Tecalitlan Restaurant

I had to plan a catered lunch for just over 100 people, including many vegetarians and other dietary restrictions. Not only was the head chef incredibly accommodating and willing to put together an order of whatever food we wanted, but the food was incredibly delicious! All of our participants loved the food and those that are local were asking about the restaurant information so they can visit again. I highly recommend this restaurant for catering!

Came here on a Monday night — they had $ 20 pitchers and $ 6.50 3G lime margaritas! We were seated right away and the restaurant is large & spacious. The décor is typical for any Mexican restaurant, not too festive, but also not too American.
Free chips & salsa the first round and then they charge you — we did not know this until we saw the bill, so wish we could’ve been informed. Not that it would’ve made a difference, the salsa was very fresh — we LOVED it. One thing I do wish they had is better music. The ambience really makes a difference at any restaurant — the music kept stopping and starting over.
Margaritas were really good as well, not too strong but not too light! It was the perfect way to end our exam filled day. As for how the food is, I have no idea, but I would definitely come back to try the food.

It’s been over a year since we’ve been here since our last bad experience. We decided to give it a try again. This time everything was great. I guess they just had a bad day on our previous visit and I’m glad things are back the way they were. I highly recommend you give it a try.

Less than 1 star. Waited 13 minutes tonight (1/​23/​16/​Saturday) at 11:30pm and no one helped me/​took my order while the place was empty!!!
The guy that has taken my order the last 2 previous times I was here was extremely rude as well.
I will never go here again.

Tacos are yummy, burritos are HUGE. Margaritas are good too. Servers are always super friendly. If you’re looking for some great tacos this is the place.

Food is really good. They have awesome authentic food as well as more Americanized dishes as well. Pitcher of strawberry margaritas was delicious! A bit pricey compared to similar restaurants. Overall a good experience, I have gone back several times since.

Definitely a place to go when you’re around! Definitely the best burritos and tacos in town! You should try their «chrori-​quieso» (sp). Chrozio with cheese! So yummy! Drinks are a bit overpriced, however.

This is a great place for a wonderful meal. The portions were good and the food was extremely delicious. I would definitely go there again!

Always a problem when I come here lately. Whether it’s ordering an X-​Large Horchata or a taco. Been coming here for years but enough is enough. They need to get over themselves and remember, they’re just an average taco joint, not a bougie 5 Star restaurant at the top of a mountain in Italy.

Good food– nice atmosphere
I stopped in when I was driving by looking for a Mexican place to grab some food. I noticed the sign and walked in.
The staff at the counter was friendly and I ordered. They have a nice bar to sit at while you wait with a nice selection of imported beers.
When I finally got home and unwrapped my burrito and my girlfriend’s chicken enchiladas, I was extremely satisfied with the sizes. Enchiladas were well seasoned and he burrito was extremely flavorful. Typically places like to use small squares of steak that dry out very easily — that wasn’t the case here. The enchiladas were well cooked and the chicken was very nice. Beans were good as well.
I’m not typically in the area, but I’ll definitely stop by again if Iever am.
I highly recommend

I gotta say, when I was in High School back in 1993 and on, I frequented this place with both my friends and my family pretty regularly. This place was the best place in the entire city! I loved it! However, just like any good restaurant that gets too popular, this one lost it’s amazingness when the neighborhood started to change. It was like they figured that their new clientele wouldn’t be able to tell when they were slackin’, because they didn’t know any better, but they failed to realize that the old clientele saw a huge difference and didn’t like it. I can’t remember exactly when it changed but I do know it was late 90″ s early 2000″ s and I was sad. I’m not gonna lie, I still visit every once in a while… it’s like that old boyfriend you keep checking up on to see if he’s changed his ways but find out that he hasn’t and won’t. *Sigh* I hate when good places go bad…

Solid Mexican food — and this comes from someone who eats Mexican so frequently I think I’ve now become part Latino since being born based on the mass consumption.
The décor is what you would expect from a Mexican restaurant and the space is large (yes Unilocal — good for groups!) and clean. The staff is attentive and knows the menu. The menu is large with plenty of selections; which could put you in a position of eating extra chips and sipping extra Margis while making your ordering decision. Life is hard sometimes…
For the food we had the chorizo bean dip appetizer, a combo plate (pictured) and tacos entrée. All were fabulous! I also like how they have ala cart items — should you not be so hungry and want to eat light or maybe you’re super hungry and want to add an item or two, this option is awesome. All in all a great neighborhood spot!

3 stars is pretty much for the service! Came in on Saturday night at about 9pm, it was 2 out of 3 of us we got seated at a table near the pop/​soda station. We ordered drinks while we waited on our 3^rd party. When the 3^rd party arrived we had Sangria, & margaritas. We noticed several gnats so we requested 2 move away from the soda machine. We moved farther back & it was less gnats, lol. We had steak tacos, 3 combo fajitas, & taco/​enchiladas combo. All of the food was ok. Mine was the steak tacos which were nothing 2 write home about. The other 2 said their dishes were good. The drinks tasted like robutussin!!! I probably won’t come running back! I tagged myself here on FB & my friend came in with her friend. (New business)

The food & ambience are still great.
However, When I went to the bathroom… About 10 – 20 minutes later… The lights suddenly shut off in the bathroom. Leaving it pitch black. Leaving me screaming in panic. Luckily someone came in & turned on the lights.
I don’t know, But there needs to be some sort of overhaul. Just so incidents like that don’t reoccur.
Maybe something with those «sensors»… Still something NEEDS to be done to prevent potential catastrophes…

This is one of our favorite Mexican restaurants because it is tasty, friendly, and clean! The salsa appears to be made fresh with fresh ingredients; it varies in its heat from day to day. Over all it has some pretty good heat.
The service is prompt and very friendly. Our server was attentive throughout the meal.
Our food was delicious; the order was correct including the temp of my steak! The burrito was far bigger than my husband could eat (and he is not delicate). We enjoyed the food, atmosphere and service.

I’ve been coming here for over twenty years! Dine in or carry out. My go to is either a torta or taco dinner. The fish tacos are great too! Everything is reasonably priced and tasty.

This is the only good Mexican restaurant in the area, although I do have Metro on my list of new places I’d like to try.
Walking in, it’s very warm and friendly. There is a sit in bar right by the door, with margarita machines behind the counter spinning. A refrigerator display of flan and other assorted desserts is next to the hostess stand.
Murals painted on the walls and ceiling adorn the entire restaurant, with dark wooden tables and chairs.
This is one of the few places where I need to actually be careful when I drink a margarita. One margarita floored my mom, 2 or 3 floored my brother. They don’t taste overly strong, but they definitely pack a punch.
Their steak tacos are my favorite in the city. I don’t know what their marinade is, or how they cook it, but they are very delicious, and super crispy. The texture and flavor is by far superior over other restaurants. I order it every time. Amazing chiles rellenos and burritos as well. Finally, do not leave without ordering their horchata! It is the best I’ve ever had.
The only reason I’m leaving 4 versus 5 stars is that their margaritas are pretty expensive, and they have gotten rid of most of their previous marg deals, which is really unfortunate.

The prices here are great and the food is not bad. I ordered a stuffed pepper taco and the pepper which was deep fried was very soggy and not crispy. The cheese inside was warm and melted nicely so I only have to assume it was microwaved. My friend’s rice also looked like it had been sitting in a pot for a while, scooped out, and microwaved. Overall a disappointing meal, but not bad if you are looking for a cheap meal.

I’ve finally found what I’ve been looking for in Wicker Park. A good, frozen, sugary Margarita out of a slushie machine that has good lime flavor and good tequila. Don’t get me wrong, I love the fancy margaritas with specialty flavored salt and lots of garnishes that seem to be all over the Chicago Mexican scene… but I just love me a good ol’ strong slushie fish bowl style margarita. Thank you, Tecalitlan.
Their food is good… and their complimentary chips and salsa seem super fresh. Have gotten burritos, tacos, enchiladas and quesadillas off their menu. Recently I ordered a quesadilla and enchilada off of their a la carte menu for about $ 2.50 each and although they were very very small, I was full due to my slushie, chips, and the food!
Love this place and will be back.

Lots of bang for your buck at Tecalitlan. If you’re looking to get really full on delicious cheesy Mexican, and subsequently really sleepy this is your place.
I ordered the «Tecalitlan Sampler.» It was a ton of food for only $ 12.50 and stayed with me all day.
The quesadillas were small and super cheesy. The flautas were crispy, greasy and meaty. The tamales were full of flavor and super moist. The nachos were a pile of nondescript, steamed in a styrofoam container soft chips covered in meat and cheese.
My friend ordered the chile relleno tacos, which pack an entire chile into each and are super dense. A bag of three weighed in at at least a pound. Same with the chicken tacos. Huge.
The young lady behind the counter was super friendly and the food was fast. Recommended if you’re looking for food to induce a nap.

Oh, Tecalitlan. You may look dated and the half the restaurant may be closed off and dark, but you sure know how to make some mean Mexican food.
The thing I love about this place is its consistency. Some places I go to will be awesome sauce one time and then completely miss the mark the next. Tecalitlan stays true to itself and is always bombdotcom. The food is what you would you get from any typical Mexican restaurant, but it’s always so good. Even the complimentary salsa and chips are delish.
Whenever I’m in the mood for some good Mexican food, Tecalitlan will be my first go-​to!

Love the old school décor… like you were stepping back into a 60s version of a Mexican restaurant. It was really spacious… no trying to shimmy between tables here. And there are plenty of tables. I wish I had been up for a sangria while we were there… but their ice tea was fine.
Prices are great and they offered a large variety of options so they can cater to the light eater and the starving. I had one fish and one avocado taco which I upgraded to a plate which means it came with rice and beans… while the tacos were tasty the rice and beans both needed salt.
Service was attentive and quick.

Stopped by here after a Cubs game and I was already tipsy.
Ordered a margarita which was okay and tried one taco because I was so full from drinking and eating hours before. Taco was okay, nothing stood out.
Staff is attentive.

Terrible food
Foam cups
Mismatched plates and silverware