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    Tepalcates

    4.9 (143 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    Recommended Reviews - Tepalcates

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    Mark J.

    Small cozy interior with a great atmosphere. Service was great, and helped when it came to ordering, cause everything was looking good. The fruit drinks are fresh and well made. The tacos are the real standout each one unique with great flavor. The steak taco hit the hardest for me, smoky with good peppers and onions, but both of the others held their own too, don't sleep on them. If you're ever in the Chicago area, some of the best tacos I've had hands down. -Mr.

    Tacos
    Juliana R.

    Amazing food! Looks like a small, unassuming restaurant from the front, but there is a separate seating area in the back for more groups. The owner and staff are personable, excited for new customers, and more than helpful if you need some assistance ordering. I'll be back to try the octopus/pulpo tacos as they were highly recommended!

    Menu with prices
    Julisa W.

    Our friend put us on to this last night and they ask you immediately if you had been before. If it's your first time, they give you samples of all the delicious drinks they offer. Horchata, guava, passion fruit and Mexican lemonade. I think it's a brilliant idea because I probably wouldn't have gotten a sugary drink normally. We got the guava and Mexican lemonade mixed. Lovely. The restaurant has passionate people working there! A friendly fellow had lots of pictures of the menu, suggestions and new cuisine we had not heard of before. Seemed like a family spot and just a simple restaurant. It was the end of the night so the floor was a little dirty and it was a lil dusty in the dining room but nothing that made me alarmed. I got the lomo torta which was sooo good but the bread did not hold up to all the goodies inside. I got a side of rice for the extra and was happy with that choice! My partner got the Cesina taco and some birria tacos and NO JOKE, the birria was best I've ever had. The guy told us but... you never know. He suggested an amazing soup we didn't know what it was but just went with it. Carne en su jugo and it came with tortillas. Lots of flavor and was nice and warm on a cold rainy night. We will be back!

    Far plate: Quesabirria tacos, thin steak taco, shredded steak taco  Near plate: octopus taco, steak
    Allisen J.

    This is not by where I live and I will go out of the way to get here every month. Unassuming little storefront from the outside, and you're immediately welcomed in by the main man himself, Jose. He knew it was our first time so he gave us the whole rundown: showing us pictures on his phones of the top sellers, letting us try all of their homemade juices (the Mexican lemonade!!), and chatting with us for at least 15 minutes. This man could sell ANYTHING. His siblings were on the grill & gave us the top recommendations. I couldn't really tell you everything we ordered because we gave our first order and Jose said "no don't get those basic ones (Al pastor, carne asada), get these interesting ones". And you can't say no to Jose. The spices on the octopus were out of this world and the SAUCES?! He brought out 4 sauces varying in spice and all were so tasty and different. They recommended which sauce to go with which taco. 10/10 will absolutely be back.

    Birria Ramen, Horchata, Chips and Guac, Tacos: Pollo Al Pastor, Gobernador (camaron/shrimp) and Pulpo (octopus pibil)
    Tracy L.

    My fiancé came here by chance, and he came home raving about the octopus taco. He said they recommended it, so the whole table he was with all ordered it. Everyone was pleasantly surprised. So, one day, he brought dinner home- I got the octopus, shrimp, and chicken Al pastor. They were exploding with flavor, and all their salsas were great. I couldn't believe how tender the octopus was! The guac was a tad salty for my preference, but still good. Prices are reasonable especially for the quality and flavors. Yum!

    Nachos with suadero
    Megan G.

    This is my new go to for Mexican in Chicago We were first timers and to the owner was nice enough to let us try all the drinks (guava, Mexican lemonade, passion fruit) and give us the rundown on all the dishes they were best known for. We got: - nachos with suadero - cochinita and lomo tacos - quesabirria Good amount for 2 hungry people, and the food was incredibly high quality (11/10) and surprisingly pretty cheap! It was also a clean space with plenty of seating, good music, fans, and friendly workers tip for new comers: Let the owner recommend!!

    Quesabirria and suadero
    Andrea A.

    After years of driving past Tepalcates, I finally stopped by for dinner. The owner was super welcoming and made sure you knew about their signature dishes and salsas. If it's your first time here, expect samples of their refreshing homemade drinks! The Quesabirria and suadero taco I had were amazing! It's a cozy highly sought after neighborhood spot. Went on a weeknight and it got busy fairly quickly so expect a wait on weekends.

    Nolan F.

    My tacos: Lengua - steam tongue Suadero - beef brisket confit Pulpo -(octopus pibil) marinated with special Yucatan pibil And we shared Chips n Guac I enjoyed all my tacos. Tongue and octopus were so tender and beef brisket was crispy and flavorful. Perfect portion of meats in each taco. Meats weren't greasy. Chips and guac were legit and plentiful. Passion Fruit Lemonade & Guava juice were refreshing and not terribly sweet. Manager/owner was very nice and helpful. Small amount of seating inside. Prices are on higher end but it was so good, I'd return.

    Menu and counter
    Melissa M.

    Tepalcates is a small and unassuming place. The food and service exceeded my expectations. Jose, mentioned in other reviews, immediately got to work on giving us samples of agua frescas and horchata, and went over their most popular dishes. When Jose says their dishes are the best, he's not exaggerating! The beef brisket taco was excellent. The drinks were all so good--I may need to go back soon for some horchata. The place started to get packed with a line out the door after 6pm so keep that in mind (we went on a Saturday). I'm glad to have tried out this family-owned restaurant!

    Ben J.

    Family-owned Mexican restaurant with authentic recipes. The owner was very friendly and basically said everything was equally good. I had the octopus taco and beef brisket taco. Both of them had great flavors, but the beef one was a bit salty. You can tell all the ingredients are fresh and cohesive.

    Birra ramen

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    4 months ago

    Food was excellent and hot and ready right on time. A bit expensive for the little portions but the food was great.

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    9 months ago

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    2 months ago

    amazing food and service please come and support will not disappoint !! i love this place even the vibes

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    1 year ago

    Great service and delicious food that you don't find at every Mexican place- especially on the north side.

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    1 year ago

    Friendly service. lots of variety with some unique options too . Clean place not a ton of seating. it can get busy.

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Great place, nice guy running it. Great food, attentive staff. All in all a great experience. Good for eating in or taking out

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    9 months ago

    Awesome food and owner is so friendly! We had vegetarian tacos, shrimp tacos, guacamole and so much more! All very very good!!

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    1 year ago

    Quite simply the best Mexican food I have had in Chicago, bar none. I would recommend this casual eatery to anyone

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    1 year ago

    Best Asada burrito I've had in Chicago. First time visiting but will certainly be back to try the rest of the menu

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    Page 2 of 4

    Ask the Community - Tepalcates

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    Tacombi

    Tacombi

    4.0
    (210 reviews)
    4.3 mi
    $$

    I went last night to Tacombi (West Loop location) and they absolutely delivered. The food was…read moreabsolutely delicious (I had the little tacos, the esquites, guaca and nachos and wine). It was exactly the kind of Mexican comfort you want even more so when you're settling in for a World Cup match. You feel like you're in Mexico. Big shout out to Sabrina. She took care of our table, and the service was friendly, smooth, and the whole place buzzing. Can't wait to go back!!

    I was craving a shrimp burrito so I decided to come here. I have walked past this place many times…read morebut never tried it. I stopped by with my pup to order shrimp burrito to go. Evelyn greeted us right away and placed my order. I asked for spicy salsa so she recommended the gobernador salsa which was a green spicy salsa made with poblanos. Evelyn was so sweet! She gave my puppy a treat and also brought out a bowl of water for him while we waited for the food. The inside of the restaurant was really cute and colorful and they had a separate bar area for drinks. I decided to order a spicy michelada with Pacifico beer while waiting. The bartender was super nice and made my drink quickly. It was the perfect amount of spice and was so refreshing! My burrito came out quick for how packed the inside of the restaurant was. The burrito was a good size and was so fresh and tasty! The gobernador salsa was delicious. I can't wait to go back and try something different and this time dine in.

    Photos
    Full liquor & juice bar
    Full liquor & juice bar
    Churros con Xocolate.
    Churros con Xocolate.
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    Corn Esquites.
    L' Patron Tacos

    L' Patron Tacos

    3.9
    (652 reviews)
    2.1 mi
    $$

    Burrito ala deabla, con shrimp. Highly recommend. In general the tacos are delicious…read more Environment is great and working personal are super nice. Been a customer for over years now. Bar inside which is a plus. Bathrooms are always clean. Five star all around and a must check out!! Dine in or sit outside

    My first time here, and it was such a great experience. Delicious food and a really fun vibe!…read more We walked in around 12:30pm Saturday, and even though the place was pretty packed, we were seated right away! I ordered the Paloma, and my husband got the Michelada, both super refreshing and made well. For food, I ordered the El Gringo with rice and salad. I definitely wish I had swapped the salad for beans, because my husband got both rice and beans, and I ended up finishing my rice and helping with his too lol. Highly recommend this dish, just go for the beans instead of the salad! My husband also ordered three tacos: Al Pastor, Chorizo, and Carne Asada, all of which were really good. One of the fun touches is that they have QR codes at the table to leave a Google review, and if you do, you get to spin a prize wheel. Of course I had to try it, and it made the whole experience even more fun. I ended up winning a free double shot! The staff were all super friendly, the restaurant was clean, and the music gave it a fun, vibrant atmosphere. I'd definitely come back!

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Al Pastor Taco
    Al Pastor Taco
    Dining area of L' Patron

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    Dining area of L' Patron

    Tepalcates - tacos - Updated August 2026

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