I'd say this place is more "pretty good" for me. I liked the tacos, but maybe I should have seen what others had ordered in the past. I got the taco with crispy pork belly (a special), the carne asada and the crispy shrimp. I loved the steak one the most because the pieces were plentiful and tender. I would say the crispy pork belly and shrimp were just okay for me. It seems like I really should have gotten guacamole! Will do, next time. Also, 3 tacos were nice and filling for a single person. I was going to order a 4th, but I probably wouldn't have been able to finish. read more

Taco Vida - Mexican Near Me - Deerfield, Illinois

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Was staying nearby and decided to come here. What a welcome surprise. The tacos may be the best I have ever had... grilled chicken and carne asada were both fantastic! Liked my chips and salsa too. Highly recommend it all! I even ordered a 3rd taco! read more

best tacos in town - i challenge you to find something better because you wont. The Sea of Cortez is to die for!

Great locally owned taco joint. The owner Freddy is usually there making sure everything is perfect. Everything is solid, especially like the asada taco, guacamole and must try chili, which goes great as a chip dip. read more

10 out of 10. This place is small but mighty! Visiting from Indiana we decided to try Taco Vida, and were not disappointed. Guac- move over Chipotle, you've got nothing on Freddy's Famous Guacamole! The horchata- amazing, Tinga Pollo-delicious, Carne Asada-delicious, margarita- yum, and tres leche, so good! Definitely will return if/when we're back in the area. read more

Great tacos, tamales, margaritas, salsas and gaucamole. Cute interior and friendly staff.

You know, I really wanted to like Taco Vida and guess what, I did, I did like Taco Vida. This use to be a hotdog place and I would consider Taco Vida to be an exponential upgrade. Right next to the DMV, so after you've waited and waited in line for sooooo long, that you've forgotten your own identity, come over here for lunch. Plenty of families with their kids here so it must be good. Bright and new looking and with many great tacos to offer, I was stumped so I asked the host to order 6 tacos for us. She arbitrarily picked six and I enjoyed the flavors of all of them. After ordering, they give you like a little card with a number and you can seat yourself. There's outside seating too. You can get plates, plastic utensils and ice water in the back. After grabbing a table, the tacos came out. Flavorful chorizo with fundido, it was like the appetizer in a taco - just awesome. The others had plenty of shrimp, the pork had roasted pineapple, the asada was meaty, the lime was fresh, the onions were chopped uniformly. Etc. Etc. The tacos are a bit pricey ($3.5 - $4) but I really enjoyed the food and look forward to coming back from more, especially after having a mind numbing experience from the DMV next door. The host was also super friendly and I've said this many times, my taste palate turns off when I'm being served by mean people. She was flat out welcoming and enjoying her job. This attitude shows up in the food mijo. read more

Family-owned restaurants are the best. You can taste the passion in every dish. Simple tacos, simple quesadillas, but I love the people and it makes the place so nice and cozy! I also love their dessert options! They're so tasty read more

Taco Vida is a small, very nicely done Mexican Restaurant in the North Suburbs. From the exterior, you may see this as a little Taqueria. But, they are a little more upscale. They have a twist on their menu items - Tuna Steak Tacos, for example. They also have the standard fare. Decorations are interesting. While not specifically Mexican, they have signs regarding locally sourcing foods. (Not sure how Tuna is sourced locally in Chicago.) The guacamole was very good. They asked if we wanted it spicy or mild, to which we answered "spicy". Either the tastes of the North Suburbs are different than mine, they may have given us mild salsa. The avocados were really fresh and the taste was good. They have three different salsas, one of which they say is very hot. I'd tend to agree - when mixed with the guac it changed the taste some, but still was good. Between us, we had three tacos, one Carne Asada and we each had an Al Pastor. They serve a slice of Pineapple on the Al Pastor taco which added too much of a sweet taste. The Carne Asada was good. One nice touch - the weather was great and they have a patio out front. So we were able to eat outside. On the downside, they make you get takeout packaging when you don't eat inside the restaurant. The people working there were great. The twist on their take of the food was interesting but if you want classic Mexican, you may want to think of somewhere else. But, it was certainly worth the trip and trying them out. read more

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Little gem of a place out here in the 'burbs of Chicago. The tacos were fantastic! I tried the pork al pastor and the tinga de pollo. Daughter had two tingas. We shared freshly made guacamole and chips. The whole meal really hit the spot and felt decently healthy. Based on this first visit, I imagine that if I lived in the area, I'd come back frequently. The place was hopping when we arrived, so you know word's out that the food here is good. The wait wasn't too bad and we snagged a seat on the small patio out front. Decor inside is fun and bright. The cost was reasonable and the service was friendly, too! read more

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Fun painted interior, with a delicious taco menu. Tacos are around $5 each, on home made tortillas and loaded generously with filling. We especially enjoyed the horchata, maduros, and cilantro crema. read more

my daughter loves their quesadillas and I love their gringo tacos!! Everything is priced well and the margaritas were cold!

Amazingly good food!! So happy we found this place. The steak tacos are my favorite and the tortillas are so thick and yummy!!! We will be back again and again!!! read more

Walked into the small restaurant, tables were packed! A great sign to start off :p (we were able to grab a table since someone was just leaving). Food was great! Staff was super nice and very alert (they got to the table to wipe it down right before we tried to sit). We ordered an al pastor taco (had a pineapple in it!), carne asada taco (which had a nice whole piece of avocado in it), a shrimp taco, a chicken quesadilla, a steak quesadilla, and a side of elotes. Tacos were excellent. Shrimp taco was good and crispy but maybe slightly too much mayo for me. Steak quesadilla was surprisingly even better than the tacos.. we think it's the cheese that gave it the great flavor, not sure. It was called chihuahua cheese? The steak in it was grilled and flavored well. Elotes were good, but a bit on the small aide. My picky toddler ate his whole chicken quesadilla (that says a lot). I'd probably give this place 4.5 stars if yelp let me give half stars. But, it's probably the most expensive taco place I've eaten at so far. I had two tacos and the side of elotes and it came out to $12.50. Tacos aren't too huge either (but not super tiny). For the experience as a whole, it would have been five stars if the prices were a little better. Would have let me eat a little more at ease, ha. If and when I do come back though (when my taste buds win over), I'm definitely going to try the chips and guacamole and horchata! read more

Pretty good taco! Great Al pastor. The watermelon drink was legit awesome on this hot day! For sure will be back

The managers are so nice and friendly. When you complain about not getting a food item they would go above and beyond and I like that. This is the best tacos that I have ever had! I would give it an 10 out of 10 mainly because of the food and the managers are the best. read more

I work has a teacher by the school next door and was my first time going over there. I went online check the menu, the reviews and there story that when i knew i was convinced i need to try them! Best DAMN TACOS I EVER TRIED! so good!!!! They were so welcoming and so nice. The place is clean and cozy. The music if course really good! Everything was just nice!! I will definitely go back for more.... Oh and don't forget to order your Agua Fresca of watermelon! Its the BOMB read more

I went to Taco Vida with a few friends and had a great time. The wait staff were extremely friendly and welcoming and the food was fantastic. I got the chorizo and fish tacos -- the tortilla was one of the best I've ever had. The salsa was deep and flavorful as well. At the end of the meal, I purchased 10 more tortillas so I could make tacos at home. The staff were great and gave me a demonstration on how to cook the tortillas. Great experience and I'll definitely be back. read more

Go figure I was out in. Northbrook today and I was famished as hadn't eaten since 7am and it was 6pm. For me to go 11 hours wo/eating anything doesn't happen. I mean I could have starved to death (lol). Yeah right with my fat reserves I could probably live a few months, but I was hungry. In this day when there are so many places selling tacos, I found "Taco Vida" to be an excellent taco. Each taco was individually crafted w/their own ingredients making each one a unique flavor and texture on my palette. I love tacos and I saw the reviews on Yelp 4 1/2 stars for "Taco Vida" @ 469 Lake Cook Road I knew I had to check it out. I've eaten a lot of tacos, tacos are a dime a dozen some not so good, some average and some outstanding ones. I ordered 3 tacos trying a combination of meat & seafood. 1) Pork al Pastor Taco - Pork w/cilantro, onion & roasted pina (of the 3 this one was my least favorite, but still it was pretty tasty. 2) Sea of Cortez - blackened tilapia (or battered & fried) w/cabbage, slaw, pico de Gallo & chipotle mayo (this taco was delicious w/a nice balance of flavors & textures & flavors w/pico de Gallo & Chipotle Mayo). 3) Crispy Cameron's - fried shrimp topped w/watercress, watermelon radish & Serrano salsa (this was my favorite taco w/large plump fried shrimp, watercress & Serrano Salsa a perfect blend of crunch w/the fried shrimp and savory). Excellent taco These tacos are just chock full of ingredients & I can't wait to get back and try some of the other tacos. They also had a couple of specialty tacos that I plan on trying the next time I go. I was eating my tacos and the owner Freddy brought me out an order of their homemade guacamole & chips. How cool is that? Muchas gracias Senor Freddy They have 3 salsas - which I was able to try. 1) Red Salsa - w/Chili de arbol Peppers, absolutely delicious & my favorite salsa of the 3. I love the flavor of the roasted chili de arbol peppers. 2) Green tomatillo salsa - 3) Habanero salsa some serious heat. I have a pretty high tolerance for spicy food, but this was a bit too spicy for me Fun lady working the cashier w/a great sense of humor. Freddy seems like a cool dude too. Overall I enjoyed the food, the ambiance and the service. Their tacos are a bit pricy though $13 plus dollars for 3 tacos, but I enjoyed every bite read more

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After each taco is $6.50 each we paid $42.00 + tip for 4 tacos 2 agua de horchata & chips. Way over priced. Spoke to the waiter two times ones when took the order & when we said thank you when he brought out the food. read more

Excellent fresh food and service. Elote and friend shrimp tacos were amazing and the guacamole is one of the best I've tried. Homemade tortillas , all made from scratch. Highly recommend it! read more

Great tacos Expensive but I'm stuffed after 2, so guess it's not overly priced! Guacamole is also good but definitely overpriced Red salsa ...burning! Green salsa verde..great My favorites are the steak and Blackened tilapia or shrimp read more

This place really just sucks. Especially management/owner. I've ordered 200+ tacos for company meetings and usually they were accommodating in the beginning. Mind you, the prices on the tacos are very expensive. I don't know whoever the lady that works there that says she's the "owner", doesn't know how to speak to customers, and really doesn't have any sort of customer service skills. Again, especially after all the money we've spent there you'd think they can try to be a little more accommodating. Instead she is very deflective and defensive. They definitely need to send her to some management classes before she runs things. And crazy thing is I asked to speak to Freddy who has been helping me and is VERY accommodating. read more

Well of course coming from work a coworker was ranting today about this place that is his favorite place. I was not impressed. He said that they give a decent amount of tacos for the price I'm better off going of Taco Bell for the price per Taco at $5 to $6. Shoot even Chipotle is even better than this and it's not a taco it's a burrito. Anyways the carne asada taco was okay they didn't give enough Steak meat and I didn't taste the wow to it. As for the gringo Taco it was like a sloppy joe with sauces I don't taste the wow to that one either? As for the agua fresca which is a watermelon drink it was a meh ok. With all the rock and roll in Spanish and this hip ambiance I just was not impressed it's like smoke and mirrors especially in the middle of Deerfield, Illinois. Other than that,it wasn't bad but it wasn't the best thing I ever tasted to doing cartwheels. I've tasted better in Chicago. I'm actually leaving the restaurant after I pay my bill still unsatisfied and hungry and I'm not going to spend $5 for more of those little dinky tacos. read more

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Super quick update: last night we pulled up at 7:55, not knowing their hours, and sauntered up to the door. Noticing that they close at 8 we were prepared to head back to the car. However, an employee saw us, kindly took our order, and delivered our food to our car soon after. We each enjoyed a tilapia taco and a tuna taco and we shared an order of elotes. Each of our items were off the hook amazing. The tacos are so filled with yummy flavorful ingredients that they can be messy to eat (especially in a car). Ha, just noticed my first review said they are NOT messy...I guess it was the eating in the car thing. As always, so grateful for the variety of non-meat options. read more

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Amazing gourmet tacos. The tuna is very unique and original, steak was fine quality, chicken tinga amazing and the pastor sensational.

Came in a little after they opened, a lot of prep going on which is good. Ordered Al pastor and asada tacos to go, and the horchata. I liked the Al pastor over the Asada but both had good flavor. Overall it was good, handmade tortillas in the suburbs is over the top, which was a good thing. Salsas were nice and spicy and had good flavor. The green salsa was great and the habanero was spicier which I like. The decor is nice, and the service was quick and friendly. The horchata is ready to go in the cooler, instead of a big dispenser. Definitely pricy, but not a lot of good taco spots in the area. I'll try their newer/seasonal menu items when I'm back. read more

Very very expensive and not very good. If the food was good then it would be ok but for the price and food definitely will not go there again. They have surcharges so be mindful. Food was average for what I paid for. They seem to reply to reviews very rude too. read more

This place offers the most fresh and delicious tacos on the north side. Not to mention, the staff and cooks all are very friendly and provide the highest customer service. I have tried every taco on the menu and every single one is incredible. My favorites are the gringo, carne asada, tuna, sea of cortex beer battered, tinga de pollo.... The guac is fabulous, always made fresh to order. I love the tortilla soup and there homemade salsas are amazing. I always try the 'taco of the week' Currently since March 2020, they have been adapting during the covid19 pandemic and they offer curbside pick up. No inside dining, and I like it. I like that there are no strangers eating inside the restaurant during this time, as there is an open air kitchen. They screen all there employees daily, temp checks etc and all the staff wear masks and gloves during food prep. I hope this place thrives during such a touch time. Go order some tacos now, you won't regret it. read more

I really love this place. I really do. But $5+ for a taco is just too much, even 2 years after the height of the pandemic. Hopefully they're able to lower prices soon. Their tuna/Sea of Cortez (beer battered for me), and Al Astor tacos are fantastic. I will return to being a regular once prices settle. read more

We have been here a couple of times before, so I owe them a long overdue review. We're in the midst of the second wave and Taco Vida is still providing delicious food, but to be picked up. Just give them a call, order and ether give them your payment information, or pull up in front of the establishment, give the payment and they'll bring you some of the best tacos that we have ever tasted! Today, my wife had the Crispy Camerones and Pork El Pastor tacos. I had the Ahi Tuna Taco and Tinga De Pollo tacos and they were all unique and delicious (especially the Tuna). Of course, we also had the Guacamole and chips, which rounded out the experience! We are planning to return to sample some other gems on the menu when we're back in the area! read more

Apologize to readers in advance about the coming rant :-) I rarely write reviews but in this case I was absolutely amazed at the interaction I had today with one of the owner's of the business which I have frequented in the past (they do have good food). Got there at 11:47 AM to meet a friend who was not there yet. Two out of ~10 tables were in use and no one was in line other than myself. I wanted to sit down at an open two top and wait for my buddy but was told by the lady at the register that I had to stand off to the side until my friend arrived. Not unusual for a higher end restaurant but come on, this is a "very" casual drop in spot with plenty of open tables. If it was busy, I certainly could have understood. When my buddy (who orders regularly from there) arrived, I met him outside, mentioned to him what happened but we both still decided to go in and eat. When we did, I saw a man who I thought was the owner (and not knowing who the woman at the register was) to politely share with him my experience so he would know about it...I try to give good/ad feedback to small biz owners, just because it's good for them to know. Well, he indicated that he and his wife (the woman at the register) were the owners. Upon hearing the interaction, his wife jumped in and said, 1) "those are the rules and they are posted", and 2) "there's nothing to discuss". Needless to say, this time we left and took our business elsewhere. My friend said he spends about $1,000 a year there and he holds bigger grudges than me...poof, that revenue is gone. Given that there are two similar independently owned Mexican restaurants nearby, Ochoa Grill and Tlacoyo Mexican Grill, whose food is equally as good and priced a bit more competitively, my business (I usually eat Mexican food once a week) will continue to go to them and not to Taco Vida. Now we may get a response from the owner that presents a completely different picture, but, the facts are what they are. Both the response and the tone of the response completely amazed me, particularly "from an owner"...I was left pretty speechless and saved it for this way too long review. Remember, I apologized in advance! read more

Happened to be in the area, looking for something to eat before meeting someone and we were fortunate to find this place! Food was wonderful - we had the guacamole, tortilla soup, and a few tacos. All were really fresh and tasty - excellent! Our server was friendly and helpful. We had a really nice conversation with the chef about his background and Taco Vida . I look forward to returning and trying some of the other varieties of the tacos on the menu (many great options), perhaps the taco of the week and the chef's special, and I definitely want to have a margarita! read more

Delectable food friendly service great prices! Fun ambience Tacos are amazing We had the best time with Maria! read more

Best all around for food, quality, service and experience. Love supporting locals and this is top notch

Great food and service, staff was friendly , fresh and tasty food. I'm planing to comeback soon.

Tortilla does not taste fresh. Like it's been steaming all day. Good fillings. Good soups

I wandered in here while waiting for my appointment at the DMV. It was mid afternoon and Taco Vida was open, so in I went. I'm so happy to have discovered this place as I love tacos and these are some of the best around. The corn tortillas are made in-house and the love shows-they truly enhance the fillings. They are a little pricier than others, but worth every penny. At $5.00 each they are filled with delicious goodness that will be gone before you know it. I only needed two of them to fill me to capacity. Other places will charge $3.00 and I usually get 3. The ambience is fine and the staff friendly. I'll be back over and over. read more

Fantastic variety Chef Freddy has a unique way to match flavors and textures Favorite lunch and casual dinner spot read more

The food was amazing. I walked in yesterday just to try a taco and walked out happy. The grilled chicken taco come with great meat, cheese and grilled veggies. The guacamole is fresh and made to order and doesn't hold back on flavor. All the food was amazing and this gem must be visited to enjoy the taste. Win win read more

Taco Vida - Mexican Near Me - Deerfield, Illinois