Traditional Mexican restaurant. The parking lot isn't real big, and can fill up fast. They bring salsa and pico with the chips. Food is good and prices are reasonable. You pay at the register as you leave. read more

Short stop in Bloomington-Normal on a bike tour, and this place was close to the hotel. Friendly staff, fast service, great burritos. Exactly what I needed after a long day on the road! read more

Always excellent when I ate here. Service was outstanding. Food served hot and quickly. Just a great place to eat and relax.

I've been here more times than I can keep count. This place beats out all the other Mexican restaurants in the town. Service - fast and friendly. They have these giant cups, so your drink will never really get empty. Free chips and salsa with I think entree purchases, and they will refill those for you. Food comes out at a blazing speed and they are always sizzling hot. Food - most authentic Mexican food you will find in this rural midwestern town. They have large portion sizes that always leave me full and satisfied. You will find everything Tex/mex on their menu plus a little more. My favorite is their house special - pollo a la potrillo. read more

You can't go wrong coming to this authentic Mexican restaurant. Food is great! Prices are awesome! Services is fast! Margaritas are the best! Be sure to go BEFORE 6pm. That's when everyone and their brother in BLONO decide it's dinner time. So if you don't want to be waiting for a table go early. read more

Los Potrillos Real Mexican Cuisine - Cheese cake Chimichanga. Delicious! - Mexican Near Me - Normal, Illinois

See all

Walk away when I asked to order and when they did take my order they didn't listen and didn't let me finish my sentence. They brought the wrong food read more

Food rating: great Service rating: great Atmosphere: great Price: very good Will I come back: definitely Rating out of 10: 9.5 I love this place. You get a ton of food for the price and the food is great. The staff is always friendly and the food always comes very quickly. Chips and salsa are very good and they don't skimp on refills. Always leave full and ready to take my pants off. read more

They have everything down to a science, and they never miss. Big ol portions. Five stars people.

The food is okay, but I've had a couple of things and I can't say I really want to go back for them. It works great for average Mexican food. read more

Terrible service. I go here all of the time and a couple days after Christmas I placed an order and went to pick it up. Tacos, beans with cheese and cheesy rice. I get home and did not have my cheese on the rice and called to have this corrected. I was told I would have this redelivered to me. After 1.5 and no order of the rice or call I contacted the location and was told they couldn't find my adress and I was given a credit. I then go in today to get my replacement and speak to a manager who gave me so many problems ordering although I was told I would just need to provide my phone number for a replacement. After he finally just asked my phone number he found the info. I picked up my food and spoke to the manager Carlos directly and asked if there was cheese on the rice? I know I should have just checked myself. He confirmed it was and as soon as I get home there is no cheese yet again. I offered to bring back the rice and get my rice replaced and would also bring the tacos asking them to make me fresh ones since my meal will be cold. I was told that I was lying and the kitchen told him they did put cheese and he would not make me any new tacos but would only do my rice and I should just not buy from them anymore. Really bad service on their end considering I'm not making my own food incorrectly. Needless to say this will be my last visit with them. Happy 2023 though, Carlos does this picture look like there is cheese on it? read more

Poor service. I was rushed throughout my entire experience and did not feel welcomed.

I literally joined Yelp to write a review for this place. It is the gold standard of Mexican restaurants. My ranking system for Mexican restaurants is based off of this place. There is truly no better Mexican restaurant in the world as far as I'm concerned. Chips and Salsa - 10/10. Perfect chip texture, salty, and two types of salsa that are both amazing. Entrees - 10/10 TO DIE FOR. Everything is covered in this amazing, creamy cheese sauce that makes anything it's on 1000x better. I highly recommend the chicken chimichanga. Even the beans and rice are somehow delicious. Margs - PERFECTION. Perfectly strong, and perfectly tasty. Half-priced on Thursdays. Frozen is perfect, on the rocks is just as good. 10/10. Waitstaff - Amazing. I've never ever once experienced anything short of above and beyond service here. They bring you basket after basket after basket of chips and salsa. Truly amazing. 10/10. I went to college in this town and my (now) fiancee and I ate there well over 100 times. I know that's crazy, but it was pretty cool when they knew us by name and didn't even have to give us menus. In all honesty, we probably ate here around 250 times in two years of having a car at school. I dream about this place, and we go back as much as possible. Keep it up Los Potrillos, YOU GUYS ARE THE GEM OF BLOOMINGTON-NORMAL!!!! read more

Ok, so Los has been my FAV Mexican restaurant for a couple of years. I love the staff, the food, and the SPEED of service. In the last month or so (which represents about 5 different visits), service has been off. Really off. A group of 6 of us went to lunch and left 90 minutes later. That's a LONG time for a weekday lunch. The food is still good, but the salsa is different- not as fresh- nor are the chips. They are doing a lot of remodeling, so perhaps they are trying to get a lot of things done all at once...not sure. I will update my review as I go back...it's just not the place that I pick to go first anymore :( read more

I went to college in Louisiana and I am always in pursuit of good Tex-Mex cuisine. Surprisingly, it does exist North of the Mason-Dixon and it is in Normal! The food rarely disappoints. I love the quesadillas, nachos, carne asada, and all of the enchiladas. The queso dip is delicious (queso blanco vs the "yellow" stuff) and the margaritas are good (and cheap!). The staff is friendly, service is prompt, and you won't break the bank! read more

In the past I have said that this place is not very good. I withdraw this assessment. I enjoyed my quesadilla tonight. The ingredients were fresh, served piping hot and the steak was quality. They may not be consistent in their plates, but they offer a wide range of food and anyone can find anything to eat here. read more

Los Potrillos Real Mexican Cuisine - Mexican Near Me - Normal, Illinois

Enjoyed my trip to Mexico at Los Portillos. Good food, good atmosphere, and fast service. They have a very large menu - so look for recommendations on here or ask the staff (my waiter gave me a good recommendation). I had the Acapulco Especial (shrimp, chicken and steak) and veggies covered with a good cheese sauce. Yum! read more

Love the food, I try to order something different every time, eat here at least once a month, wait staff is quick and polite, food comes out hot and sooo good, the cheese sauce is so good and my favorite is all of it read more

Los Potrillos Real Mexican Cuisine - Mexican Near Me - Normal, Illinois

See all

The food here is great although it seems to have dropped in quality from when it first opened. I originally went here as an assignment from a professor to review an authentic Mexican restaurant, I chose here back when it first opened a few years ago. I've only been a few times since then and it hasn't been as great as I remember it being - but it is still better than most of the alternatives in town (ahem la bambas). My major knock on the place is the wait staff - one waiter in particular has been the most awkward waiter I have ever had at a restaurant. He does not speak English well and his efforts at small talk come across as creepy at best, to the point that I would prefer to take the food to go. Although he has been the only waiter I've had the past few times, so I shouldn't judge all of them by his behavior. read more

I'm going to upgrade my score to 5 stars. They've kept up a consistently high quality of service, and it's by far the best Mexican restaurant in town. Also, you can't beat it for the price - at lunch, they're only slightly more expensive than fast food. At dinner, they're well below your standard Chilis/Applebees in price, and well above them in quality. Over time, I've only grown to love Lost Portholes more, not less. That's worth another star. read more

Clean, fast service. Extra napkins at start of visit along with chips and 2 types of salsa. The drinks are extra large I couldn't finish. The burritos are fresh hot and huge. My hubby and I ate for under 30 dollars including a 20% tip. read more

Los Potrillos Real Mexican Cuisine - Mexican Near Me - Normal, Illinois

With all the Mexican restaurants to choose from in Bloomington/Normal it really is difficult to say one is "the best". I can say that I like the food here, my wife feels they everything she gets has a little spiciness to it, but then again her pallet picks up ANY spicy flavor. Service is decent, non alcholic beverage glasses are very large, I hardly ever need a refill. If you haven't been here it's worth a visit to see if it's your style of Mexican food. read more

See all

I usually just get the two burritos with meat and cheese. They top it with cheese sauce and it is killer. They also have a BIG burrito called the loco burrito. It comes with the burrito and I believe rice and beans. It is cheap, convenient, and the staff are okay. I think they need more fluent in English staff on board, though. Also, you get salsa and the chips as per usual at Mexican spots like this. I'd rate the food around a 8/10. I don't really care for much besides their burritos and tacos. read more

Super authentic Mexican menu. Very good prices. Sometimes the waiters don't speak much English so it's a good place to practice Spanish. They have a cute, open air, courtyard area that's perfect for sipping on the strong margaritas during nice weather. read more

I hate being mean. And I'm not knocking the people who are servers. But this has to be the blandest Mexican I have ever eaten. Everything from the chips and salsa to the Camerones Veracruz and the chimichangas. The one thing that had some flavor was the lightly fried jalepnos. But they where so lightly fried that they where fresh and burned the crap out of ya. Not going to return to this little so called Mexican restaurant. I would say if you want to go then go but don't say you were not warned about the food. The waiters are friendly and the food is tasteless. If that's what you like this is your place read more

The hot sauce on the table is nothing but burn. Painful. But the food is nothing but taste. Whether or not that taste is authentic is regardless of the delicious taste of the food. I'm not going to tell you that the food was the best Mexican I've had, because there isn't a chance that it's near that, but it was decent for the price. The beans were flavorful, the sauce wasn't half assed and the meat (according to the girlfriend) was flavorless, aside from the sauce. It wasn't great, but by no means was it bad. The margarita was a piece of shit. But was it bad? No. It was better than other restaurants and bars have tried to pass off. At least the brand of tequila was obvious: Jose Cuervo. It's not my first choice in Mexican in Normal (that's La Bambas) or my first choice for Margaritas (that's Las Palmas in Naperville). This place is decent food, decent drink and decently priced. It cost $20 to get two folks drunk and full. Also, if you're a student at ISU, WU, HCC and LC: you get 10% off. read more

My hiatus from Yelp is over. It is not that I forgot about Yelp, but that I did not get around to writing reviews in a timely fashion after performing check-ins. Hopefully Los Potrillos is going to help me change that. The halfway point of where I am from and where I live is Bloomington. I met my family here on a Friday night for a meal. It happened to be family weekend at ISU and this place was packed (good sign). We waited in their crowded entry way for our table with a few Coronas. The staff appeared to be moving things along quickly, and nobody seemed too bothered by how busy the place was. Since we had to wait we took the first thing we could get. Five of us forced our way into a booth made for four but we made it work. The chips and salsa were ok. We spiced up the salsa with the house hot variety by request. I can't remember what my dish was called, but it was basically a giant fajita burrito then deep fried. It was huge and very good. The rest of my family had fajitas or the chicken tacos. Good reports all around. Bonus points for having Dos Equis on draft. Not only was the food good but it came out fast and is reasonably priced. I was most impressed with the staff. They never let on that it was a busy night and chaos was probably flying all over the place. read more

Not bad for a place a couple miles off the interstate as we head south on 55. Chorizo was excellent Huge portions for fair prices Spinach Enchiladas did the job but slightly bland Spinach burrito was yummy Brava Fajitas were huge and good...way more meat than veggies! read more

When we lived in Bloomington this was always our favorite place to eat. The food is excellent and the service is fast. They've become increasingly popular and more busy over the years (good for them) but the restaurant is huge so there's never much of a wait. And the wait staff is always running around, even though they're extremely busy at times we're never left long without attention - refills, more chips, salsa, etc. I'm a vegetarian and always get the vegetarian burrito. It's stuffed with rice, beans, grilled onions, and grilled mushrooms and then topped with cheese sauce, lettuce, tomato, and guacamole. The grilled onions and mushrooms are delicious! They're not the slimy half-cooked canned mushrooms I seem to get everywhere else. Only down side IMO is the decor. The painted walls inside and out are not at all appealing (ugly contrasting colors, tacky textures). The seats and tables are long past their prime but still comfortable enough. It can also be pretty loud. I'll overlook all of that for good food and their food is great. When we moved to Peoria a few years ago we started searching for some place comparable. There isn't. Nothing in Peoria is even close to Los Potrillos so we try to go whenever we're in Bloomington. read more

This is my favorite place to go for Mexican food. I always get the chicken quesadilla which is huge with shredded chicken and I ask for the queso on top. The price had doubled in the past 7 or so years since I've been going there, but it's still reasonable. The wait staff are great and service is super fast. I don't like how it always smells like pine sol and parking can get pretty crazy on a busy day. read more

Can never read the menu but whatever I pick I like. There's too much on that menu that you can condense it if they needed to. But it seems like they know what they are doing. Their outdoor patio is the best. read more

Whole menu is amazing! Top Picks: Cheese Dip, Choritacos, Acapulco Especial, Huevos Potrero read more

In town briefly so its the only place I've ever eaten in the area. Exceeded by extremely low expectations. Passable food, good service. Nice selection of beer and tequila. Long but predictable menu. Had the chicken in mole which was quite tasty. May revise up or down based on tomorrow's dinner elsewhere. read more

My wife and I were seated way in the back, near the bathrooms, cleaning buckets and blenders continuously cranking out frozen margaritas. The sounds and smells were less than memorable. Then the food: pretty bland and everything on the plate is similarly colored: brown, white and gray. The server was friendly and the chips and salsa was decent, so merited a couple of stars for that. read more

Prompt service. Friendly staff and good food. Nice atmosphere and even got fresh tortillas to take home. read more

Los Potrillos Real Mexican Cuisine - Two ingredients you need for the premium Mexican restaurant experience. - Mexican Near Me - Normal, Illinois

Go to meet up for my friend and I when we are in town! Great queso. Always the chicken quesadilla.

This is our go to place in town. The food is always good, service is normally good as well. Not always excellent but normally pretty good. The people are friendly and they always adore our kids. I've tried several things on the menu and haven't found anything that I didn't like. My wife loves the Enchiladas Suiza and I prefer their meals with Chicken. Great place to go with good food at a fair price. read more

Good place, food was great. Restaurant was wheelchair accessible but we did not check restrooms. Waitress was very helpful with description of dinners, good service and very polite read more

Los Potrillos Real Mexican Cuisine - Nacho Supreme - Mexican Near Me - Normal, Illinois

This is my friends and I go-to lunch/dinner spot whenever we want some good food. The service is very quick- I've never came here and had to wait for a seat. There are a lot of options to meet every palette and the portions always leave me with enough to take home. The service is very, very quick and the prices are very affordable read more

Been here a couple times now. Every time we've been, the food has been pretty mediocre, and the service has been very bad. On our last visit, the waiter came to our table twice: once to get our order and once to bring our drinks. Another server brought our food. We waited 30 mins for refills and the bill. My wife ended up going up to the hostess and asking for both and saw the waiter hanging out with his bros outside. The food on all of our visits has declined each time we've gone to the point I'm done going. I'm not the biggest fan of Fiesta Ranchera, but I would recommend it any day over this place. read more

The ambiance is quite good. I ordered one Fajita tacos , which was OK . read more