Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    La Esmeralda

    4.9 (9 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

    La Esmeralda Photos

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - La Esmeralda

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    8 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Mmmm Mmmm Great tacos!! A Must place to eat! It's a place ya just gotta go!! That is if you like tacos!!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    I cannot put words to how good this restaurant is. La esmeralda puts any mexican restaurant to shame. Very authentic and simple style inside

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Food is some of the best I've had. I get this everytime I'm in town, if not multiple times!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Ask the Community - La Esmeralda

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Mexican 229 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    La Familia - Chips and Salsa

    La Familia

    (71 reviews)

    $$

    When it comes to a place like this, which is clearly a family-run "mom-and-pop" shop, I want to be…read morea little more lenient. I recognize they are operating in a different environment, especially being over two hours away from the competition found in Chicago. In any case, I found myself hungry in Rock Falls, so I stopped in at La Familia. I had the opportunity to try a carnitas taco, an al pastor taco, and a tamale. I also ordered an horchata to drink. The food was a mixed bag, but with some notable high points. The highlight of the meal was the tamale. The exterior was soft and flavorful, and the interior was appropriately meaty with a good, mild flavor. I believe this was my first experience with a tamale, and it was an enjoyable one at that. For the tacos, I appreciated that the proteins, onion, and cilantro were all in balance and that they didn't skimp on the meat. I am a traditionalist and asked for my tacos with just onion and cilantro, rather than their standard of lettuce, tomato, and cheese. While the meat had a mild flavor and wasn't completely bland, it needed something more to stand on its own. To be fair, there is salsa, lime, and two varieties of El Yucateco hot sauce available. However, being the purist I am, it is my belief that food should be able to stand alone without condiments. That said, with these tacos, it felt like something was lacking--perhaps sauce, crema, or pineapple with the al pastor. I'd also like to call out the complimentary chips and salsa offered at the beginning of the meal. I loved that the salsa was served in a little spouted container and that the tortilla chips were clearly homemade. They were a bit unusual, with layers flaking off (not a bad thing, just not often seen in restaurants). I also liked that they had a little bit of salt... far too many places skip that, and how can you skip the salt? My horchata was an absolute delight with great flavor. It was a tad sweet for my taste, but that's more a matter of personal preference than a technical issue. The service was a major highlight. It was very kind, knowledgeable, and attentive. The staff was also quick and efficient. Final Verdict: La Familia is very solid and respectable as a family-run, home-cooking-style restaurant. While to be 100% honest it doesn't hold a candle to some of the things you might find in downtown Chicago, Pilsen, or Cicero, that isn't the expectation. With this in mind, it does its job well. While I'm not going to come all the way back to Rock Falls just to eat here, when I find myself in town, I can't say I would be totally against it.

    Phenomenal spot I travel quite a bit . It's hard to find good food around here and this is…read moredefinitely one that hit home for me. . And the service is incredible. Very clean.

    Cinco De Mayo - Two bean tostadas and a cheese enchilada

    Cinco De Mayo

    (3 reviews)

    My cousin and aunt rave about this place and brought me here for lunch. Oooo it's good…read more I like the interior of this restaurant. Festive decor and friendly staff. Nice clean bathroom. We were promptly greeted and given lunch and specials menus. The menu is enormous and plenty of choices for any palate. I found what I wanted, bean tostadas and cheese enchiladas. I love the finely shredded white cheese they sprinkled on top of the bean tostadas. I got the Vegetarian C plate which was $10.99. I admit I was not too crazy about the cheese enchilada but it was OK. I was pleased that the server allowed me to get another bean tostada in place of the bean burrito. We shared a bowl of white queso dip yummmmmm! Hot gooey deliciousness. It was a very generous serving and we took some of it home. Cousin got the Burrito Tapatio holy cow it is the biggest burrito ever!!!! There should be a warning on the menu to let customers know it is the size of your head. Seriously. It is enough for at least three meals. My aunt got some corn tacos which she enjoyed. Very reasonably priced and a tasty meal, great service.

    I lived in Southern California that has really good Mexican food. Currently live in Florida and…read morehad dinner when I was visiting this area. It was around 5:00pm and there was hardly any cars in front. Had the best taco in my life here. They had a nice portion of Guac and the Salsa and Chips were excellent. I would be a regular if it was near my home. By around 6:00pm, people started entering the place. Friendly staff too.

    Salamandra Restaurant - The potato and chorizo entree - you can see the red and green salsa in the background.

    Salamandra Restaurant

    (31 reviews)

    $

    --Location/Parking-- Great hole in the wall in Dixon. Plenty…read moreof street parking and parking lot. I don't see anyone checking parking. There wasn't an issue when we went during the dinner time. --Ambience-- Minimal, bright colors. Simple Mexican restaurant. Simple seating arrangement. You don't go for the deco. --Service/Staff-- Friendly staff that was excited to serve a big party at the last minute. I recommend because of how friendly the staff were and were very attentive to us. --Products/Service-- I had the beef tacos with a side of beans and rice. No issues. Nothing to write home about. I had tacos from Chicago to, LA to San Antonio. I can't compare the two because of the location. I would just keep your expectation on the food quality and taste. --Capacity-- Indoors can hold 30 plus people based on various table size. I believe they would get busy during the lunch crowd. We walked up with a big group and got seating with no issues. --Overall-- If you are in the area and looking for Mexican food. Nothing to go out of the way to. The food is okay or just average, but take into the context of the area and the choice of selection.

    Solid, good, authentic Mexican food. That is how I would describe Salamandra…read more I dropped in for lunch near noon. The place was busy, and got steadily busier. I was greeted and ordered my drink. A waitress came out and took my order - I decided to try their potato and chorizo entree. While I waited, an appropriate dish of tortilla chips and both red and green salsa were provided. The entree arrived with beans and rice. It was quite tasty - I used the red salsa to spice it up a little bit. The bathroom was nice and clean, and smelled clean. The restaurant itself was similarly clean. Table seating is available. If you are looking for authentic Mexican food, you can find it here.

    La Esmeralda - mexican - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...