Had the best time at Tuco and Blondie! The inside is huge with multiple seating areas, large bar, and great outdoor patio. I loved the fun decor and neon lights to reinforce branding. They offer happy hour M-F from 3-5pm and have $6 margaritas, $6 draft beers, & $6 mini tacos. Our group started out with a round of frozen and on-the-rocks classic margaritas. The taste was a bit tart for me but everyone else enjoyed it! For my second drink, I got the Mezcal Margarita which was perfectly balanced as smokey and refreshing. For food, we started with the Chile Con Queso & Elotes. Both were absolutely delicious and easy to share. For mains, most got the BYO Taco Platter where you get to mix and match 3 tacos from the menu. Our server, Gisele, said her favorite taco was the Baja Fish but the Crispy Cauliflower was underrated. For entrees, she recommended the Crispy Chicken Torta or The Molcajete. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meals! Everything tasted fresh, made to order, and great flavor! I would certainly come back to enjoy more! read more

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One of the best happy hours in the area with the absolute cutest patio. The patio also house outdoor TVs which is a huge find! Classic Margaritas were strong and delicious and the service was fast and so nice! read more

Tuco and Blondie - Happy hour house margarita - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Tuco and Blondie's is super cute and has a large patio which would be nice on summer days! They have a bottomless brunch option where you can choose from margarita, a bloody mary, a spritz, or mimosas for $35 for 2 hours. The marg was not good but the spritz and mimosas were fine. We also shared a guac for the table which was yummy. My only complaint is that with 30 minutes left on our package, we put in an order for mimosas twice. No one came to bring them, we couldn't find our waiter, and now we are past our 2 hour limit but we've put our order in twice before the time was up! It was odd, and we couldn't find our waiter so we had to ask someone else. It wasn't a super busy time of day so not sure what happened but not a big deal. I'd still come back for sure! The breakfast tacos looked very yummy. read more

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Friendly service and fun patio. Sadly, the food is pretty gross. Not authentic and flavorful at all. I think people come for the atmosphere and the drinks... not the food. read more

I didn't know what to expect when coming here. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed. We had a big group of friends with kids. Yes, we had a reservation and actually reduced our count when we didn't think that we were going to use up all the tables. Instead, they tried to put us at a picnic table with four kids under 5 and then ended up putting us at three tables next to each other that were of a weird count. We asked if we could go inside, but they claimed there was no room. There was plenty of room. I didn't make the reservation so I don't know the background of what was said and not said, but this was NOT a good start to a meal. I know our tables were a lot and our server did a phenomenal job, but as somebody who usually makes reservations for my own family of 13, this makes me not want to come with them! I started with the Cadillac Margarita which was good, but a bit smaller than what I was expecting with the price. After looking at the menu, I saw that guacamole was $14. Still, it sounded promising so I got it to try. It was very good, but very small for $14. I should have known something was up just from that, but I went with the combo steak and shrimp Fajitas. While I probably could have asked for more, it came with FOUR tortillas. It also came with THREE shrimp and half a steak. Of course, it was good, but not for $30. I ended with churros which were pretty good, but were basically 2 regular sized churros cut up. This is what soured me on the place. For my Margarita, Guac, Fajitas, and Churros, it was $93 just for me (tax, tips, fees included). How is this possible at a TexMex place? I get that this is a hip area so they can get away with charging more, but this was way more than Fat Rosie's and other suburban places which more or less offer the same kind of food. I had a fear that this place was overrated and it slightly is. The saving grace is that their food and drinks are actually good, but their prices are outrageous and people are coming here as a status symbol. Sadly, I probably won't be back. read more

Tuco and Blondie - Combo Fajitas (notice three shrimp) - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came to Tuco and Blondie with two of my girlfriends this weekend, and we loved it!! If you can get a seat outside, I highly recommend the patio. We had a great seat, in the shade, and it was gorgeous! Our server Sarah was our favoritee- SO attentive and such a good host!! We ordered a pitcher of margs for the three of us, and that came out to about 2 margaritas each! To eat, I had the pastor taco, the chorizo taco, and the elotes. All three were so great. The chorizo had a little kick to it which I loved. I cleaned the plate of elotes to myself too! I wish we saved room for dessert because I would have loved to try the churros. Will have to wait until next time! :) read more

Tuco and Blondie - Margarita pitcher! - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We had exceptional service -- I went with mom this past weekend and we had a great time. Very pleasant and responsive waitstaff, not too busy, food was pretty good! read more

I enjoyed the food, drinks, and desserts here! My friend and I stopped in for a girls night and it was perfect, their location is spacious with indoor and outdoor seating. The staff were really nice, especially our server. He was so attentive, informative of the menus, and welcoming. I can't wait to get back to those fajitas and drinks! read more

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Such good Al pastor tacos!! Also the margarita was fresh and delicious! The service was slow but the food made up for it. I recommend sitting on the patio if it's nice out read more

Tuco, Blondie, listen to me: you've laid the groundwork for something great. However, other than the vibrant, fun, and colorful vibe, everything needed improvement somewhere. These are all easy changes to make, and I have faith y'all can do it. To start, we have the much-lauded chips and salsa. These fell short for me, for a silly reason: salt. I appreciate that the chips were warm, fresh, light, and not greasy. At the same time, while a few lucky ones were appropriately seasoned, more than a few had little to no salt. The salsa suffers from a similar issue, where with no perceptible salt, it was essentially tomato water. On that note, I found it a little more watery for my taste. Asking for salt and adding just a little helped elevate the flavor of both terrifically. I also took this opportunity to try their housemade "Gato Loco" hot sauce. This had the makings of something great, with a spot-on heat level and a slow, pleasant burn. The Achilles' Heel of this one was the amount and punchiness of the vinegar. Yes, I appreciate that many hot sauces are going to add some acid, but at these amounts, I might as well be adding spicy vinegar! For food, I ordered a breakfast burrito with fruit as my side of choice. As with the chips and salsa, this was almost something great, but errors in execution made it fall short. I liked that T&B did not skimp on the protein, and there was a generous amount of egg and meat in the burrito. There was chorizo, which turned up the heat and the punch! While this wasn't stated on the menu, as a lover of spicy, I am not complaining. Where it comes to the pico, I felt like for half of the burrito this was notably light, and for the other, finding any tomato or onion was like walking with a metal detector on the beach - you'll find a little, but it's an exercise! As for bacon--I'm not saying it wasn't there, but even as I ate the burrito with a fork and knife, I didn't notice any. Finally, I feel as though it could have been a touch cheesier, but this is a matter of personal preference, not a complaint. Where I do have some further complaints is the service. Strange as it sounds, it felt almost as if the server hadn't spent much time in a restaurant as a patron. Not only was the service not very attentive, but certain things weren't thought through. For example, when I and someone else in our party ordered a coffee, the server didn't ask if we'd like cream and/or sugar; better yet, we weren't given spoons. Is this individual doing this as a way to get some extra steps in or something (just kidding - but I wouldn't be surprised). I don't mind stirring my coffee with a knife, but is this really necessary? The food did come out fairly fast - so credit [to the kitchen] there. Salt, more care in burrito assembly, and some extra training for the service team is all it would take to propel T&B into greatness. Unfortunately, this experience left a bad (unsalted?) taste in my mouth. With the plethora of great-to-amazing Mexican and Tex-Mex eateries in Chicago, I do not see a return visit in my future. (visit date = 7/20/2025) read more

Tuco and Blondie - Breakfast Burrito (side = fruit) - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

If you're looking for Tex Mex I've found your new favorite place! Tuco and Blondie offers bold flavors, bolder drinks, and a vibrant ambiance! My friend and I visited on a Thursday evening for a chat and chew over tacos and drinks! Our server was friendly, personable, and gave us very thorough run downs of his favorites and menu highlights. We ordered a lot of things he recommended because he was so compelling! After a fajita skillet, quesadillas, tacos, elotes, chips & guac, 4 margs, and their dessert ice cream tacos we were STUFFED and satisfied!! Highly recommend giving them a visit. read more

Loved our experience at Tuco, what a great gem in the Southport neighborhood! Drinks, food, service, ambiance, everything was wonderful. Plenty of seating both inside and outside to choose from. Great vibes all around from the mainstream reggaeton playing to the wonderful personalities of all the servers and host stand. For drinks we ordered the passion fruit margarita and blood orange margarita which were a hit. The complimentary chips and salsa are out of this world, so warm and tasty we even asked for more to take home. Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs and we ordered the steak fajitas (good but nothing outrageous), Tijuana taco platter (great!!) and the tajin fries (insanely delicious!!). Definitely will be back for more and we have terrific leftovers for tomorrow. read more

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Fantastic margaritas! The prickly pear flavor was delicious. Steak taco was okay, shrimp was good, but the Al Pastor was by far my favorite! We had great service here, our waitress was so kind and attentive. Our food came out fast for a busy Saturday night. Great lively restaurant! read more

Tuco and Blondie - Steak Tacos Shrimp Tacos & Al Pastor Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I love Tuco! Another of my favorite Southport staples. :) After seeing my friend's band tear it up at Porchfest, our group of seven walked over to Tuco for a group dinner. Half of our group were on margarita pitcher mode, while the other half were more on a Diet Coke type beat. We were seated next to one of the very large windows, which after asking, our server was able to open for us, which was lovely. We ordered the taquitos for the table which were good and then I decended on The Blondie Salad, which came with grilled fajita chicken, romaine, tomato, onion, cilantro, corn, cotija & cheddar cheese, black beans, avocado, and chipotle ranch. It was really good and exactly the filling, but not too filling type of salad that you'd want to have for dinner. And of course, I'll always love the Tuco chips and salsa. The inside is spacious and there's also a TON of patio seating, so chances are you won't need a reservation. Kind of the ideal chips and margs on the patio in the summer type of place. read more

I think this place is one of your typical overpriced Southport Corridor restaurants. Service was great and on my most recent visit, the server was extremely attentive. The Chicken Enchilada Roja was great but portion size was pretty small. I thought there would be at least three enchiladas but I guess due to shrinkflation, there's only two. So just keep that in mind, as you may want to share an appetizer with your party. I would not recommend getting drinks here....my margarita was pretty sad and watered down. I may come back to try the Trash Can Nachos. Overall, decent Tex-Mex food but go somewhere else if you're really hungry and also looking for a good margarita. read more

The ambience is outdoorsy, a little loud but fun. The service was not. I went during brunch hours. We got the brunch menu however the waiter offered the lunch and dinner menu. So we said OK we'll take a look at that. And then he never came back. So I had to ask for someone to get our waiter. She said she didn't speak any English, luckily I speak Spanish, so I told her. Thank goodness I knew two languages otherwise we would've waited some more. So the waiter finally came. Gives us the menu. We ask him for queso in the meantime and we put in our order. The food came out and the queso never made it to the table. At this point we were not at all surprised. I don't know if our waiter was new but thank goodness for the food being good. I tried the fish tacos , beef, and steak . All very good. We hesitantly placed an order to go but atleast the queso successfully made it in the bag LOL. The queso was very good as well . I do recommend them, but hopefully you get better service than we had. read more

Horrible service. I came in on Saturday and sat at the bar, only 2 people were sitting and suddenly a couple came after and sat at the bar. I sat for 15mins, one lady brought me chips and salsa and another lady brought me water. I was ready to order, but no! The couple that came after me got their order taken while I felt invisible, not once came to take my order. I gladly got up and left. Not worth my time or my coins! Ciao Arivederci! Next! read more

This is our third visit to the restaurant, which speaks for itself. Once again, they did not disappoint. Our server, Christian, was great. Not only was the service good, but the food was delivery very quickly. It was not super crowded, but there was a good amount of people there. We opted to sit inside, but there is an adequate amount of outdoor seating as well. Onto the food! My husband really enjoyed his shrimp tacos. I had one chicken, one pork, and one short rib taco. They were all equally delicious. I should mention that we started with the chips and salsa, which I love! They have a dedicated gluten-free fryer for the chips which earns them bonus points with me! Love the salsa, it has lots of flavor and not too spicy. read more

Tuco and Blondie - Taco platter with chicken taco, El, Pastore, pork, taco, and short rib taco. - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is a solid Tex-Mex spot that serves up great food and even better vibes. The decor is really inviting and colorful. I ordered the chicken fajitas and a blackberry margarita. The chicken in the fajitas was really juicy and flavorful. While the blackberry margarita was fruity and refreshing. The staff are also super helpful and know the menu really well. Overall, I'll definitely be back. read more

Tuco and Blondie - Chicken Fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Tuco and Blondie is quite yummy and provided a great close out meal for my last night in Chicago! We started with a pitcher of margaritas, chips & salsa, and queso with beef! All were perfection. And the margaritas were strong. I'm sometimes wary of margaritas in pitchers because the ingredients are sometimes not portioned well. But not at Tuco's! They were quite good. For my entrée, I ordered the Mixed Fajitas with steak and shrimp! This dish was superb! The steak and shrimp were cooked just right, and the fajitas spices were yummy! We sat at the bar, for our meal and on that night, the restaurant was not packed--so we got a lot of extra attention from the bartender who also was our server. However, my friends who took me to Tuco said that normally the place gets super packed, with a lot of people gravitating to their spacious outdoor dining area. I'd definitely hit up Tuco again for a yummy Mexican meal, and I encourage you to try it, too! read more

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Not only were the tacos delicious but the service was amazing. Giselle was very kind and so fun. Would definitely come again.

Really good margaritas very good chips and salsa and their fajitas have tender steak and wonderfully marinated vegetables. Nice outdoor seating good place to go to. read more

Good food, reasonable price, quick and attentive service. We sat on a cute patio outside and enjoyed our 6 taco platter. None of the tacos were so jaw droppingly delicious for me to give 5 stars, but there was nothing inherently wrong with my dining experience. I would recommend this place. read more

Tuco and Blondie - *Tijuana Picnic Taco Platter - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Right when I sat down here I already knew I was going to want to come back!!! They had a big patio with string lights hung up, the perfect place to have a margarita. We made a reservation for a Sunday night, but it wasn't super packed so depending on the day you might not need one. Our food & drinks were sooo good!!! I liked all 3 of my tacos (fish, shrimp & cauliflower) but I LOVED the cauliflower one. It had the most flavor and the crispy cauliflower went well in a taco. My friend who got chicken, steak, and short rib tacos & said her favorite was the short rib by far. We also got a pitcher of skinny spicy margarita for the table which was also very good & tasted freshly made with real ingredients as opposed to a premade mix. Cannot wait to go back!!!! read more

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Came here on Monday night and they were busier than I expected! Their food was a bit underwhelming for the price but we still enjoyed it. The margarita was solid however it was not strong. I did appreciate the fact that they served chips and salsa upon sitting down though! As others have said think more TexMex restaurant than traditional Mexican. High point is definitely the ambiance as it's nicely decorated plus there's a large patio. read more

Tuco and Blondie - Chicken Fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I'll definitely be back for the best beef (short rib) enchiladas I've ever had. The warm, freshly made tortilla chips and guacamole were very good, as was my spicy margarita. Unfortunately, my husband did not enjoy his Bandito burrito (too many veggies and not enough meat). The restaurant itself is bright, modern and cool. There's a nice outdoor patio as well. Service was excellent. read more

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the food was great! i was not expecting the food to be so authentic! the only downside to the food was that the queso was cold, and not as enjoyable as i wish it was. the margarita was good! not very strong at all, but very tasty regardless. The waiter was the best! very attentive to detail and would always check in on us even when the night was extremely busy. (We went on Restaurant week) the ambience was.. okay. extremely packed for the size of the restaurant and too many people bunched around the bar. read more

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Came here to celebrate a birthday on the weekend. It has nice vibes and good or group/family hangout but didn't love the food. For the combo taco platter, I got the steak and shrimp taco with a friend who got fish tacos. The tacos were a bit plain with no topping/sauce on them. The tres leche french toast was very delicious and probably the only thing we would come back for. Some people from the group got the Restaurant Week menu and would not try it again. read more

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We are visiting from out of town and I looked up a Mexican restaurant to go to. The food was very good. I want to praise this restaurant for their generous military discount. My husband is retired Air Force. Thank you so much!!! read more

Awful service. No matter when I go. We had two different waiters. Table of 12. The guy took our orders without writing it down. Of course it was wrong. Same story every time. Fundamentals. Then waiter was agitated people were at two tables next to each other blamed it on us. We didn't pick our seats. Such a prime location I don't get why it's not figure out. read more

This is a great spot for going out with friends! I went with three other friends on a weeknight. We were too late for the happy hour, but still enjoyed our experience. There was no wait, and the service was excellent. The vibe was great too. For the four of us, we split a pitcher of the light prickly pear margarita, which was enough for each of us to have around two glasses. We also ordered two tijuana taco platters, which totaled to 12 tacos and came with just enough rice and beans for each of us to have a good amount. I would totally go back, and hopefully make it to happy hour this time haha. read more

Tuco and Blondie - Margarita Pitcher - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

A big shout out to Tuco and Blondie for the most excellent experience when hosting our baby shower there on May 30th. The venue was fabulous from all standpoints; ambience, service and the most delicious food! The staff who assisted us that day were superb as well as the event planner who was always fully accessible, making sure our event went as planned. I highly recommend this venue! read more

Recently moved to Lakeview and had to check out this patio in Southport! This is the perfect summer spot and such a great place to grab a marg. I went with friends on a Friday night for a late dinner. We split a strawberry marg pitcher & I tried the beef, chicken & cauliflower tacos. I LOVED the cauliflower one and would definitely order again. The chicken was juicy as well, but I honestly enjoyed the simplicity of the beef. Overall, good & quick service, tasty food & really reasonable prices for the area. Compared to other Mexican places around, I'd definitely go again (especially for the HH deals) The chips are complimentary as well and SO good! Salsa was mid to me, but decent! read more

Tuco and Blondie - Ground Beef Tacos, Cauliflower Tacos, Chicken Tinga Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

TL;DR: Happy Hour is great and margs are good Fun patio outside and cool decorations inside. Happy hour is great. Burritos are huge. Tacos are tasty read more

We love Tuco! It is our neighborhood favorite! The food and drinks are amazing! The staff is so friendly and accommodating! The outdoor seating is great in the summer. Highly recommend! read more

I had no idea Tuco and Blondie was a family fun bar/restaurant. We walked in the main dining room on a cold day. There were a couple of birthday celebrations happening. We saw kids, toddlers, families...a local community vibe happening. Our gracious server, Blanca guided us through the menu and drinks. Not only that, she spoke of the community and the other establishments associated with Tuco and Blondie...the loyal customer program offered to get points and discounts. Like I said in my earlier review, Blanca is our T&B ambassador! What an amazing person:) The food was excellent. My wife loved that black cherry margarita. The enchiladas and fajitas hit the spot for sure. The ambiance was colorful and lively. The customers where all having a great time. When the weather warms up again, I definitlely would like to experience the large outdoor patio in the back that has it's own bar. It's a totally different cool vibe from what I can see. read more

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Tuco and Blondie is a fun spot - first plus, unlimited chips! Salsas were great and so was the guacamole we ordered. Secondly, the margaritas were great. The chicken fajitas were ok, I've had better more "authentic" but they were still tasty and a solid price. This is def a fun spot on Southport to stop in and have a drink or two and visit with friends. read more

Tuco and Blondie - Chicken Fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Really good food and enjoyable casual atmosphere! Tuco and Blondie is a nice mix of the authentic Mexican restaurant and the cute taco spot vibe. The free chips and salsa and the side of rice and beans makes the meal feel substantial and authentic, and the tacos are great quality with fun toppings which definitely adds an aesthetic fun touch!! There is so much seating inside and out. We sat outside, but on a Thursday night at 6:30 there were plenty of tables for both. I like finding spots that are really good but you don't need to make a reservation to get into to! They have a happy hour 3-5 weekdays which we didn't make, but the prices are still relatively reasonable for what you get. The margarita pitcher was delicious. I got the Al pastor tacos which I absolutely loved! The corn tortillas tasted fresh (they have flour also) and I loved the pickled onions and cotija cheese on top! So much food too with the rice and beans. Definitely a new favorite spot for Mexican food!! read more

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This is my second time at this place and both times I've been here, it has been fairly busy which is a good sign. I've never had the opportunity to sit in the patio, but I think next time I'll request it because it looks super nice. I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way here for the food, but think Tex-Mex style with drinks. We had the pleasure of being served by Nicholas who was excellent throughout our quick dining experience. We came to get their beer, shot, and taco special for $10 each which I find to be a pretty good deal in today's economy. He kept checking up on us and was super friendly and personable. We also got refills on salsa and complimentary chips which was excellent. We did find the guacamole to be a little overpriced, but it was tasty and plentiful! read more

Tuco and Blondie is a super cute, aesthetically pleasing Mexican restaurant. I came with a few friends for a celebratory lunch and had a great time. The menu is pretty expansive and I appreciated the variety of vegetarian options. I got the portobello mushroom fajitas and they were excellent! The mushrooms had the perfect char and a great seasoning blend. Everything was really fresh, flavorful, and served hot. Our server was nice and great at her job. She made great recommendations for us. The restaurant itself was really clean when I visited. It did seem to fill up quickly, so I'd recommend snagging a reservation if possible. I'll definitely be back! read more