamole was one of the better guacs I've had in Chicago.

    Al pastor with cheese and onion only
    Bridget M.

    This place is phenomenal. Honestly, I've only ever had the pastor, because it's so good I can't bring myself to order anything else. Conveniently located in the loop, La Cocina brings real, authentic Mexican flavor to the table. Once seated, you're greeted by friendly faces from behind the bar and immediately served chips with 2 different salsas. The pastor is packed with flavor, the sweetness of pineapple and the perfect amount of sautéed onion. Served on fresh house made tortillas, you won't find anything better in this area. Right by my work. I've gone twice and will continue to go. Reasonably priced, incredibly fast and friendly service and delicious food. Support small businesses!!!

    taco dinner
    Karen K.

    I finally stopped in to the new La Cocina location and was pleasantly surprised. Improvements all around! A larger location, more fun and updated interior and higher quality food. Oh, and now they have a bar. I won't be getting a drink on my lunch break, but it gives it more of a restaurant feel than a "faster" food-type of Mexican restaurant. You order up at the bar, and they find you a table while you're ordering. The chips & salsa on the table was nice to munch on before our food arrived. They call your number but then they also bring the food right to your table. It was busy when we got there, but there were a few open tables so we got seated right away. I ordered the taco dinner with different 3 tacos (chicken, steak and pastor). All tasty! I put a little of the green salsa from our table onto my tacos and it provided the perfect bit of flavor and spice to my meal! I also loooove that they have refried BLACK BEANS and rice. I normally don't eat the beans and rice at these types of places because of how dried out and pasty they are, but these are soft and so good with a little salt and cheese on them. I'll be back!

    Amazing cocktails

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    Absolutely amazing food that was fast and affordable! Bartender was great and service was on point!

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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 Cocina - mexican - Updated May 2026

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