The food was good, but when taking into consideration the wait, the price and the "ambiance" not worth the money.

This was delicious food. The place was cramped and busy, but I suppose that's a symptom of serving yummy food. My friend and I both had a sandwich that wer small but flavorful. I made sure to grab some churros to take home to my kids when the meal was over. Definitely recommended. read more

This place is so amazing!! I had their Vegetarian torta (Milanesa without Chicken) and it was so delicious! The manager was so nice to have invited my co-workers and I to some very delicious soft serve ice-cream and hot chocolate :) I am definitely coming back! read more

Staggeringly poor service and incompetence. Never wrote a Yelp review but this afternoon compelled me to sign up. I work across the street from this place and know the food is great but for the second time this month my food never showed up when I dined in. If you're going here with multiple people you've been warned. The refund happened after I waited 10 minutes for the cashiers and manager to figure out how to process a refund. In the end they gave me cash back because refunding a credit card wasn't happening. Never eating here again. read more

Food was ok - The layout of the restaurant needs help. Bottle neck at the cashier. orders, dirty dishes, servers,cooks, ect all come thou this 2-3 foot wide area.. read more

I've tried this place twice and the sandwiches are not worth the price. It wouldn't even be worth it if it was half the price. I don't like overstuffed sandwiches but I'd like to at least have something in there so I don't feel like I just paid $13 for toasted bread with crema. I've tried the pepito and the Wednesday pork belly special. Warning on the pork belly, the sauce is very spicy. read more

The hot chocolate with Mexican spices was unique and tasty. Unfortunately, the long lines and insufficient, cramped, loud seating area keep me from going back. If you can go when it is not crowded I do recommend the hot chocolate. read more

Very good chocolate churros, they have a great variety in their menu and you can feel the Mexican vibe in decorations and the flavor.

All the sandwiches here are bomb!! Rick Bayless knows what he's doing. I've also met him a few times at the restaurant and he's always been nice and down to earth. read more

Came in and experienced a different set up... you step in and a hostess is at the front asking if you'd like a table or counter/ bar... we said counter and said okay go to the cashier to order and let me know it's on table #32... maybe it is normal in Chicago but it was different for me since I'm from San Diego, CA... anyways we order chicharrones, 2 margaritas (which were only $5.58 during happy hour which is before 6pm on weekdays), the churros, and bread pudding... the chicharrones were average in my opinion (maybe because I've had better in Mexico)... the churros were yummy as you can never mess up churros lol... the bread pudding was great as well as this was far above an average bread pudding dishes... service was great too as they let you know how long a dish would take and help you if needing anything else... overall great place to go to. Give it a try! read more

Xoco Fri Aug 31, we ordered 3 Covered Churros to go. Pistachio (my daughters favorite), Chocolate and Hazelnut (my favorite) when we got home we heated them just a little and they were wonderful! We've eaten sandwiches here before and weren't disappointed by anything we've ordered. It's a small busy place but very comfortable and inviting. We do recommend this charmer. read more

Was really excited to try this place. Ordered two soups which were very expensive and had only a few pieces of meat. Took a very long time to get the soup. Next time will try the tostadas instead. The churro was very good. The hot chocolate not so much - tasted like sludge! read more

Efficient and nice service. The chicken pozole was good, but the chicken and lettuce in there were average. The goat barbacoa torta was alright. What I enjoyed most were all the different delicious salsa! The chip and salsa was good even though the chips didn't taste that fresh. read more

Tortas at Xoco are what tortas at any other Mexican place dream to be. Cocinita pibil is the Mexican version of pulled pork and XOCO's habanero sauce serves as an amazing complement. It does not get better than this if you went to the Yucatan yourself. The added bonus here is that you don't have to worry about getting kidnapped or shot by drug cartels. The ahogada consists of golden roasted carnitas that are perfectly tender and chewy and drowned with an amazing chile de arbol sauce. As much as I wanted to, i could only try two of these tortas, for fear that I out myself into a food coma. For dessert, I recommend their fresh churros which are a taste of light crispy heaven. As if they were not decadent enough, you get a melted chocolate to dip them in. Bean to cup chocolate drinks are what I equate to hot chocolate on steroids. Extremely rich and chocolately, albeit slightly gritty, it is a chocolate purist's dream. In this case, milk is for sissies. I ordered the Aztec which had nice subtle spice notes of chile and allspice, just enough to give it distinction. If you can bear the slight wait, you will definitely be rewarded. read more

soooooooooooo gooood.................. my favorite restaurant in chicago! omg and this is only a cafe .. i didn't even have a chance to eat at his real restaurant.. service is a lil meh... but the food more than make up for it... the sandwich.. out of this world!! this combination of flavor, good, refreshing, fresh, hot.. with the hot crunchy toasted bread mmmm.... mmm.. churros are really good too..... i was there for 4 days and ate here twice.... looovee.... read more

Underwhelmed Mexican experience. Ordered the xoco salad, Milanese sandwich, naked guacamole with poblanos and grilled onions and churros with chocolate sauce and soft serve. Best part of the meal were the churros but would not come just for the dessert. Guacamole was not seasoned, lacked salt, not made-to-order, and was not flavorful. Salsas that came with the chips were ok, not the best but not the worst salsa I've had. Some store branded salsas and guacamole are better seasoned and flavorful. Xoco salad was 90% romaine, small handful of arugula, couple pieces of avocado and a mediocre spoon of black beans. Salad was overdressed with lime, and no avocado flavor, lacked salt. Black beans were not seasoned and tasted like regular canned black beans. Milanese sandwich was a vegetarian version with the meat substituted with avocado. Ok sandwich that was not memorable. Churros were tasty but nothing special, chocolate sauce was grainy and overly sweet. Soft serve ice cream was fine, a little on the sweet side. Honestly the ice cream tasted like McDonalds soft serve ice cream. The staff were nice and helpful but would not come back. read more

loved this place! the tortas are so delicious. i had the cubana and it was sooo good. it had a very light and fresh taste despite having all the pork and cheese and everything else that was in it. the chips and salsa were really good as well. i could eat a whole basket of those chips by itself. can't wait to come back and try some of the other things on the menu. =) read more

Drop everything and go get a torta. Right now, ok?! Yes, the line is probably long and yes you might gnaw your own arm off in the time that you spend waiting but it is worth it. They have a pretty fantastic system for getting people seated but you may not get exactly the seat you want, especially if it is busy. They do tend to cram people in. The mushroom and goat cheese torta is my favorite - I kind of don't order anything else when I come here (except for a churro because not having one is really quite criminal in my opinion). The bread is hard but the cheese is soft and the mushrooms have great flavor on the mushroom torta. LOVE it. Keep in mind if something is labeled as spicy, it is definitely going to have heat to it. No wimpy flavoring here at all. You might have a Rick Bayless sighting when you are in - I think we've seen him about half the times we've visited, so that is exciting. Good stuff - well worth a visit, in my opinion! read more

Need more vegetarian options. I had the vegetarian tacos and they were ok. Salsas had good flavor and the Paloma drink was good

YAY! I finally went to Xoco last Saturday- I know, it only opened Tuesday but the wait felt like an eternity!! I went on a beautiful Saturday afternoon at 2:30-thankfully after the lunch rush-but still waited in line for an hour. The wait went by fairly fast since I spent about 30 minutes looking over the menu and deciding on all the delicious goodies to get! And I still ended up changing my order 3 times! From the entrance of the restaurant to actually ordering took another 20 minutes-but once I was inside, the wonderful mix of rich chocolate and other fragrances took over. Also the fact that Rick Bayless was in the kitchen almost the whole time, and I oogled him from 3 feet away was AWESOME! At one point, my boyfriend had to tell me to calm down cuz I was acting like a school girl frazzled by the hot science teacher (Ha! j/k) SO THE FOOD!!!!! The Mexican Hazelnut chocolate chip cookie probably the best cookie I've ever had. It was rich, LOTS of chocolate, soft but not without texture. The Chips & Salsa: 2 different salsas-green and red. Both delicious! THE CHURROS!!!!! Why don't all churros taste this delicious?!?!?!? Sugary, crispy, the right amount of cinnamon! RAWR!!! I want moremoremore! The Pepito was soo tender and tasted like it was cooked and marinated forever! yumyumyum! The torta bread was crispy and not too much bread! The Ahogada was spicy awesome! The tomato dip is very well seasoned. My bf ordered the medium and it was the perfect amount of spicy, not at all wimpy! I can't imagine what the hot tastes like?!?! Also it was super awesome cuz Rick Bayless actually put the final touches on this torta himself! AHHHHH The Azteca chocolate: very well balanced-great chili taste, light and balances out the chocolate well to let out its natural sweetness. I love that you can sip the drink and really taste all the flavors instead of artificial sweetness like chocolate drinks at other places. The meal was amazing! I can't wait wait wait to go back when the line's under 30 minutes! I seriously want to try all soups and tortas on the menu. There was a saturday special featuring headcheese, sounded awesome!!!!!! read more

Bayless definitely gave himself a challenge by placing three of his restaurants right next to each other. A chef has to differentiate himself as it is by opening multiple locations or multiple restaurants by putting three things all in a row, you really gotta give each it's our character. Xoco is the youngest sister of the Topolobampo and Frotera trifecta. Xoco thought hits a very nice blend between fast service (well when there's no wait) and a nice dining atmosphere. You still wait in a line to order your food but then get whisked off to your table where you can hang out before they bring your order to you. We stopped by for dessert only as one of the fun, flirty aspects of li'l sis is the hot chocolate and churros. The churros are more refined than the ones I'm used to from the streets of the Mission in San Francisco or those ohhh so delicious smelling carts at Disneyland and cater to a more grown up palate by offering an optional addition of a rich, dark, chocolate dipping shot. The Mexico City Thick hot chocolate was thick and delicious although not as stand out chocolate-y as the dipping shot. Is this Bayless' at his best? Of course not. But the beauty of Bayless is that he invites you in to meet his family and appreciate the uniqueness that each one holds. read more

I went to XOCO yesterday and was seriously underwhelmed. We waited in line for about 30 minutes having arrived at about 7pm or so. They will not take your order until there is a table available for you, fair enough. We had chips and salsa, the milanesa, cubana, a lemonade and a bohemia beer, and a few churros, total came to $40. A little steep for a Corner Bakery type experience. We got seats at a little bar on high chairs and tucked into the chips and salsa. Ok, nothing special, can get the same at Jewel. The sandwiches were tasty, but not special, about the level of a Corner Bakery club panini :) The churros were super gross, greasy and hard, I totally have no clue why people are raving. It looks like they were under the heat lamp for a long time because the minute they were pulled out from under it and put on a plate in front of me they hardened right up and could have chipped a tooth. All in all I will definitely will not be coming back for this marginally tasty yet greasy and definitely ridiculousy overpriced "fast Food". Also, smell in place was reminiscent of rancid burning pig fat, appetizing.......... read more

as a chitown visitor, i ended up grabbing eats from two of rick's places within two hours of each other. hell, i walked off most of my cool meals around the city so there was no guilt. my flight was departing that evening so after enjoying frontera fresco eats (the line was nothing compared to other days an employee told me) while sitting on the river walk taking it all in one more time, what could be more perfect to end my chitown trip? JET TO XOCO BABY! i didn't realize how close i was to n. clark...then when i peeked into the large window showcasing yummy tarts being made, it was over. but when i saw the sign that said "no take out", i was indecisive...should i try to sit or skip it & hang here next time...DO IT BABY! cool to see rick there & the staff is super nice & so efficient... unfortunately, i couldn't do a sandwich having had a few things from fresco & carrying a macy's bag full of rick's eats (oinker) so i opted for chips & guac/window tart/shortbread cookie. the people sitting next to me on the stools were savoring their sandwiches & i knew this was the thing to get next time. you will love the window tart & shortbread cookie that satisfies any sweet tooth. mission accomplished...i DID IT BABY! i heart xoco... read more

Ordered a Baja chicken torta. I enjoyed the bread and spices but the chicken within the sandwich was horrible!! It was full of fat. In fact some pieces were just skin and fat. I was expecting more like pieces of chopped breast and thigh but more meat than I received. If I wasn't in a group I would have returned the sandwich. read more

Not bad. It was pretty busy when we went here. Wish I had made it in time for breakfast cause the menu looks really yummy.

Meh. Chipotle shrimp salad was ok. Chip tacos skimpy and plain. Chocolate flan was the biggest disappointment as it was grainy, not rich and creamy like a flan should be. read more

On occasion I go there to pick up breakfast to go, but the counter staff is rude and slow. They ruin the food with their hostility and lack of attention. read more

I visit my sister every Thanksgiving from San Francisco and was so delighted by our first experience at XOCO last week., we decided to take the kids after the circus this week - Day and Night. The hostess was quite rude. XOCO is very popular but we decided that it would be a perfect treat after our annual Barnum and Bailey circus show. We patiently asked for a table and were willing to wait 35+ minutes, because of the superb torta, churros, chocolate experience the week before. We lived in La Jolla and Del Mar for several years and our palates were ready. First the hostess demanded to split our group of four in two separate counter areas, we asked to wait for table service - but she kept insisting that we split up? We pleasantly suggested that we were there to enjoy as a family. She was visibly agitated. 5 minutes later she again told us that our only option was counter, even though we had waited for 35+ minutes and had no problem waiting for a table. We could see that there was turn around and that a table would come up soon enough for us - other groups and families were seated together. She impatiently insisted that our only option for us was counter service. 40+ minutes into our visit and 3 minutes after we conceded to counter service - a table of 4 white customers were seated at table, while i got the generous seat buy the wait station garbage can. I forgot that in Chicago land it is not the color of your money, it is the race and class issue. The food was amazing but ruined by how we were treated by a hostess - not the kind of experience you want t o have on holiday with kids. We still love Rick Bayless, but I would never recommend XOCO as destination for women or children if "you do not belong." read more

Well, well, well Mr Bayless although it was wonderful to see you...happily posing for pictures and looking well I have to say I was not impressed! My Fiance and I are regulars at Frontera Grill, the waiters know our names! So of course when I read about Xoco I was highly enthusiastic and eager to get there immediately! We visited Saturday, their first since opening. The line was not as long as we'd anticipated...two blocks I'd read in some earlier reviews! We were told the wait would be about 40 minutes by an employee. A diner leaving told us we'd be waiting an hour, she was right! What I didn't read in the reviews before going was that the line also snakes around inside which took a further 25 minutes! I decided on the Cubana tortas until a member of staff informed those behind us it's really spicy so I settled on the Xoco salad. My partner choose the Gunthorp Chicken and Ahogada tortas. I also choose the churros as I'd never tried them, the Almendrado drink and choc/hazlenut cookie. You place your order, pay, receive a table number then seat yourself. (Any pastries are also given to you at this point) I knew it was going to be small but seriously unless you get a table by the front entrance then you have to eat off a 10 inch width of wood...yeh..not comfortable! My hot drink was brought over by a server, I regularly drink Almond milk in milkshakes so was looking forward to a sweet, smooth, creamy hot chocolate. I took three sips and left the rest. (not like me AT ALL)It was thick, clumpy, bitter, not enjoyable at all! My salad arrived. The pickled red onions...horrible. Chicken...really fatty tasting, sinewy and all dark meat. I thought 'fine I'll push the meat to the side and eat the salad leaves,' I couldn't even enjoy that. There was so much lime dressing on there, my salad leaves were sodden and tasted far too tart. The beans, I managed to find were..well they were beans! Not enough tortilla threads on there either. The only thing I enjoyed was my cookie and water. As your lining up you watch them bring the pastries out of the oven. The cookie was delicious although not enough nuts, too many choc chunks! I tried Churros for the first time...blah blah nah! Grease dripped on my silk dress, along with the copious amount of sugar. I was expecting them to be slightly more doughier not rods of crispy fried fat..which is what they were! My partner enjoyed his Ahogada, you can choose how spicy you have this. The broth was very tasty and the pork was really nice. The pork seemed to be a hit with many others whilst we were there. He didn't enjoy his Gunthorp Chicken and also commented on the fatty taste of the free range chicken. He said there wasn't nearly enough meat on the sandwich. The Sourdough bread was hollowed out which meant there was plenty of room for filling...so where was it? For those that have a sensitive roof (mouth) this bread is not a good idea. Overall we were both really, really disappointed and left there feeling sad, hungry and upset because we felt that we'd wasted $50. After so much hype, we felt Xoco doesn't live up to all the starred reviews on here. Whilst we are more than happy to get our regular spot at Frontera we shall certainly be in no rush to return here! read more

Finally tried Xoco since I heard some good things about it. After trying a seafood soup and a torta, my conclusion is the following. This is an overpriced less tasty version of the Mexican food I grew up loving. I mean you can go to numerous other Mexican joints in the city and get better food for half the price. But I guess you are paying more because its Rick Bayless. This guy is making a career off turning cheap unhealthy Mexican fast food into a high priced cuisine. I don't mean to be a hater but... c'mon man!!!!! read more

Phenomenal food. Seriously, you should try their Pepito: Braised Tallgrass shortribs, caramelized onion, artisan Jack cheese, black beans, pickled jalapenos all for $12.00. Although this is pretty steep for a sandwich I will not hesitate to pay it as long as it's as mouth watering as I remembered. You know when you eat something so incredible you are almost in your own world, not noticing what's around you or side conversations? Well, that was me, eating my sandwich at Xoco. However, once I snapped back into reality I noticed a few things that were some what bothersome. 1. Their prep kitchen seems to be at the back of the restaurant, so anytime new plates or food was being exchanged, workers had to walk through the whole dining room. NOT cool. 2. The lady at the cash register was NOT helpful at answering any of my questions and was having co worker problems which turned her attitude a little sour. 3. My boyfriend sent back the seafood soup because of various reasons, however when the manager came over she did not apologize but tried to correct and school him on the nature of the dish. NOT cool. Other then that, the reason I loved it so much and recommend it to others is purely for the quality of food they provide. Also, if you save enough room try their hot chocolate, apparently they have 6 different kinds and import their cocoa beans from Mexico and roast/produce final product at the restaurant! I will be back! read more

So I'm not going to talk about the sandwiches (which are decent) or the hot chocolate (which is amazing).You can read all about that stuff in the over 1,000 reviews already posted on here. I'm writing about the one major flaw in this place. Tourists, tourists, TOURISTS! Every time I come in here, there's a deep line ahead of me, and it seems to be full of tourists who not only have never been to this restaurant before, but who seem to have never been to any restaurant at all. None of them think about doing apparently ridiculous things like looking at the menu while they're in line, or perusing the drink case while they wait to order, or maybe even getting their means of payment out before it's due. No, why do any of that when you can wander around the city obliviously as if no one might be waiting on you. They make it really difficult for native Chicagoans to pop in and grab something and get on to where they might need to go, like work. Please tourists, helps us native Chicagoans out. Here's what you can do. 1. Read the menu while you're in line. Don't wait til you get to the register and make the cashier read the whole thing to you. Heck, maybe get on your smartphone and look at the menu before you even get there. It's a world famous restaurateur's place after all. 2. Don't insist they give you something they're telling you they don't have. None of the nice people working there can make special cups or food not on their menu appear out of thin air. 3. Don't ask a hundred questions. They're not your waiter and there's people's waiting on you. If you're there alone, fine, then ask about how they roast their own cocoa nibs. If there are people in line behind you, look it up on the internet. It's there. World famous. 4. Get your money out before they tell you to pay. Don't just stand there looking flummoxed. That this whole deal is going to cost you money shouldn't be a surprise. Thanks, we appreciate it. -Big City Folk read more

One faithful night in Mexico, on the Playa Norte of Isla Mujeres, I waded deep into the sky blue, white sand womb of the primordial soup. There, under immigrant stars, i nursed my soul; washing it free of the job-type job repeat-ment, and the conformed self. Then, I emerged from the water a new man. My fiance had broken her foot the day before our trip. Did we halt the trip? Did we reschedule? No. No, not at all. We packed a list of Mexican pain pills to purchase OTC, flew through security on Walgreens purchased crutches and ended up half-witted on the beach. Luck had it that a handful of pesos could rent a rusty wheel chair. When I emerged from the sea that fine evening, like a fat Adonis, i pushed that wheelchair around the cobbled streets of Isla Mujeres like it was water itself, flowing rather than rolling. The two of us donned luchador masks, washed pain pills down with tequila, and found the fire juggling wisdom of letting-go adherent in our company with one another. We didn't need to stop for Xoco when we got home to Chicago, but we needed to go back to isla Mujeres in our minds, somehow . . . and god damnit if Rick Bayless didn't transport us there, to that fantastic baptism in the sea. I am sure the torta is foreign to Isla Mujeres much like the gumbo finds confusion on North Dakota menus, but that didn't matter when I sunk into the sweet burn of al pastor during a late lunch in the shadows of River North. We ate. We sipped pure chocolate. Then after, we exited the restaurant as if the crowded doorway were the white Playa Norte sands. My knees buckled and we stumbled to the curb on Clark St. and sat; feet kicked out in the street, arms stretched back, and our faces tilted up to soak in the Chi-Mexican sun as it set down Illinois Street, dipping into the horizon of the West Side we all so cherish and fear. read more

Really Rick Bayless? Really? $4 for an ounce of guacamole and far too many chips for said guacamole? OK...whatever. I'll forgive you that for the amazing Pepito torta. Yummy braised spareribs with an equally yummy tomatillo sauce. But really? Again. $12 for a torta? I know I should expect this, being a Top Chef Master restaurant and this being Chicago, but it still pains me to think about paying this much for an extremely casual dining experience. And this is based on Mexican street food? Could you have priced your Mexican street food with comparable Mexican street prices? Granted. A little too much to ask but your killing me. I'm torn. Great food...painful pricing. Next time I'll have to lure someone here on false pretenses that the tortas are WAY too big to eat alone and we'll have to split one so I'll only have to pay $6, although I can easily scarf the Pepito down all by lonesome. read more

Milanesa with avocado. Blew my mind. Chips and salsa/guac are better than most in Texas.

I thought this is one of the most overpriced place in Chicago I have been to. The food is fine, but still feels just like some glorified street food. To me there are many places that serve just as tasty quick bites without the hype, for example Bahn mi & Co. and Cafecito. Besides, often there is a long wait. read more

Absolutely delicious tacos -- portions are quite big. My husband got the Short Rib tacos, and I got the Mushroom Torta. And, sure, the short rib tacos were delicious. But the torta?! ...so GOOD! Highly recommend it. read more

We stood in line for quite awhile before we were attended to at the counter. Very friendly and attentive service. The food was well worth the wait, and I'd go back without hesitation! read more

A stellar Rick Bayless restaurant. The Pepito Torta was delicious. I went with a group of eight and everyone was very pleased with their food. Filling, reasonably priced and a great location. Each bite was flavorful. There was a little wait but that was due to the popularity. I would definitely go here again. read more

This is a funky little place that serves fast Mexican eats and drinks. I got the churros con chocolate because of the hype. While the churros were soft, indicating their freshness, and the chocolate was a nice, thick consistency, I found that it lacked flavor. While the churros were covered in sugar granules, it didn't taste sweet to me, and so the slight bitterness of the chocolate was not well-balanced. Maybe a less-sweet churro is more authentic, just not what I was expecting. Sorry, Rick! read more