Decolores Galeria Y Sabores

Full disclosure: I’ve been to Decolores before. My family had even hosted a big party several years ago upstairs and it was fine. My previous visits were okay. It’s a neighborhood restaurant, and frankly their food is good. The food on its own deserves four stars. Their drinks are okay. The food is the only reason I’m giving this review two stars. It really deserves zero to one.
This last trip to Decolores… I don’t remember the last time I’ve had such a bad EXPERIENCE in a restaurant.
I met up with my friend and her coworker to celebrate my friend’s birthday. I arrived after them, and when I got there, there was a crowd at the door waiting to be seated. Luckily my friend was already seated at a table. They were already halfway through their first round of drinks and had apparently ordered an appetizer. I sat down to join them and we chatted. Before I knew it, at least 20 minutes had passed when I realized not one staff or server asked me if I wanted to order anything. Water, drink… nothing. There were at least 5 or 6 staff members running around. I asked who our server was… they said they had no clue. After a few more minutes, I just said I was going to go up to the bar myself and ask for drinks. Just as I was getting up the owner stopped by, said hello, and asked what we wanted to drink. He did apologize saying they were understaffed at the moment but that they would get everything out to us. Fine. We ordered our drinks and maybe like 8 minutes later, we got our drinks.
In fairness, yes the bar was full (all seats taken) and the restaurant was busy. But it wasn’t packed.
So we drank and chatted and in that time the appetizer finally came out. It was the Queso Fundido. It was good. After maybe another 30 – 35 minutes, finally, my friend’s coworker just grabbed one of the staff members and asked if we could just order food already since no one had stopped by at all to take our food order. The staff member hesitated and thought about it before finally saying, «Suuuure» and reaching into her pocket for her order pad. I don’t know why she had to think about it, but given her hesitation, she clearly was not planning to take our order any time soon.
My friend and I both order the Carne Asada and her coworker orders El Cowboy.
You guys, I kid you not… we waited over AN HOUR for our food to arrive. A couple of times a couple of different staff members told us they’d check on our food, but never reported back to us. Meanwhile, plenty of tables had sat down, eaten and had left by the time our food arrived. NOT ONCE did they check up on us. We had to stop them mid-​run to get their attention for more drinks or water, or anything.
When my food finally arrived, the beans were kinda cold, but the steak was good and I was so disappointed the cheese stuffed banana pepper that is supposed to be grilled, was not. It was cold, crunchy and the cheese was nowhere near melted. I still ate it though. I was starving.
While the staff aren’t there to service, they sure are quick to try to clean off your table. Trying to take your plates and cups before making sure you’re actually done.
At this point I just wanted to leave. But we had a cake for my friend, which they were kind enough to store in their fridge. My friend’s coworker said she was going to the restroom. She was gone for maybe a minute, when the staff members come out with the cake singing happy birthday.
Umm…we were so not ready for that. At this point we hadn’t asked them for the cake. And again, our friend was in the bathroom. Guh.
My friend’s coworker was so pissed off she missed it! But, we eat some cake and then we ask for the check. After a few minutes they bring it out. They ended up overcharging us on drinks. So we had them fix it. After several minutes of figuring out how to split the check, we flag them down and tell them how we wanted the check to be split. Then she tells us that they absolutely do not split checks. Then she shows us on the menu it said no check-​splitting.
That was it for me. Now I understand for large parties having a no-​check-​splitting rule. Or even having a policy of no more than like 2 cards. But to say «no exceptions» to check-​splitting TWO WAYS. Ugh. I’m done. That was the last straw for me. I’m done with this place.
I end up putting it all on my card. I just wanted out.
I certainly do not plan to go back to Decolores any time soon, unless there is massive reorganization. Which is a shame cos again, their food tastes good. But there is no excuse for poor service. Either train staff properly, get better POS systems to make ordering and paying more efficient or at the very least FIX YOUR WEBSITE. Just big changes need to happen before I’d consider going back.

I had been wanting to try this place for months since we moved into the area and tonight we finally made it! I am so glad my husband and I tried it tonight! Everything was soooo delicious! Starting with our drinks, my husband has the original house margarita he said it was the best margarita he’s ever had. I had the strawberry basil margarita and one was not enough! I had to get two because they were so good! We started off with the queso fundido with chorizo and it was so flavorful and perfect! The right amount of chorizo with cheese! I got the chicken flautas and they were so amazing! Crispy, filled with a good amount of seasoned Chicken, sour cream, tomatoes, cabbage, the beans and rice were very impressive because they have that authentic home made taste and flavor! My husband got the amor de abelina and it was perfection! The salad was so fresh, the chicken was made to perfection with the cream sauce and stuffed chicken breast! My husband and I were beyond impressed! I loved the music! All rock en espanol! Love love loved it! I also appreciate their own cucumber and lemon infused water upon arrival for guests. One of the best Mexican food places Chicago has to offer hands down! Enjoy!

Best Mexican food ever! I usually don’t like ginger but their ginger margarita blew me away. While sitting at the bar I noticed several trophies for best mole. I ordered cheese enchiladas with mole, rice and beans. Rice was fluffy, beans were made from scratch with white Mexican cheese, the best. Stayed for about three hours. The ambience was warm and inviting. Plus, the owner is also the bartender and I can tell he takes great pride in providing the customer service

Great place! It’s pretty small and dark, but you quickly forget that when you taste the food. All four of us loved it! Food is soo fresh and flavorful! The guacamole had a different flavor that was so unexpectedly good, we devoured it.
We got some kabobs, pork loin, and to die for tacos. Uuwwii! Deliciousness!
Louise was great and made some pretty nice drinks. Definitely going back.

I was looking forward to trying this place out for months. Always changed my mind and went to the same spot. Tonight I made it! I went in at like 8pm sat at the bar with my husband. The waitress was very polite. I ordered a michelada with modelo esp. It was satisfactory. Good beer usually is with a nice twist, not to spicy. Then we proceeded to order their nachos plain no meat. They were so scrumptious, not your american style at all! Reminiscent of the nachos I grew up with that mom made with frijoles (beans). As I ordered another michelda it seemed to only open up my taste buds as a perfect pairing with now an empty plate. So we got the ceviche de camaron the server now became the owner. Very friendly super humble man. Love a place that is like going to an uncle’s house! He brought out a delish beautiful plate. I added some Valentina hot sauce and it was great till the last bite. If that wasn’t enough to send my taste buds in a frenzy! I asked for a dessert menu. He had everything memorized, so I went for the cheesecake flan. I have had my share of flan in 29 yrs and let me tell you their flan is not your tias regular flan! It will send you on memory lane, only you can’t point out their secret ingredient! It’s by far the best I have ever had to say the least. If that wasn’t enough I decided to order a ‘chata’ this came out just in time because my husbands ice cream with buñuelos was just out. The orgasmic experience this dining place brought to my taste buds is incredible! I’d give this place 10 stars if I could! Can’t wait to dine in for a full dinner!

Margaritas are truly the attraction here in this quaint place of Mexican fine dining. The house margarita was pretty good and did what it was supposed to do… give me a nice buzz. I ordered the Enchiladas De Mole and it was ok. We had a debacle at first as the server originally brought me the wrong dish, but they were able to bring me the correct dish moments later. Pretty decent and a nice sized plate of food. The guacamole was very good though… I could have just eaten that as my meal.
Pretty decent Mexican fare here… worth giving a hot if you live nearby.

The food is decent, though the horrible service will ensure that I never come back. From mixing up orders, to forgetting items, spilling items, and having to be searched for to receive and give check.

We decided to try Decolores, on a friends recommendation, after our favorite Mexican place in Pilsen (Nuevo Leon) burned to the ground last week — which is a true tragedy.
Service at Decolores was fine and friendly enough — but it pretty much ends there.
The food overall is well below average and does not even hold a candle to Nuevo Leon. Dinner with an appetizer and two soft drinks will run you over $ 50 which is absurd for the quality of the food here.
Both our entrees (Enchiladas en Mole) arrived at nearly room temperature! The beans and rice were nearly COLD.
Everyone does Mole different and this particular style is very nut heavy — to the point of being overbearing — no smoke, no sweetnesss, no chocolate tones.
To anyone thinking about dining here, I’d turn around and head west on 18^th street. You’ll do better at any hole-​in-​the-​wall taco stand you can find.
This would be a one star review had it not been for the pleasant service.

Went for brunch had the Eggs Benedict Carne Asada. Food was good, drinks weren’t. Had a Guayaba Mimosa. The bar is pretty cool though.

The taco platter I had was awesome, veggie burrito she has was magnificent. Their mole sauce divine.
Pretty high prices but the food was seriously high end freshly prepared, fresh ingredients mexican… queso fundido was delicious as our app. Will go back but know that for two you will spend at least 40 before tip. The guy that greeted us treated us like we were plebs, we were in a little shock after seeing the prices. Not sure if he was owner or bartender, but he was not welcoming or friendly. Still will go back but be aware this place ain’t cheap. Now the Los Nopales is closed is good to find a new high end mexican joint… also the décor and atmosphere is really cozy and well done, great place for a date night.

I’ve given this place a few tries both for dine in and take out. Food is good enough for 4 stars, serivce deserves maybe 1. Waaayy too slow and inattentive. Takes forever to get a server to acknowledge you and up to 20 minutes if you want anything else like another drink, more of their delicious homemade salsa, or an extra plate. They don’t seem to care about being anything other than order takers. No customer service skills whatsoever. Servers act as if they’re brand new with zero prior restaurant experience. Decolores has been around long enough to have servers that know what they’re doing but they don’t. They’ve even screwed up my take out order before.
I’ve learned to only get take out and to check the order before leaving the restaurant.

Went with the family last night as we’re introducing the kid to different cuisines this fall. Service was quick and friendly though they were out of a few menu items at 6:30PM on a Saturday. We all tried various tacos, which were ok. Michelada was good, kid enjoyed all you could eat chips. Bathrooms were clean.

Great brunch spot for Mexican food. Service is great, art around the restaurant is really cool, and the food is well prepared. I’m a regular and love it! Cucumber margaritas for the win!

I can’t say one positive thing about my experience at this restaurant. From the minute we walked in, we should’ve had the foresight to leave based on how empty it was. But I had been here a few years back, and had enjoyed my experience.
However, this visit was awful. The service, as someone else mentioned, was horrid. Our drinks weren’t good. We couldn’t eat the fish we had ordered bc it tasted like it was a few weeks old. The waitress started clearing our table before we had finished our guac… maybe she was upset bc we asked for our check after we obviously couldn’t eat our entrée. No one inquired if something was wrong when we ate one bite of our mahi mahi and asked for our check. I will never be back. There are way too many great restaurants in Chicago to put up with a $ 50 bill, awful service, and disgusting food.

I have been to DeColores several times and each time I was impressed. The bartenders really know how to mix a great drink. food was great and it has never taken long for me to get service.

Fancy décor. The salsa they brought out with the chips was very unique, In a good way though. I ordered the mahi mahi which Was excellent. Had two cocktails as well. Overall was a Positive experience. Want to return soon and try out the rest of the menu!

So I definitely agree with Henry L. He basically took everything I was about to say about the place. Not that crowded and my girlfriend ordered an iced tea and received it 1hr later maybe more. Food also taking forever to come. And the service is horrid. It’s as if the waiter/​waitress don’t care to actually satisfy you. Also asked for an Extra fork and it’s been over 2 hrs now and still don’t have it. 1 star all the way.

Exuisite food, ingredients. And a refreshingly unique take on traditional dishes. Perfect music, great and fast service. A gem

«How spicy do you like it?» asked the bartender.
«Oh, spicy,» I started, «so make it as spicy as you’d like.»
So, my bartender at Decolores made me a chili mango margarita using a bit of special sauce he had prepared, sitting in a scary-​looking bottle next to the skull high above the shelves at the bar. And it was spicy… and, it helped make my Decolores experience the highlight of the week.
My wife and I came in on a Groupon and tried both the chili mango and the strawberry margaritas… both were perfect, not too sweet, not a pre-​prepared mix, served in rocks glasses. We also gave the steak nachos a run for an appetizer; it’s so rare to go somewhere and get nachos and find every chip with just the right amount of meat, cheese, beans and guac, but that happened here. And the steak was incredible, tender, perfectly cooked.
We went relatively vanilla on dinner (intentionally) to see how the basics tastes without adornment, and the al pastor tacos, fish tacos and the accompanying rice and beans were all fantastic. The al pastor was the highlight, with the fish being cooked just right even if there was no superlative standout with the garnish. Although all of this food was great, the rice and beans still stand out to me this morning; why can’t I make rice and beans taste this good at home?
Thanks to Groupon for the intro, and thanks to Decolores for a reason to get me back!

Great service, great food, huge portions. I couldn’t finish my appetizer or my entrée because the portions were so generous. We had the chicken mole enchiladas, the tacos de queso fresco, and the queso fundido with corn and black beans. This Mexican chick loved it all. The warm chips were so yummy and light, I could have eaten the entire basket with the yummy salsa all by myself — but I only had a couple because I knew the queso fundido with the accompanying flour tortillas would be filling — and it was. When my huge-​ass plate showed up with my entrée, I know I would be taking home a doggie bag. The tacos were delicious, the slaw on top was perfect with the salsa picosita that covered the tacos. My BF had the mole enchiladas — there was not a morsel left on his plate — uh, I think he liked them ;)
Call and make reservations if your party is 4 or more. This place is very small — but felt very nice cozy and intimate. I like that the music was playing — but was not obnoxiously loud. Oh, and I liked the bathrooms — weird right? But besides the fact that it was really clean and roomy, they had a full length mirror in there… this is a very good thing!
Definitely a repeat customer!