I highly enjoyed this spot for brunch! We came at around 11:30am and we were so lucky with the timing. Right after we ordered and sat down, it started to pick up and before we knew it, the whole place was packed! Beware, it's a fairly small restaurant so seating is very limited. There's about 5-6 tables with 2 high top counters. The minute we stepped in, what immediately attracted me was their guac. It looked SO fresh and you can tell it's good guac by the light green color. The avocados that were used were perfectly ripe - I love it already! If you are dining in you will be given a table number and you will have to remember that number for when you order. We decided on the Cubana and the Friday special - Chipotle Shrimp, with of course the chips n guac! It's a good thing we ordered the chips n guac since our food took a little over 20 mins to come out. Nonetheless, the food was bomb! The guacamole was SO good and they really give you your money's worth. This is definitely shareable between 3 people as we were close to finishing our basket of chips, yet we still didn't finish our guac. It breaks my heart whenever there's leftover avocado or guac, but we just couldn't stuff anymore down our stomach after our amazing meal. The Cubana was hefty portion of meat (pork loin and bacon) w/ avocado, black bean spread, as well as a chipotle mustard. Everything about the sandwich complimented each other well, however this was a Mexican twist to the classic Cubana. The Friday special had arugula, shrimp, avocado, and cheese served on a baguette - dipped in a green sauce that was perfection! It had a nice light kick to it as well. Overall, we had a great experience here. I liked the theme and interior of the restaurant, very fitting! Their dessert selection also looks amazing! I was VERY tempted to get a churro or some ice cream but I was so stuffed. Guess that means I'll just have to be back next time! read more

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Love XOCO! The crispy golden eggplant torta is my favorite item they have right now. Easy ordering for pick either by calling or using their website via Chow Now. Staff is friendly & very helpful. Please bring back the pumpkin seed salsa! read more

Good service and friendly atmosphere. The food is awesome, especially the churros. I always get the choriqueso torta. I think that's how you spell it. I wish it was bigger cause this things tastes awesome. The XOCO Margaritas are delicious, and one is never enough. It's a little pricey for this small drink. May need to be a little bigger or have less ice. read more

I was unfortunately and unexpectedly disappointed with Xoco. The ordering process was so complicated. We were informed of our table number when we walked in, was then asked for our table number at check out, and was then asked a second time once we paid the bill. I was expecting for the restaurant to keep track of this. We sit down at a "high top" table which we were expecting to be a high top table with seats facing one another but was instead 2 chairs that faced a wall. The food was pretty good but the cocktails were subpar and the beer was warm. I'm sad to say that I will probably not return to this establishment. read more

Today I had somewhat of a mix feeling about this location, after reviewing the menu I ordered a Queso fundido on the menu it described having peppers and I believe another ingredient. It didn't state it had onions in it. When it arrived it came with onions in it, I asked the server and she informed me that it shouldn't have onions. She happily said she would get me another one. Here comes where things took a turn. The manager came and informed me that she couldn't put all the ingredients on the menu and as a customer I should inform the server of things I don't like. She then continued to let me know that when she goes out she informs the server of things she doesn't like. At this point I almost just left but I was honestly embarrassed because of other patrons near me. I honestly wasn't even expecting for a manager to come talk to me much less in this manner. She then offered to remake it to which I declined for obvious reasons. I recommend the manager gets proper training on how to handle guest situations and not to blame your patrons. My server Valentina was super nice and made up for the bad taste I had with the manager. That is the only reason I don't score them lower. The carnitas tacos were also amazing! Nowadays with all the allergies, it's important to have all ingredients on the menu. read more

Got here for the first time last weekend. I was super nervous about the wait, but on a Friday around noon, it was only five minutes. FIVE. Yes! Way to use that vacation day. My friend was in from out of town and wanted to have a Rick Bayless birthday. I'm sorry but seeing Rick behind the counter was a tiny thrill. I'm boring and often go with chicken, but lived a little and ordered the Pepito (braised shortrib). Very very good, with the jalapenos giving it a kick. My friend got the choriqueso, which she also enjoyed. For desserts we had the churros, which they brought to us nice and hot after our meal. So.delicious. I hadn't had a churro probably since a White Sox game when I was 9 or so, and it didn't disappoint. Sweet with extra sugary goodness falling off. The staff were all very welcoming and easily explained the process without me, the newcomer, prompting them, which I appreciated. Overall I will be back! I haven't had the richie rich hot chocolate, which I am eagerly anticipating. As well as the chicken. read more

Xoco - Pepito! - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Obviously been hearing about this place for quite some time. The line is always out the door and I really don't like to wait. This line on Friday was finally down to about 30 mins, so I gave it a try. I had the Ahogada Torta (their signature dish) and it was pretty good. But for about $20 including tax tip and drink, and factoring in the wait, I'm not that impressed. The flavor was good and it was definitely spicy enough, but the pork loin was a little dry and the iced tea tasted like instant. Overall, it was pretty good, but I think it's just a little over-rated. read more

Xoco - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

First time in Chicago and XOCO definately left an unforgettable one. We got the crispy chicken sandwich, short rib tacos and a margarita. Amazing flavor, quick service and wow thar crispy chicken was a 10/10!!! This will be my staple to always come to!! The margarita was strong and hit the spot. read more

Xoco - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Xoco is a go to for us when in Chicago. Rick Bayless has created a casual venue featuring a wonderful menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We came for breakfast and the Wood Oven Chilaquiles are spectacular! It's got everything spicy and cheesy in a bowl: tortilla chips, roasted tomato-serrano sauce, Samuel's cheese, poblano rajas, and scrambled eggs. I don't know Samuel but his cheese is absolutely scrumptious! A chocolate espresso was my drink of choice. It was heavenly and gave me the perfect morning bump. Ole, baby! read more

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The lines are long; the restaurant is understaffed. The food is exceptional and tasty: I was surprised by the mundane chips and salsa: the chips were rich texture and flavor. It shows that even in the small details xoco did not take the food for granted. I got the soup: it was too salty, but the seafood and chili flavors were exceptional. I could not finish the broth, but I ate everything else. I suspect that the broth stayed in the pot too long. The churro sandwich is inspired and messy: definitely worth the taste. The xoco salad was odd, but delicious: I did not expect the smoky flavors so pronounced. The churro were fantastic, but only in this one dish, I prefer the street-side taco stands in the corner of Long Beach better. Those churro has a custard-like middle to compliment the crispy outer lining. The flavors at xoco are on point and inspired. The hot chocolate is the best I've had anywhere. Finally, I have been eating Mexican food for over twenty years in Arizona and Southern California; I was still surprised by the rich flavors at xoco. Because of that, I will seek out to come back again. I look forward to learning more of Mexican cuisine and are learning how much more I have to experience. read more

Hands down the best Tortas ahogada I've had. Explosion of flavor in your mouth. Xoco, I will be coming back. read more

Amazing carnitas soup! I think about how good it was all time. One of the best soups I've ever had! The Paloma drink was also very tasty. The the salsa for the salsa and chips seemed like a store bought jar of salsa though... and the atmosphere is very Panera/fast food-like. There's not enough seating and not very comfortable to sit and eat there. read more

I was excited to come here with high expectations but disappointed over all. The food was rather bland at worst and one note at best. The tortilla soup was particularly good, I would order it again, but it wasn't enough to motivate me to want to come back. read more

Alongside one of the safest-feeling outdoor dining experiences I've seen, Xoco's food and drinks were incredible for the price. I'd strongly recommend one of their chocolate drinks alongside the spicy churro chicken sandwich. Literally one of the most unique and delicious dishes I've ever had. Will be back! read more

Yummy! No kidding. Best French Pressed coffee I've ever had. Had a scramble for breakfast that was perfection. Aqua Fresca to go, outstanding. Loved it. read more

Want to go to Mexico but prefer to stay on the block? Visit XOCO . Order some churros, sip on some spiced hot chocolate and think about your next trip over. Dont worry if you bust out salsa-ing on the way out - its acceptable. read more

Xoco - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Not gonna lie been a big fan of Rick Bayless, used to watch him on tv all the time. Came by here for a quick lunch. I always thought this was a sit down restaurant, but after coming it it kinda of gave me a "Mexican Panera Bread" vibe. I got the short rib sandwich, which was the special of the day. The sandwich was pretty flavorful, reminded me of the sandwich i got at Cemitas Puebla!! Add a delicious chocolate flan, and my lunch was close to $20.. Don't know if the price point is worth the portion size, also including the "panera" fast food atmosphere. I think I would prefer Rick's other spot Frontera Fresco over this spot for those reasons. But one thing is clear Bayless knows how to make tasty food! read more

Xoco - $13 sandwich, special of the day or ripoff of the day?? Tasty eitherway - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Maybe my expectations were too high (it is counter service only, after all) because of the good reviews and Rick Bayliss's name, but I was thoroughly disappointed. I've made better guacamole at home, and both the chips and guacamole desperately needed salt. Chipotle's chips are ten times better! And, the guacamole is Barbie-sized. I also ordered the celebrated ahogada spicy. While it had some good flavors, the spice level was mild (maybe medium to some, but not spicy to anyone). And, it was much flatter (very much like a mediocre sandwich from Cosi) with fewer pickled onions--much different from the pictures shown in reviews here. read more

The food, service, atmosphere and wait time were all great!! We would really recommend coming here and enjoying the guacamole and chochinita pibil torta (Thursday special). The food really filled us up. read more

Food was very flavorful and fresh. Great spot in River North for a quick bite! I tried the goat barbacoa torta which was a special, really tender meat. The chips and salsa were excellent, could actually taste the corn in the chips. Margarita was small but tasty. EDIT: Went here a second time with 7 friends they completely messed up our order. We asked for a manager and a Spanish speaker who could barely speak English asked us if we could read a menu. Highly disappointed with the service and attitude of this establishment. Are you kidding me. Can we read a menu? read more

I only stopped by to order some of the churros to go, but I must say that they are indeed as good as advertised. Although I didn't dine-in there, the food I saw on other people's plates as I waited looked good. If you're ordering to go, do not stand in line. I made this mistake and wasted a good 5 minutes or so. You can just order from the register right at the front. They were pretty busy that day I went, but still processed my order pretty quickly. Great staff, friendly people and a good atmosphere. read more

Xoco - Believe the hype! These churros are amazing! - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The guacamole and dip is amazing they put pumpkin seeds and mixture of other spices to make it different def try that! We ordered the chicken soup which was honestly terrible we didn't even bother to finish it. The Mexican chicken sandwich was very good with the salsa they service it in adds up fairly nice. I def thought this place is overpriced, it's like a restuarant but you have to order by yourself in a line then they serve you! But 15$ for soup is crazy, The manager that works their probably is the best server I have seen he made sure we were okay ands leaped us pack out take out! He's great def made me feel like I would come here again! read more

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I knew I wanted to go to Xoco as soon as I started planing my trip to Chicago. I had heard so many great things, and I was not disappointed! I hang out with lots of Mexicanos, so I've had my fair share of posole and tortas. I ordered the chicken posole and torta ahogada to share with a friend. The posole was not that great, at all. We barely finished half of it. But maybe we are posole snobs. The torta on the other hand was amazing! So, so good. My agua de fresa y limon tasted like a daiquiri, it was great. And the churros with chocolate sauce we had to finish were finger licking good. read more

Xoco - Torta Ahogada - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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First impression - bright colors, great smells, friendly waitstaff! Came in for breakfast and hot chocolate based on previous yelp reviews. I will definitely be back to try this place again for lunch/dinner! We had breakfast tortas, the chorizo and the zuchinni. Great! Absolutely nothing negative to say, both had great flavor. The roasted vegetables were still a bit crisp, and the cilantro sauce was so yummy. I had the Mexico City Chocolate, never had anything like it, so rich and chocolatey! With cinnamon that leaves a wonderfully satisfying and cozy warm feeling in your throat. I would love to sit down with a hot mug of this on any cold day. Can't wait for my next visit. This place lives up to the hype! :) read more

Xoco - Yummm!!!!! Amazing flavors, best breakfast I've had in a good long while. - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Awesome place for a quick meal for a snack in the afternoon. Ordered guacamole and chips, 3 glazed chirps along with hot chocolate (authentic and classic). Food came really quick and it was tasty. Tip: hot chocolate: this is a drinking hot chocolate that's really rich and awesome. Classic is more rich and sweet since its mixed with milk. Authentic is still pretty good. Chips and guacamole- the sauces are good and toppings are fun. Churro a are freshly made and not too big. Very interesting and worth trying. My favorite is the peanut butter flavored one. read more

Xoco - Chips and guacamole - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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If you're looking for authentic Mexican food, you're in the wrong place. However, I expected that coming in, because this place is right in downtown, where everything is pretty American-ized. So that's not the problem. The food is not really worth it in my opinion-- tiny tiny sandwich for like $10-15. Guac was like $7 and pretty small too. The carne asada sandwich I had tasted average, flavorful sure, but either the sauce, spices, or overall combination of these, made it kind of lacking near the end. I didn't really feel like finishing it. The taste definitely wasn't horrible though and I'm sure there are people who will enjoy it. But for me, I'll probably just stick to Pilsen or Little Village for my tacos next time... read more

Always a great place for a good torta- this time around had the carne asada daily special. Fresh bread, tender meat and good flavor. Had several of the tortas over the years and all are pretty solid choices, especially like the pepito and milanesa. Also had guac to start -I'm a purist so keep it pretty simple without all the toppings available to add on... read more

Xoco - Carne asada torta - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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It has rave reviews but didn't live up the the hype. There was a long line, but not for a particular reason. The staff were rather slow at taking orders. The chicharrones were really hard and were rather tasteless. The sandwiches were fine. The pork belly sandwich (Wednesday special) had some nice smoky flavors, but definitely needed more. The churros were decent. Overall, a meh place. read more

Best tacos in town but the staff can be extremely impatient and rude. Want to give this place 5 stars but the staff is not attentive and there are long wait times to be seated or for your server to come check on you. read more

Tastiest tortas ever !! Only complaint is that they're closed on Sunday and Monday so when I fly in from out of state I always order one Saturday night and I hate reheated food but this this taste just like it does at the restaurant a day later read more

This spot is perfect for a quick bite. I had two tortas and they were delicious! Cannot recommend this place enough. The 2 tortas are the shrimp and the golden eggplant. The salsas are okay not the best but also not the worst. read more

Amazing spot for a great breakfast on a gorgeous Saturday in August. We got the Saturday chilaquiles and juevos divorciados with the crispy churros. read more

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One of the best foods i have had. A great American take on Mexican food. The best thing here is the salsa you would get with the chips. Perfect for low budget and you never compromise on the taste. Good drinks, keep it simple. Thanks Rick Bayless read more

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Delicious. Everything. All of it, just so tasty! Walked in and it had all the good vibes you want. It's got a fast casual sort of model. We went on a Friday night around 6pm ish and it was busy but there wasn't a huge line. You walk in and they ask you how many people will be seated, they tell you a number for your table, then you order at the counter and they bring your food once it's ready. The menu has a nice assortment of tortas, I ordered the Baja Chicken which was delicious and I would recommend. However, going back I need to try the Ahogada, that stuff looked amazing. They have daily special tortas and my husband chose that, which happened to be chipotle shrimp - also very delicious. When eating some of the best sandwiches in the country such as the Philly Cheesesteak, Chicago Italian Beef, NYC deli pastrami on rye, a good po'boy or muffuletta, etc., people will always tell you the bread makes a huge difference in making a good sandwich GREAT. I've had tortas before on crappy bread. Let me tell you, the bread they use on their tortas here are EVERYTHING. The crunchy, crustiness of the bread when you bite down is exactly how it should be. The sandwich doesn't fall apart with its contents dropping down onto your plate. It's the perfect vessel and the way it cradles the food and sauces, it doesn't get soggy and messy. Their ingredients are superb I'm not downplaying them at all, bc my chicken was pretty damn tasty. But I'm telling you, if they effed up the bread it would seriously make a huge diff. In addition to our tortas, we shared chips and guac which you can get dressed with various accoutrements - we did it fully dressed and it did not disappoint! The chicharron on top made it next level guac lol. We also shared the churros w/ soft serve. Perfect texture and the ice cream was real vanilla bean. Dipping my churro in the ice cream also did NOT make it soggy. Best churro I've ever had. Overall everything was delicious. Service was fast, food was tasty, served and plated nicely but also no frills, the place is small but it didn't feel overwhelmingly cramped. I could see people not liking it bc it is a smaller but I've dined in big cities like NYC and Chicago the majority of my life so it's no big deal to me. read more

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The food was amazing! Highly recommend if you're looking for great Mexican food then this is the place to go!

Pork tacos were really good. They were full of flavor and texture. The outdoor seating was great for people watching and the staff was very friendly. We went for a late lunch at around 2:30pm on Saturday and didn't have to wait to be seated but the line can be long during regular eating hours. read more

Xoco - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was really looking forward to coming to Xoco. Visiting a chapter at my organization, I'd heard really good things. I was disappointed to say the least. Aside from the very friendly woman who greeted me, everyone else acted like they would rather talk to each other than provide customer service. My short rib torta was cold, and I don't know about you, but cold short rib isn't exactly appetizing. I had to ask for a fork, and left long before I'd finished my food. I had great dining experiences at every other Chicago eatery I visited, so I'm sad to leave on a negative note. Maybe they had an off day... read more

Not sure how this place has such great reviews. The food was very mediocre.. we barely finished our food and the guacamole starter was so bland. I was just expecting so much more.. read more

Always good here. Most authentic spot near Clark. Only advice to would be to stock Pacifico's. Victorias are good but nothing hits the same as a good torta with a Pacifico. read more

The tortilla soup and corn soup (sorry can't remember the actual name of it) were absolutely delicious. We finished the meal with Mexican chocolate cookies and a churro sundae. They were out of the fruit for the sundae which was a bit of a bummer. Overall great experience, we plan to go back for breakfast before we leave! read more