We had a large group for a Birthday party. It was in the early…read moreafternoon on a Saturday, so it was not really busy yet. They easily handled our big group and the service was excellent.We got Guac and Salsa Verde for the table, both made fresh on their mobile guac/salsa station, that was pretty cool. The guac was guac but the Salsa Verde was warm and fresh and super good, we got it mild as we had a lot of different people with different tastes. I was surprised by the.... call it the Authenticity of the menu. They had the standard tex mex stuff like burritos and enchiladas, but also a lot of things I have never seen or heard of. One thing I noticed walking in was the large amount of Nopales (cactus) cooking on the grill, so I really wanted something with Nopales. I settled on the Molcajete Mixto, which is an incredibly large pile of Chicken, Pork and Beef with red chili sauce, with peppers and onions, fresh cheese and Nopales served in a Molcajete. It was so so good, the meat had great flavor, all cooked perfectly and I took so much home I had it twice more. They also have homemade tortillas. It was one of the better restaurant meals I've had in a long time. My wife had a simple Taco salad with steak and it was just as good. I can't believe we had never been here. We certainly will be back and bring everyone I know. I hear they have maratchi on the weekends at night. There is so much more I want to try on the menu, it's a great location on the river. I don't understand the underwhelming yelp reviews, but I absolutely loved it.

This is my family's favorite place to celebrate everything. Usually we order the parrillada for 4…read moreand have more than enough to take home. The staff always goes above and beyond. We have told them about allergies and they are happy to be sure the grill is scraped and cleaned before cooking our order. The patio is lovely when weather permits.

I highly recommend Cocina 53. The server was professional and polite. She would ask us…read moreperiodically if we needed anything. Our meal had flavor, it was served warm and outstandingly delicious. It brought back memories of when our Grandma would serve us delicious homemade meals. The owner of the restaurant Thalia made us feel welcomed. She is kind and professional. It's refreshing dining at a restaurant where staff and owner took their time by making sure we are pleased with our meal. I rate Cocina 53 a 10+!!

The ambience is really nice and cool! The service is fantastic. I came here for lunch and she…read morerecommended the Barbacoa burrito so I got it. I asked them to replace the red sauce with queso and she did. Unfortunately, I thought it was going to be a cheese sauce, but it was melted cheese on top of the burrito. Had it been queso? I probably would've liked a little bit better, but it was kind of bland. I almost went with the skirt steak burrito, but she recommended this one and I felt like I probably should go with her recommendation. Next time I come, I will probably go with the skirt steak or a fajita chicken. Unfortunately, the Barbacoa was not as good as I was hoping or as good as I've had in other locations.

Went in on lunch a few days ago. Service was fast and friendly. Food was not great. Ordered the…read moreempanadas de camarón and the breading tasted like it wasn't cooked all the way. Inside there was WAY too much onion and hardly any shrimp. My friend ordered the ceviche de camarón. It tasted fine, although I've had better, but when I removed a chip from on top of the plate there was a hair!!!! I let the waitress know and she did take it off of our bill which was nice. Needless to say I will not be returning. The taste of the food wasn't great and for the price, there are better marisco restaurants in Joliet.

Place is fire. I recommend them to everyone that likes delicious food. I got the Chili's relleno…read moreand the sauce is amazing

I ordered to-go catering…read more... In this industry, and really in life in general, things are going to happen that are unexpected or unintentional... but it's how you react and respond to those things to rectify them that define you as a company. The restaurant's response of "we've been doing this for 13 years" certainly doesn't fix my dried out meat, browning lettuce and foamy, fermented salsa. Having worked as a catering manager, I am well aware of the markup percentages on food, so when they finally called me back to make a gesture towards the inedible food, I was again disappointed that you thought $50 on an almost $400 bill, was fair, especially considering AT LEAST 1/3 of each tray had to be thrown out! They use the most shallow pans I've ever seen (in the pic, it's the pan all the way to the right), they cut the steak into tiny pieces and don't put any sort of liquid in the pan so OF COURSE, it's going to get dried out sitting in a chafing dish! Bottom line to other potential consumers: I'd go somewhere else! The amount of food you get for the price you pay=terrible value of your money! Management DOES NOT stand behind their product and are extremely defensive when something negative is brought to their attention. They clearly do not care about the satisfaction of their customers.

We have been here several times since they've opened. Each time gets worse. Tonight (cinco de Mayo)…read morewe ordered 3 orders of chicken wings and guacamole. 2 wing orders had 8 wings and one had 7. 2 wings were not even wings! They were round balls of fried breading with sauce! The guacamole is supposed to be "made to order". No way! I understand oxidation causes it to get brown but it should not be brown right when you receive the order 5 minutes after ordering it!! I make guacamole and I know how long it stays fresh. This was NOT fresh! It went right in the garbage.

Was really excited to try this new place after seeing quite a few videos about it on social media,…read moreso I decided to give it a shot. I ordered the mole with chicken, and at first, it smelled phenomenal. Unfortunately, the experience quickly went downhill. The chicken was clearly not freshly cooked -- it had been microwaved and was served piping hot to the point that I actually burned my lip when I took a bite. When I asked the staff if it had been microwaved, they confirmed that it was. What disappointed me even more was the lack of concern from both the manager and owner after I mentioned that I had burned myself on the overheated food. Despite the experience, I still paid in full for the dish. Sadly, I won't be returning, and I can't recommend this place based on my experience.

Great service and nice food options. Dining area and seats could use a refresher The old Pepe's…read morerestaurant with most the same decor. Liked the music

The food was really good. I had the brunch enchiladas and it was delicious! We sat on the patio and…read morethe ambiance is amazing. We had a young guy as a server and he was very attentive and came to check on us often. I would highly recommend this place.

My 4th time here at HR!!!! I had the red snapper and it was…read moreawesome! The chef never disappoints Julia took good care of us! The bartender is always shakin up some good drinks. I highly recommend this restaurant. The music is good and the servers are very attentive. I'll be baaaaack..... Crystal

Usually, for Mariscos we go to the city but we decided to give this place a try on a Monday…read more Ordered a few dishes and everything was 10/10 Service was pretty good and drinks were even better after a long day of work. Definitely my new go to spot for Mariscos

Adding a 18% tip automatically to the bill is not right. This practice should be mentioned to…read morecustomers when the bill is delivered. I foolishly didn't notice and left a tip on top of this. Will never go back to a place that delivers sub-par service, that gets rewarded with a guaranteed 18% tip. Food was ok but nothing to ever go back for.

It gets the job done - the Burrito had some excitment, but the rest of the experience left…read moresomething to be desired. I'd ordered a Steak Diablo Burrito and a Margarita. Chips and salsa were complimentary at the start of the meal. Before you come after me for looking a gift horse in the mouth: Chips & Salsa aren't technically free, the cost is baked into the meal on the back-end. That said, the quality of these was subpar. The chips were straight out of a bag, the the salsa resembled a thick tomato juice with stuff added more than something deserving the name "salsa." I also did not love the Margarita, for it was too sweet for my taste. I can't say for sure, but I have the unfounded suspicion that these are pre-made in large quantities. The main event was the Steak Diablo Burrito. True to form, the Diablo sauce brought the heat. If you are one for whom Tabasco sauce is at the upper end of your limits, you might want to skip this one. My heat tolerance is such that I needed a little extra water, not a side-order of sour cream. The filling did not skimp on the meat whatsoever, and the protein was tender to boot. While not 'S' tier, I would put it solidly in 'B' territory, with a pinky toe into 'A'. A good test is that I couldn't finish, and happily devoured it cold the next day. The interior is large, and has mostly amber lighting with splashes of color, and some traditional-looking architectural elements. The service was friendly and reasonably fast. Final verdict: If you're itching for a great burrito, while perhaps not the greatest one in the world, La Mex can deliver. However, This comes at a cost of a too-sweet Margarita and chips and salsa leave something to be desired. Recommended? Yes, as a general-purpose Mexican spot. Would Return? Yes, but would skip chips, salsa, and margs.

Friendly staff. Seated quickly with immediate chips & salsa.. great start. Kids ordered nachos &…read morechicken tenders. Addicted to Al pastor tacos, I had to get the dinner plate. Vegetarian plate and chile relleno ordered by our table. All tasty food. Glad the salsa verde was a few notches higher on the heat chart. Just what I needed. Dimly lit dining room, colorful light splashes the room corners. We'll be back.