We came to Taco Real specifically for pupusas, and the service completely ruined the experience. Every time we asked for something basic--sauce, curtido for the pupusas, or even napkins--the waitress told us to go get it ourselves from a nearby station. When we asked for napkins, she handed us exactly three napkins even though there were three people at the table. The attitude was unfriendly and unhelpful throughout our visit, which made us feel unwelcome. Customer service matters just as much as the food, and unfortunately this experience fell far short. We would not go back. read more

Sinceramente creí que porque era domingo, en la tarde, 5:30 más o menos y por eso la actitud de la persona atendiendo realmente nada amable. Una mujer de 25 a 30 años . Pero no parece que a más personas le a sucedido lo mismo. Este tipo de personas pareciera uno les va a pedir regalado. Quizás la personas antes de nosotros no dejaron propina, quizás es la dueña y no a vendido mucho o quizás sólo una empleada sin valores. No se que será pero la verdad deja mucho de desear. La comida estaba bien pero para regresar No. para la muchacha que estába ahí quizás en la vida te a tratado mal pero igual cuando alguien te dice gracias por cortesía se contesta de nada. Solo sentido común y muy muy básico. read more

The owner gave me a pupusa cruda and was catching an attitude didn't want to refund me. He was planning on calling the cops just cause I said stuff to him food was ass read more

Customer service trash lil guy behind the counter is very rude no gloves during food prep, I definitely learned my lesson. And the tacos are ass read more

Love their pupusas, that's all I have to say. My to go place when I have crave cheesy yummy food read more

Taco Real - Raja & cheese pupusa and Tamales de Pollo - Mexican Near Me - Carol Stream, Illinois

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The owner said "everything is good" and the man was RIGHT. We tried the tacos, the pupusas, the horchatas and agua fresca, the salsa bar and churros... and let me tell you EVERYTHING was GOOD! The place is a bit of a whole in the wall, but clean. And from the moment we walked in it was non-stop traffic. People were getting late night eats or taking it home. We found a gem. You are welcome. read more

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First time ordering food here, will not be returning. It was the worst the way they prepared food was badly. Food looked like they hardly tried. Dont order from here. read more

They can't get the order correct. Their refried beans is thin as soup. I ordered 3 taco dinner Mexican style and I got the 3 taco dinner American style. Then when you pay they want a tip just like all the other places. I'm never going back again. I'll go to Gary Burritos from now on. read more

I use to love coming here all the time for steak tacos or ground beef burritos. But I can say within the past 3 years it's hit or miss. If you get Steak it's dried out or extremely fatty. Or if you get ground beef it's burnt. I keep going back in hopes it's just a busy day and food over cooked. Taco Real please do better. read more

Hole in the wall Mexican and Salvadoran place in a suburban strip mall. Surprisingly extensive menu - I had a lengua (beef tongue) soft taco and a chorizo/queso pupusa. Both were tasty and emerged from the kitchen promptly. Definitely recommended for the food, not so much for the atmosphere. Breakfast offerings looked interesting. read more

This spot is kind of sort of hidden. It's next to a sushi spot I go to. My friends and I came here for some late night tacos. The menu had a lot of items to choose from. I got 2 tacos.... Carne asada and Al pastor. This place definitely does not skimp out on the meat portion. It was just enough for me because 3 tacos would have been too much. There was a nice variety of salsas to choose from. The staff is nice as well. I'll definitely be back again. read more

I only eat steak tacos, and when the taco has so much cartilage instead of meat is a big no no. Won't be back

This taco place is very close to my apartment so it's my go-to place when I can't decide what I want. Tonight I had 3 soft shell chicken tacos loaded with sour cream, avocado and cheese ($.35 extra for each) and well worth it. I am a beef eater but the flavor and texture of their chicken is great. Comes with a side of Mexican rice and a medium horchata. I picked it up on my way home so it cost me around $12 which is plenty of food for that price read more

wouldn't recommend. the people that work here are so rude. I ordered 2 steak quesadillas. they gave me one cheese quesadilla, an honest mistake I would think. they would not give me the order I paid for. read more

Flavorful!! Delicious food!!! Papi was amazing. Tamale one of the best!! Yuca with chicarron . 10/10 Must try again!! Even had rice pudding and loved it read more

Taco Real - What's left of my Yuca con Chicharron - Mexican Near Me - Carol Stream, Illinois

Their papusas are the bomb! I've been here once for carry out. I got every papusa they made. I enjoyed all of em. I will be back to try other things on the menu but I must say it will be hard to get me away from the papusas. read more

I've been craving pupusas but my go to place is in Chicago. This place is now my #1 hidden gem and my only regret is that I don't have a 2nd or 3rd stomach so I could eat more! I tried the chorizo & cheese and the beans & cheese and I still can't decide which was my favorite - both were delicious! Their beans on their own were great too. I love their salsa bar - I'm one of those foodies that loves cilantro, and one of the salsas verde (top left in my pic) was heavy on the cilantro (also take this as a warning in case you can't handle the taste). It's a fairly small place but I kinda love that. It kinda feels like I'm eating at someone's house, and there were a couple families with little kids so I definitely felt at home =) I also tried their tacos (carne asada) and the portion size was perfect! My friend and I got ambitious with our order to try everything.. ended up ordering enough for 3-4 people. Including drinks, tax and tip, we spent about $30. Definitely worth every penny!! Can't wait to go back for more! read more

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Looking for late-night food, hopefully Mexican, we found this place close to our hotel. Surprisingly, not much was open at 11pm on a Saturday. Chicago, yes; suburbs, nope. Even pizza places were closed! Tiny, clean, with friendly service and a huge menu. Sweetie got a quesadilla, and I barely saw it but she said it was great. I got a pupusa, a sope, guac and chips, and some horchata. The pupusa (I chose chorizo) was soft, fragrant, and very tasty. The sope had a soft corn "shell," which paired well with the meat and veggies inside. Seriously, try one, or both, if you've never had them and like Mexican food. They are more Salvadoran, which is like a cousin to Mexican. The guacamole was a bit different than standard, with bits of spinach or something. Very fresh, very tasty. All the food was clearly made with love and expertise. Portions are large. I would absolutely go back. Prices are very reasonable, and there is a lot to try here. They have a few tables, but all I saw was to-go traffic. read more

Taco Real - Mexican Near Me - Carol Stream, Illinois

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Just terrible. I ordered a late night uber eats order as it was one of the only places open. I was exited to see a bunch of unique or authentic items, so I made a large order thinking Id freeze or save some stuff for later. It ended up being around 100 dollars with UberEats fees. I did not enjoy a single thing I ordered. The pico tasted really old, dry and flavorless. The fried plantains were chewy, oily and dense. The pupusas were bland and greasy. The chicharron smelled horrible, I couldn't end even end up eating it. The shrimp in the dish was bone dry and also tasted very old and flavorless. The rice was dry and bland. The beans were dry and bland. I realize this was an UberEats order, but it was clear there never anything worth eating whether it was served right away or not. I ended up tossing everything and eating salsa I bought (oh yeah, their salsa was also band and so thin that when I poured it down the drain it disappeared with out a trace, no chunks of veggies or anything. This was true for both their red and green salsas) as well as store bought avocados with store bought tortillas (their tortillas were also terrible and old) with my delicatedly crafted Mezcal Blood Orange Black Manhattan I had made to go with a meal I was hoping would be delicious. That was ever so far from the case. Just terribly disappointing, I've worked in restaurants for over 10 years and this is by the worst food I've ever seen served to a human. read more

The pork tamales had absolutely zero flavor and the quesadilla came with only ONE slice and just sour cream. The nachos we decent, but rather bland. Definitely not ordering from there again. read more

The horchata is a great as everyone says, BUT the Maracuya (passion fruit drink) was OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD. I've never had Papusas (8/10) before so I had NO idea what is was in for. It's like an unsweetened pancake stuffed with cheese, beans, and/or meat. It's a savory dish that was gooey and delicious. I order the al pastor burrito (5/10). It was meh. There wasn't too much meat in there and I think they used American cheese in my burrito? Either way, the customer service was great. If you're drunk, this could be your "go to" around here read more

Taco Real - Mexican Near Me - Carol Stream, Illinois

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I'm just going to review this place so I realize that yes, I've been there. I can never remember the name: as I'm driving along Gary, I just see the sign that reads "TACOS PUPUSAS" and my car swerves into the turn lane. This review is of their vegetarian options; they have three kinds of pupusa (stuffed grilled tortilla goodness with melty cheese): loroco (some kind of edible flowering vine; think of it as a green); beans and cheese; and I think just plain cheese. This time I also got a sope without the meat - she said "add vegetables?: - sure! and she made me something like a bean pupusa topped with avocado, lettuce and sour cream. I am in love. On this visit I discovered that they also do yucca fries, which usually come with fried pork rinds, but if you ask for a vegetarian version they give you more yucca fries which is always the right answer. They don't come with the amazing yellow sauce you'd get at a Peruvian restaurant, but I'm still delighted to discover to find them here. The tamales or only chicken or pork, though you can order a masa-only corn tamale with cream (OK; not really my thing); and they have plantains, though here they're soft on the inside instead of crispy and a little sweet. I keep forgetting that and ordering them anyway and they're starting to grow on me. If you're vegetarian, do ask questions and check over the menu/your order; my Spanish isn't awesome and their English is sometimes a little wonky and this avoids potential misunderstandings. For dessert they have miscellaneous sweets (bunuelos; guava paste; goat milk caramel discs); flan; and rice pudding; if you order something refrigerated get it when you pay; I see she forgot my flan. Yes, they have horchata. Yes, they have a free salsa bar with multiple kinds of salsa. The cherry on top is that this place is one door down from a candy shop, so while they're making my food I usually walk over and buy some chocolate and old-timey candy. read more

Came here because we had a coupon and wanted to try it out. They claimed they couldn't take it because the manager wasn't there?? Okay so don't offer a coupon then. Or train your employees better. Their menu online also says a drink comes with the dinner specials, but apparently a manager needs to approve that too?? And we also couldn't get an itemized receipt. Kind of sketchy if you ask me. Flan was burnt. The rest of the food was okay, nothing special. Don't waste your time with this place. read more

Taco Real - Flan bottom :( - Mexican Near Me - Carol Stream, Illinois

I was hankering some Papusas today and was planning on driving 20 miles out to pick some up until I found the sister store in Carol Stream off of Yelp. Wasn't disappointed! Papusa was delish as were the plantains with beans and sour cream. My ever picky daughters were very happy with their steak tacos but I knew we hit the jackpot when one of them takes my order of plantains and claims it as her own. Long review short: small, hidden little gem in Carol Stream off of Gary Ave. I look forward to returning while wearing elastic waistband pants and trying the Chile Relleno burrito along with the chiccaron papusa next! Also, if you order via the website instead of Grubhub and Uber they take 15% off! read more

Ohhh myyy gawwwwd!!! Why does this place not have 5 stars!? Let me tell you... this place is the truest definition of a hidden gem! It's a small restaurant with about 7 counter seats and 5 tables or so. They do not have servers that come around so make sure to clean up after yourself! I thought the prices were maybe on the higher side compared to the portions. However, it keeps you from over eating so maybe in the long run they're helping us all foodies! I got the lengua burrito and it was amazing! It wasn't stuffed like a football , but it was so seasoned to perfection and wasn't necessary to be enormous. My friend got the Chile relleno tacos and loved it! She kept saying how hot (temperature) it was but couldn't stop eating! Isn't that a great compliment! Oh and wait for it....they're open til midnight most days!! It is absolutely an amazing find! The bestest part of this place is their salsa bar!! The green salsas, yes I said salsaS, were so amazing! Omg I almost filled up on chips because of the salsas! read more

Taco Real - Mexican Near Me - Carol Stream, Illinois

I used to like this place, but sadly, each time I have gone in there last year it has slowly gotten worse. Today, my coworkers and I ordered delivery and we got cold, soggy food. Not sure if its a timing issue or what but they need to fix it! We ordered 4 diet sodas and got 4 regular. The guacamole was mushy and runny. The "chips and salsa" are a tiny bag of soggy, salty chips and a tiny container of salsa (like what they give you to put in your food). Waste of money. We ordered a medium horchata and it came in a small cup...for $4!!! Pretty sure this is the last time we order from here. read more

Back in my pre-Yelp days, I would frequent Taco Real quite often. Hole-in-the-wall Mexican joints are usually the best. However, after today's visit, I will never drive out of my way to eat here again. I came around noon, and there were quite a few patrons dining in. The restaurant is small but every table was full, so I knew I'd be taking my order to go. I walked up to the counter and waited a moment. The chef finally turned around, glared at me, and yelled something out in Spanish. A few moments later, a young lady appeared to take my order. While she wasn't blatantly rude, I still got the impression that this gringa should have taken her business elsewhere. I could definitely sense the reverse racism that Martin A. mentioned. I decided on my usual two tacos; one with chorizo and the other Al Pastor, both with onion and cilantro only. The two tacos and a bottle of water came out to less than $5. The girl who took my order told me it would be ready "in a few minutes." So, I stood alongside the counter seating area and waited. And waited. And waited some more. I looked at my phone to discover I had been waiting over ten minutes. For. Two. Tacos. I was irritated. I hadn't requested anything special, what on earth was taking so long?! Finally my order was ready (17 minutes later). The girl handed me the bag and just said "Have a nice day." No explanation as to why two tacos took nearly a third of a hour to make. I got back to my car, grabbed one of the tacos (turned out to be the Al Pastor) and took a bite. It was awful. Every single piece of meat was super chewy with gristle. The tortilla was so grease soaked, it ripped and fell apart completely the minute I picked it up. Disgusted, I chucked the whole thing into the bag and prayed the chorizo taco would be better. Nope. The chorizo was mostly burnt, therefore the flavor was lost. This tortilla was also falling apart, but I expected that from the grease of the chorizo. I managed to eat about three bites before I gave up on it entirely. I probably should have walked back in to get a refund, but 1- it was over 85 degrees out and the restaurant was hot to begin with (they had windows open, no air on) and 2- I'd probably have to wait another 20 minutes for a refund. Seeing as how the taco were $1.75 each, I really felt like it wasn't a big loss. I'll stick to Los Burritos Tapatios next time: friendlier staff, better food, and faster service. read more

Taco Real - Al pastor taco with onion and cilantro - Mexican Near Me - Carol Stream, Illinois

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I only know a handful of words in Spanish, but it doesn't stop me from exploring Latin America, culinarily (is that a word? Guess I also struggle with English). It was at Taco Real where I had my first taste of pupusas, said to be El Salvador's national dish. Since I have yet to try pupusas from anywhere else, I was wavering between 3 and 4 stars. Maybe 3.5 stars? On my most recent visit I decided to go all out on vegetarian, getting a chile relleno taco and two vegetarian pupusas. Some liken pupusas to stuffed tortillas though I think pupusa's corn flour shell has finer texture than corn tortillas. The chile relleno taco was a mess but the pepper and cheese pupusa was fine. The other pupusa I got was Loroco which seems to be some kind of (pickled?) flower buds and I found the taste a bit foreign. Perhaps it will grow on me if I keep at it. They do have the pickled cabbage slaw that is typically served with pupusas but for some reason I wasn't given any this time. Lunch specials are $5.99 which usually includes three tacos or three papusas with a drink. They have about 10 different kinds of meat tacos and 4 kinds of pupusas with meat. Each day there are three flavors of aquas frescas available and I believe the flavors rotate between horchata, tamarind, Hibiscus (Jamaica flower), passion fruit, etc. The staff is made up of El Salvadorians and Mexicans. I never had problem with the service despite my poor communication skills. Raina was especially sweet. read more

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Had a Pupusa and it was ! Tried the beans and cheese (favorite) and the pork and cheese one. I'm excited to try other food there. The thing that keeps me from giving a full 5 stars is the service was lacking, simple courtesy could go a long way. read more

Very runny and greasy burrito with no seasoning or flavor. Ordered the grilled steak and it was dry as hell. Tasted like rubber. Just terrible I'm not a picky eater. I threw that in the garbage. Please do not waste your money here read more

Their Lengua and barbacoa tacos are the best! For those of you who enjoy a little kick to your food, Try the creamy red sauce!

Quesabirrias are on the menu now but they're pretty sad. I ordered one and while it was big, they didn't dip the tortilla in consommé or anything so it was just plain white with the goat meat inside. There wasn't much of the meat but it tasted good. Their pupusas were outstanding though and my order was made quickly. read more

Bad experience! Had our food delivered. My chicken tacos were cold and dried out. Definitely not fresh! My wife ordered chicken flautas which were hot and fresh. Either they don't know how to time their dishes or they serve old food. Regardless, I won't order from here again. read more

So pissed off ! Ordered two orders of rice with my sons food, and got one and a half basically. Didn't call and complain. Only for me and my son to start eating our tacos, and both bit into bones that almost chipped our teeth ! Wtf ! I was just tryna order some birria tacos and this place was in the area an open. NEVER AGAIN ! read more

Taco Real - a meal in a styrofoam container - Mexican Near Me - Carol Stream, Illinois

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Been going here for years and my family and i love it, never disappoints, the plantain empanadas are my fave

Don't get me wrong, the food is good. It just took me forever to get it. I waited 20 minutes for 2 steak tacos to-go. To me, if you are going to offer tacos, it shouldn't take that long. So I would suggest calling ahead. Other than that, the food is good. The steak in my steak tacos was very flavorful. The horchata was delicious. The menu offers a few dishes from El Salador on the menu such as the Papusa, so I'll probably go back and try that seeing as I can't think of anywhere else I'd have that opportunity. For Carol Stream, Taco Real is a great addition to the cultural food scene. I would go back, but I would just call ahead. read more

Taco Real - Steak Taco - Mexican Near Me - Carol Stream, Illinois

Service is the best, the people are super nice, and the food is delicious! Muy feliz que encontré este lugar!

The worst nachos I've ever seen created. Cheese whiz and steak. Less ingredients than Taco Bell and more expensive than Taco Bell. I do not recommend trying this place. read more

Taco Real - Unfortunately this is their idea of what steak nachos should be. Cheese whiz and steak. No lettuce no tomato, no beans. Disastrous slop. - Mexican Near Me - Carol Stream, Illinois

The actual name of this place is Taco Real #2. It is the most authentic Mexican food anywhere around. And I know since I have been to Mexico many times. Their tacos and burritos are fantastic. I go there once per week for lunch. Last week I took my wife there for dinner. It was great! However, you have to like authentic food because this is not Americanized Taco Bell. We dined in and they do provide free chips and homemade salsa which is also great. We were there during the Super Bowl and yeah, the TV was on and way too loud. We were going to ask them to turn it down but we didn't. I will continue to go there for real Mexican food. Also, there prices are good too! read more

I went to this place on a day when I wanted Fish tacos and I am so glad to have found it! They have vegetarian options and not just on Fridays! The tacos were great but my favorite thing was the salsa bar. It had like 8 different options and all were pretty good. I also got a pupusa which I had never had and I loved it. They also have one dollar tacos on Monday's so it's basically a hidden gem. read more

Taco Real - Mexican Near Me - Carol Stream, Illinois

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