Oh man this might be the first time I reluctantly post a review because they're so good I don't want to share :9 Was near Lake Opeka and looking for food afterwards and came across this place. Ambiance leaves a little to be desired, the door glass is cracked and they're right next to a laundromat. But don't let that fool you! There was a steady stream of customers at 9pm both dining in and carrying out. They have a very good selection of Mexican dishes at excellent prices. The food itself was also amazing and they are pretty generous with their portions! I got a combination dinner and it lasted me 2 meals. This might be our new favorite Mexican place in the northwestish suburbs! read more

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Always fresh and made to order Mexican food. You watch them cook it and then you eat it!!! Dine in or take out, it gets the job done! read more

Nice staff, good carne asasa tacos at good price. If you dine in, they give you complementary chips and salsa. read more

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Today, I drove my neighbor over to this Taqueria, which I've been doing for years. My neighbor is older and does not drive, but every now and then he craves the food here. And I've never ordered it before today because he always calls ahead and picks it up. But we were pretty early today And called a couple times before they were open and they didn't answer yet, so we kept on driving until we got there. I'm glad, because I got to go in and place my own order this time. They let us come in early about 10 minutes early with the door wide open for anyone to walk in early. So that was awesome. It was about 9:50 in the morning. Who else wants to get a taco or burrito at 9:50 in the morning? I'm raising my hand. I ordered a Carne Asada burrito with no cheese, but everything else avocado, and the green salsa. I wanna say that the flavors and textures the amounts. Everything is generous and delicious. The ambience has Mexican colors and decorations very simple, easy come on and eat or take it to go kind of atmosphere. This is a family run business and friendly. If you are looking for a good taco or burrito or torta on the northwest side, I recommend trying this place. I do not believe you could be disappointed. read more

Taqueria Arandas - Carne asada burrito ( half eaten with green salsa) I'm already full but I'm going to eat the rest ;) - Mexican Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

Ok... The two stars was because it was cheap. Ordered a steak burrito and a coke. Total $13 and change. Very cheap quality steak and no desire to try and pass it off as better quality with some seasoning. I can honestly say I have never eaten a a steak burrito with absolutely no taste to it before coming here. Sorry I won't be back. read more

Best food, best service, excellent! Have been going there for 15 years, Try the Arandas's bowl!

Massive portion sizes and the food was incredible and staff was nice. Highly recommend this place

Food was excellent considering I am from California. Service and excellent and the workers were very friendly. The prices were good also compare to California prices. Will be back again as long as I am in town. Thank you. read more

Food is always great and big portions. Always great service. Highly recommend the burritos!

Delicious authentic Mexican tacos that's my go to place. I always get the steak taco. The meat is flavorful and tender. I like that they don't have giblets in meat as many places do which makes it annoying to eat. The food is freshly made, quick, and reasonably priced. Customer service is always great. Warm friendly greeting. There located in a small strip plaza. Easy to find parking right in front. Plenty of seating if you want to dine in. Restrooms very clean too. Highly recommended them when you're in the mood for Mexican food. read more

IT'S BURRTO TIME We had an hour to kill and stumbled upon this cute little Mexican restaurant. It was incredibly cute and the staff was super nice. There was one waitress who also ran the cash register and two cook's on the grill. Our food was made fast and arrived to our table super fresh. While we were waiting for our food the waitress brought over a basket of chips with salsa and two sauces. The red chunky salsa was just fantastic. I wish I knew how to make salsa just like this. I try and try but I don't know the authentic secrets. I asked our waitress if she knew the recipe and she said they haven't even shared it with her. One day I'll unlock the culinary secrets of authentic Mexican salsa. We ordered a couple of chicken burritos with rice and beans. Our waitress was super smart. When she brought out our food she also brought an extra plate. That really impressed me because there were three of us and I usually have to ask for the extra plate. I love it when someone just reads the situation and solves the problem. This type of service makes me happy. The burritos are made with shredded chicken which is my favorite. I hate when it is grilled chicken chunks that are dried out. The shredded chicken has more flavor and is always more juicy in my opinion. The burritos also come with beans, cheese, tomatoes, onions and lettuce inside. Avocado and cream are an extra charges. The chicken burrito was just perfection. I must be honest and say the burrito was really clean too. My wife likes her burritos a little more greasy spoon. I understand that because I've been there. I relished in the fact that just maybe this chicken burrito was super healthy for me. Please don't burst my bubble!!! The green sauce was my favorite and the rest of my family loved the red sauce. It had a little too much chipotle spice in it for me to enjoy. There was a lot of carry out happening. We dined at lunch time and the tables never really filled up. I'm not sure if this a Covid thing or a Monday thing. The way people go out for food has really changed in the last year. I'd highly recommend this place, if you find yourself in the area. Dine in was great and the service was fantastic. The food was also really good. We must be honest. It's all about the food at the end of the day! read more

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Fantastic food and an overall excellent experience! I've been coming here for years, and even though I live far away, I make it a point to visit whenever I can. Truly a great place! read more

Great Mexican food for a competitive price in todays world. Everything fresh tasting and authentic.

A hidden gem of a mexican restaurant. I had the chiles rellenos plate. Spectacular! The chips and salsa were fresh and tasty! I realized lady behind me had tamales. I look forward to getting the tamales next time. There is a small grocery store within the same space. read more

Mole enchiladas are delicious. Chile rellenos is also delicious. The service is always great. Very friendly

Very nice home style place. Lately my favorite is the vegetarian burrito. My wife loves the stuffed peppers. read more

I come here sometimes, but now I'm not going anymore. It's a hit or miss, most of the time it's a miss, but when it's good it's decent. The quality of the meat is getting worse, it's chewy and most of the time its not hot. Tacos/ burritos it's all the same. Size of the burrito is getting smaller and smaller and the price isn't worth it. Pretty disappointing not wasting my money and time on this place anymore. Plus they get the order wrong or forget to add food I ordered. The food isn't fresh either. No thank you! read more

Jose grilled at our home today for a baby shower. His tacos, rice, beans and accompaniments were delicious ! Jose was great to work with and very accommodating. We'll definitely make the 45 minute trip to enjoy the food at his restaurant in the future. read more

A COVID season update. We stopped in for a carry out dinner since we hadn't been here in a while. We came in to place a carry-out order. Their menu is a little thinner, which is absolutely appropriate with the reduced business everyone is getting these days. We were welcomed by our cashier (forgot her name) who is usually there. No mask, but she put one on when she saw we had them on. The food was prepared fresh, and our taco dinners were very good, up to their standards! Definitely one of the better taquerias in town for the food. Our challenge, which is based on our perspectives, is that they not only didn't wear masks when we came in, but customers came into the store with no hint of protecting others, and our staff removed the masks as soon as they were done talking with us. We are aware that coronavirus transmission is more person to person than by contact, but personally knowing people affected by COVID, we are trying to be more cautious. We'll probably wait to come back until things settle just a little more. :-( read more

OMG the best chips n salsa around. Love this lil taco spot on Oakton. Great prices & authentic Mexican food.

Can I give this a negative rating? I have no words other than this place is gross. DO NOT EAT HERE!!!! Lady at the counter is rude, guy on the grill doesn't care and the food turned out to be gross. Took one bite of my asada burrito and hated it. What a waste of money. If you still chose to go you were warned. I've lived in Chicago most of my life and after being abroad for the last 22yrs I came to visit my sister. I should had driven the 40 minutes down to Chicago in Chicago traffic. In short, I would drive in Chicago traffic for a good burrito than take another bite of this garbage. read more

Taqueria Arandas - Mexican Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

This is my favorite place for real Mexican food. The prices are amazing as well as the quality and quantity of the food you get. This is just a little hole in the wall type place but the food sure makes up for the boring interior. This is the only Mexican place my abuela doesn't complain about not meeting her standards. Carne asada burrito with a horchata is my go to. read more

Taqueria Arandas - Carne asada burrito dinner - Mexican Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

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Simple Mexican diner-style restaurant with very good food. Agree with the other reviews that describe Arandas as a "dive" and "hole in the wall". The place doesn't look like much, just a few tables around a counter where your food is prepared. Fast and friendly service, the place was loaded with Mexicans enjoying a late night dinner while I was there. Had a good Carne Asada burrito. Arandas does the job when you need an authentic Mexican food fix! read more

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VERY disappointed!! We have been eating there for several years, went to pick up a to-go order tonight and could not believe what we saw. Two customers picking up their orders, neither one wearing masks, and ALL THREE WORKERS behind the counter, two cooks and one cashier NOT wearing masks!! We canceled the order upon pickup. PLUS, the city of Des Plaines mandates the wearing of masks in all indoor facilities. Needless to say, we will call the city of Des Plaines health department first thing tomorrow, and unfortunately we will NOT be returning there! read more

This place is absurdly good. I have been exploring the Taquerias around Chicagoland for the past 4-5 years and nothing comes close... even in the city! It honestly is all about how they season their meat. I have to be honest and say that I haven't sampled the entire menu; I get the carne asada burrito every time. Who would have thought in Des Plaines of all places? I ate there 20 minutes ago and asked if they had a Yelp page because I was finishing my last bite and was so satisfied, I had to review. Update 1/24/15: I still eat here all the time. I have scanned and uploaded an old menu, as I could not find one on the internet. Update 3/18/17: Looks like it has been about 6 years since my initial review. About to order another burrito from Arandas. This place has not changed. I could see this taqueria in more than one location. read more

The food is very good. I've eaten steak, shrimp burritos, taco plate, enchiladas, Chile rellenos, and a chimp soup (caldos!. All were very good. The staff is pleasant, and there is seating. Great for takeout! read more

Mexican gyro is sizable to split for two. We were in Des Plaines running errands and stopped for lunch. Not familiar with the area I used Google Local App to find this place. Reviews were high but truth be told it is a mom and pop no frills that the locals lean on. Prices were reasonable and food was straight forward. We both got Mexican Gyros (pulled pork burrito) with rice and beans on the side. They were good and big. In fact we had one packed to go while we split the other. Went to pay and found out place is cash only so bring your cash. No booze here that I am aware of, but some ethnic sodas available. If you like trying more ethnic fare, I did notice goat soup on the menu, as well as lengua (beef tongue). Total damage with tax around 14-15 bucks. Tip - If you are a Google Nav user like me, the app will get you very close to this business but not spot on. read more

Excellent Mexican restaurant. Nothing fancy but it is very clean and all food is cooked fresh and tasty. Has all of the typical Mexican staples. Attentive service. No alcohol is only bummer. read more

Fast cheap and delicious! Staff friendly I have been coming here for a long time food is awesome as always

I ordered the beef/burrito, side of beans and the guacamole and chips. Very disappointed. All 3 dishes were bland! No flavor at all. The beans taste as if they were directly out of the can and then heated up! The red sauce had a funny taste to it and the salsa had no cilantro nor lime, no flavor! I discarded the entire order! So very disappointed. Not worth it! read more

I usually order tortas and or tacos from here and I've never been disappointed. The red sauce is my favorite because it has a smokey taste to it. Food is always fresh, delicious and authentic. I've been going here for the past 2 years and highly recommend giving them a try if you haven't already, you won't be disappointed. read more

I've regularly passed by this place for the last 6 or 7 years and always said I would try it. And finally I did. This little dive-like Mexican restaurant is located in a little strip mall on Oakton, west of River Road, between a Citgo station and a small Mexican grocery store. Looking around inside, their interior can use some updating, but I am not too critical of that. Their menu seems difficult to read, as the lettering does not consistently match line to line. Still, I found what I needed to run my benchmark steak burrito test and placed my order. I went back to the car for what was about 3 minutes. When I walked back in to wait for my order, I was shocked they had it in the bag all ready to go! Opening up the Styrofoam package at home, I found a chubby, well-stuffed burrito, fluffy rice and flavorful beans. The steak meat had the right amount of seasoning, and it was not stringy or dry. In short, it passed my test and I was pleased. Their salsa, though, tasted somewhat too mild and watery. I thought it did not add that much flavor to the burrito. Still, for under $5, it was so much food, I gave about 1/3 of it to my wife. It won't win glamour points, but they make a good burrito at this place and I think I'll be coming back there. read more

This is as authentic as it can get in my opinion and the food is phenomenal. Please, don't be fooled by the rink-y-dink outside of this place, or that it's on an island of a strip mall. I have been coming in here for the past year and i never leave dissatisfied. This place functions as a to-go place and restaurant but they have no servers. The lady in the front is in charge of doing everything basically from serving to packing so don't expect for service to be amazing. Sometimes drinks and entrees can take a while to come out but it's very forgivable in this situation, and my rating is purely based on matters of taste. They give you a free appetizer of chips with salsa and it is amazing. The salsa is so fresh, refreshing, and hearty it motivates me to make my own salsa because i can't always go to this place to get awesome stuff like that. The enchilada suizas with ground beef or goat are my total favorites. They come with beans, rice, and a small lettuce tomato salad. The flavors are amazing together. The ground beef is so creamy and the goat is a bit gamey for my tastes but very tender and still delicious. (i like to get a little bit of everything on the plate) Very rich and satisfying flavors and the portions are fairly large. The horchata is delicious but hey all horchatas that i have ever had from mexican joints has been delicious. I will for sure be a recurring customer here, mhmmm. read more

I don't know how anyone rates a spot like this based on the ambiance -- it's a taqueria in a small strip with a laundromat and Mexican grocery store -- places like this are about the food. This is one of the few spots in the area that actually has al pastor on the spit (the chain that most people know in the area, as well as several other places in the area, just have strips of marinated pork sitting in a tub). If you want to eat a burrito in a place with a pretty setting, go to a Chipotle or something. But if you live in the area and want authentic Mexican food that's made to order, then you should definitely hit this place up. Also, if you've been there before and were upset by the fact that it was "cash only," I'm happy to report that they take cards now! :) read more

This place was recommended by my husband's Mexican co-worker. If the natives recommend it , it means its good! I love love love this place. Large portions, and cooked to order. My husband and I love the pork burritos!! The flavors are just amazing. I don't think that atmosphere is important, as long as they have good food. The girls that work the cash register are a bit shy, but very friendly. They have jarritos too if you want some. Gotta give this place a try. They also stay open until 11:30pm, which is great! Only complaint is that they only take cash. If they took my plastic I would be there everyday. With the menu being hard to read, they have a take out menu at the counter. It has all the items listed that isn't on the wall. Yummy food! Go eat! NOW! read more

I should be cleaning the sink, but I thought of this place and couldn't pass on a opportunity to comment about it. This place is amazing! Fast, wonderful service. Salsa to die for. While all those other places are busy giving you a little bowl of some tomato based salsa, this place plops three different kinds of salsa in your face. The tacos are offered with a large choice of different meats and they are simply delicious. I have been to more Taquerias than I can count but this one takes the cake. The prices are almost as amazing as the food. If you are craving some Mexican for dinner - you will not be disappointed. The carne asade is wonderful. There's a reason why I have been to this place about twenty times! I plan to try all sorts of treats this place has to offer. read more

No complaints here. Took an early flight into O'Hare and this spot was a five minute drive. We arrived 20 minutes after they opened so the place was empty. The food took longer than expected but everything tasted nice and fresh. We ordered huevos con jamon, carne asada tacos, and chips and guac. No regrets, loved everything. The place isn't fancy in any way but you can't go wrong with great food! read more

As an American who spent 2.5 years living in Australia, I really started missing Mexican food. And I know how to cook and found places to buy proper ingredients. But there is something about a $5 burrito made from a small Mexican joint that always makes me happy. So I go there with my half Mexican cousin. Apparently he's tried all the highly yelp rated Taquerias in Niles, Skokie, Morton Grove, and Des Plaines and this was his choice as the best. After eating here I have to agree it is pretty damn good. I start of with a goat taco. Yup thats right, goat. The spices were great and perfectly complimented the goat. Then I moved on the Burrito al Pastor. Al Pastor means 'of the shepard'. This is the type that was traditionally made of lamb and cooked on a skewer like middle eastern kebabs on a spit. In fact it is the type that originally was incorporated into Mexican food by Lebanese immigrants. For people who love Mexican food and have been to Cemita's Puebla, you may know this as the meat in Tacos Arabes. The Mrs got some shrimp fajitas and my cousin got an al pastor burrito as well as a chille relleno taco. We all got Horchatas, which were slightly too sweet, but tasted great after watering them down a little. This will be my new taco place in the near NW Suburbs. read more

This is taco place, we love it here. The salsas are the best we eat the chips they serve when you eat inside. the flan is great! we eat tacos de pastor and carne asada. Its cash only and it is a family owned place. We have had everything on the menu and love it all. Its authentic mexican food. read more

This place is a perfect example of simple is delicious. The chips were freshly fried, the salsa perfect. Lunch special was 2 delicious steak tacos with rice and beans for under $6. The beans were fantastic. Rice was also delicious. Really enjoyed the food as I watched a couple brave cockroaches approach my table in broad daylight. Still delicious though.... read more