El Mariachi Tequila Bar & Grill

Who knew this place offered dinner and a show? BEWARE: crazy, drunk rambling woman at the bar tonight offended everyone who crossed her path or sat within eyeshot of her. Apparently she is a regular who is there each day drinking continuously from 4pm and until 9. We were unlucky to experience her for over an hour at 7pm. While I felt lucky to have witnessed such sheer lunacy, it took a dark turn when she got increasingly more drunk and began to shake her empties in the bartender’s face and offensively shouting «UNO MAS POR FAVOR!» Embarrassing. Hopefully she was not driving. Staff was apologetic but was completely unwilling to eject her, despite her running everyone in the bar area out. She completely sucked all the air out of the place yet was blissfully unaware. Like a lion in the night patiently stalking her prey, any new customer who sat near her she would POUNCE and mercilessly assault them with any thought that crossed her mind. The owner/​manager finally had enough when she approached our table completely invading our space slurring about something stupid. Against her wishes, because who doesn’t want to continue talking to people once they’ve told you to scram, he pulled her away and attempted to communicate that she would no longer be welcome and well, she wasn’t having any of it. A huge awkward commotion happened and once it was over, she sat right back down at the bar and continued drinking and continued bothering unsuspecting victims. We will never set foot in there again! Ownership must be asleep at the wheel. Oh, complete afterthought but the food was not that great either. Maybe it was just the offensive experience.

Too loud and very cramped but awesome food and cocktails. Bottomless mimosa’s included and $ 3 Bloody Mary

My first time at this spot, I will surely visit again. My friend and I were driving down Broadway looking for food and decided to give them a shot. Everyone was super friendly and attentive, it felt family owned. I ordered the combinations plate which included skirt steak, shrimp, and quesadilla with a side of lime cilantro rice and black bean. Everything was tasty, our food did take longer than expected but the waiter offered us guacamole on the house. Great customer service!

$ 23 for unlimited mimosas and a meal of your choice — with free chips! I really liked the special they had going on and the food was delicious. I got the chicken burrito and the carne asada torta… both delicious. If I had to pick one over the other, it would be the chicken burrito. I wish we could have sat outside but unfortunately it was raining all day. Great experience, will definitely go again!

I want to love this more. It’s just mediocre. I have been 4 times in as many years. I have sent 3 margaritas back, they all came back worse.
Food is ok. Oh and just order a beer.

This was such a great, fun place for brunch! Way better food than I was expecting– I can’t remember the name of the dish I had, but it was a skillet of eggs, potatoes, cheese, black beans and avocado. It was amazing! My husband loved his tres leches French toast. The drinks were yummy and the bottomless mimosa package is a great deal. Service was fantastic and we even received a visit from the manager who chatted with us and had us try new drinks from their new cocktail menu. It was so fun to do a little cocktail tasting and chat with him about their cocktail menu. Thanks Fernando!

Came here at around noon on a Sunday for their famous unlimited mimosas Brunch. We were seated immediately. The restaurant is spacious and clean with gorgeous interior. As other have mentioned, they are extremely generous with the mimosas and chips. Constantly made sure our glasses were topped off and brought us fresh baskets of chips and salsa (which were so delicious fyi).
What really won me over though was the service. Our server was extremely gracious, friendly and polite. I initially ordered the tostas and my boyfriend got the platanos al tequila French toast. Upon receiving our food I realized that the tostas were not what I had in mind. Our server wasted no time bringing me a menu so I could choose something different and the manager even came over to tell me not to worry about it and to make sure I was happy with my choice. I ended up getting the buenos Dias which was much better. The French toast was easily one of the best I’ve ever had in my life, I’d highly recommend that.
Overall such a great experience and I will definitely be returning for brunch and to try out their dinner menu in the future!

I was totally blown away by the meal I had here. We came during restaurant week, and every thing we had was delicious and in an enormous portion!
The chips were a little greasy, but good, the salsas had good flavor, but could’ve used a little more heat.
The soup I had came in a bowl that –I kid you not — I could put my hand all the way into and not touch any of the edges. The bowl was huge! The soup was great in flavor but not hot enough.
I had a skirt steak entrée with potato skins and sauteed spinach for dinner, and holy hell, was that steak good! I’ve never had anything like that before. The flavor with the toppings was just incredible! The potato skins were cool too– literally just shaved skin off a potato, not like a boat full of cheese and sour cream like you get at a bar. The spinach was also good. I had half to take home.
For dessert my friend and I both got the Frida Khalo cheesecake taquitos. I’m not a huge cheese cake fan, but these were just amazing. The taquito had cinnamon on it, and the plate was lined with star fruit. It was all really good. I also took 2 of the taquitos home.
We also had a pitcher of the house margarita ($ 26). The drink was good, and the waiter was always on top of refilling it for us when our glasses were empty. That was awesome for the service front!
So the reason I’m deducting a star is for a few things: the soup not being hot, the bathroom, which was actually hotter than h-​e-​double-​hockey sticks, and when it came to paying our bill. The waiter came by, did a quick double check of our receipt and handed it to me. The bill was over $ 200… we got charged for 5 restaurant week meals! Why even pretend to double check it when it’s so wrong? He was apologetic, went to correct the bill, and we were still overcharged, for 3 restaurant week meals, which eventually was fixed to just 2 meals. It seemed a little strange.
I would definitely return. I was impressed by the food and the menu prices seemed more than reasonable. It was almost a perfect dinner, so maybe next time I can upgrade to 5 stars!

This was my first time here and overall, everything was delicious. I had the chicken fajitas, which were good, nothing outstanding but not bad. The sides of Mexican rice and black beans were a little too salty for my taste, but hey, that’s just me. I also had a horchata which was delicious and the flourless chocolate cake was delicious. Also, the table side made guacamole was amazing! Overall good time and I’ll be back!

5 dolla dolla bills yo!
That’s how much you need for some pretty good margaritas on Mondays and Wednesdays. I came here with a friend for some lunch and drinks on a Monday. The place was empty since we showed up a few minutes after they opened and the service was good! Everyone was friendly and attentive.
Now with the food.
The tortilla soup was okay, it definitely needed more spices.
Ceviche was kinda sweet, which threw me off. It would have been so much better with just lime. Don’t get me wrong, I ate all of it but I just wouldn’t order it again.
The nachos with chicken were pretty good and they didn’t skimp on the chicken which I liked, but overall the margaritas were probably the best thing out of our little meal.
Overall a nice place to go to for a few drinks.
Bring them bills and make it rain with margaritas!

We ordered the beef burrito and the steak Chimichanga. The chips and salsas are excellent and stand out. The burritos are massive and very tasty. Presentation is nice and appetizing. Service was a little slow since we were never offered a refill of our soda. We will go again!

As I recently moved just around the corner, I was super excited to see I was so close to this place. I came here with my mom for brunch and we split the tequila french toast and chicken enchiladas. The french toast was phenomenal, especially if you have a big sweet tooth (like I do). However, the enchiladas weren’t quite cooked long enough and were pretty bland.
When it comes to selecting my go-​to Mexican restaurant, there are two staples that must be exceptional: the chips/​salsa and the margaritas. Sadly, this place failed to deliver on both points. Overall, my experience here was just average and with all the other amazing options in Chicago, I probably won’t be back.

A lovely brunch on El Mariachi’s patio is exactly what our group of girls needed. The waiters were pretty prompt about filling the bottomless mimosas, and the food was very good.
I had the poblano peppers, stuffed with scrambled eggs, chorizo, queso fresco, and avocado. Ay papi! This was awesome! Most of the entrees are around $ 10, so brunch is very affordable.
Our group ordered an extra entrée to share among all of us — the Pina Colada French Toast. I wasn’t as impressed with it as everyone else, but if you generally like sweet, dessert-​like dishes for breakfast, this one will probably make you swoon.
To top it all off, El Mariachi has excellent chips and salsa. Yes, chips and salsa. For brunch. It doesn’t get much better than that.
If I didn’t have a limited budget at the moment, or have to drive myself home, I would have indulged in some of their tequila and cocktails — El Mariachi could be quite the wild brunch!

Great margs. Fantastic tableside guac. Deliscious food.
I only gave it four stars because I didn’t feel so hot later.

Bottomless Mimosas and a pretty patio, this is what brunchy brunches are all about. Oh and the food too of course.
El Mariachi was the location of choice for 5 gals one sunny sunday. EM takes reservations which makes it super easy for a group to meet on Sunday/​Brunchdays.
Their brunch menu offers sweet and savory items with some pretty bold flavors and twists. Their brunch special is one of the listed menu items and bottomless Mimosa’s for only 22 bucks!
Our group likes sweet and savory and loves to share so we pretty much had a buffet on the table. I loved the Huevos Benedictos – Chorizo biscuits, poached egg, more chorizo topped with an epazote Hollendaise. The egg was perfectly poached and the chorizo just as spicy as I like it. I also tried the Enchiladas de Huevo con Chorizo – what more chorizo? you bet. it was a corn tortilla stuffed with fluffy scrambled eggs and chorizo, topped with salsa verde, cheese and sour cream – another dish full of flavor and a mild spicy kick. The sweet dish on the table was the Pina Colada French Toast. Soaked in tres leches and crusted with toasted almonds, granola and coconut. It’s topped with pineapples, berries and a kind of piña colada crème anglaise. Another winning dish.
Service was great. Our mimosa flutes were topped off as much as we wanted – no skimping there! Oh and don’t forget the chips and salsa – great complementary start to a wonderful meal.

I was informed that a pretty good brunch is happening here .
I’m normally a savory breakfast kinda guy, but I heard they have an awesome french toast here with glazed tequila drizzle/​sauce. Its official name is Platanos Al Tequila French Toast and it is petty damn good! Its topped with bananas and has strawberries on the side along with whipped crème, powdered sugar and pecans; complete with Don Julio tequila and drizzled with homemade cajeta. I finished the whole thing as it was pretty huge, but very delicious. My friend got the Yucatec Cazuela skillet in which she allowed me to taste and it was very good. Its black beans, plantains, eggs, red onions, mole poblano, avocado, queso fresco on top of a tortilla. Good stuff and both dishes were less than $ 10
They have $ 5 house margaritas on Mon & Wed FYI and they are pretty decent. The La Paloma was very good as well. I see myself spending some quality time here this summer as they have a nice patio near the back as well as free parking.
I had a chance to come back and enjoy the piña colada French toast on the patio and it was a great time with great food and great service!

I’ve been here so many times but this is the first time I’ve reviewed it on Unilocal.
El Mariachi is in a great location just north of wrigley field. Obviously specializing in Mexican food, el mariachi definitely stands out against the rest of the many restaurants in the area.
They have lovely outdoor seating in back when the weather is nice. The ambiance is festive and sometimes busy. I’ve never had a problem getting a good seat or waiting too long.
To start with, you must get the tableside guacamole. They wheel a cart to your table and make it in front of you to your specifications. Spicy, mild, or flavorful.
We had the bottomless mimosas and they were not joking around. Our super nice waitress came by every five minutes to promptly refill our glasses. That reminds me — service here is great. Today was just another example. Our waitress-​Alexa– was a total sweetheart and very prompt and diligent.
I had the chicken chilaquiles for my entrée. Can’t go wrong with chilaquiles. They were delicious. Lots of cheese, delicious salsa, well cooked chicken and crispy tortillas.
El Mariachi is very highly recommended. I would say it’s one of the best food establishments in the area. I’ve been here on dates, large parties, and everything in between and it’s always served me well.

Came here with the wife and a Transylvanian vampire. We ordered some appetizers and 2 pitchers of the house margaritas. The drinks were good and service was professional and friendly.
The appetizers were impressive. We had quesadillas, ceviche, and taquitos. The chips and salsa were also good.

We’ve come here a few times since moving to the area. The staff is always accommodating, and despite usually being busy, we’ve always managed to snag a table on opentable beforehand.
Wait staff is very friendly, and service is fast. The salsas at the table are excellent, and the chips you can tell were made in house and fresh. We have ordered the shrimp fajitas, steak fajitas, table side guacamole, and steak tacos previously. All excellent, but a word of advice: most of the entrees are around 18 $, and while more expensive than most other Mexican restaurants, we have found that we can usually split the meal between the two of us, because there is so much food.
Good margaritas, and strong. Someone ordered a mojito at the table next to us last time and it looked amazing, will definitely try it next time we go.

So apparently Unilocal likes to delete reviews to maintain businesses at a certain star level. I have heard that if you don’t advertise with them (and we don’t) they did stuff like this to never let the business get higher than 3 ½ stars.
A post was written on ²⁄₂₈ with 5 stars and by Monday the post had already magically disappeared … This is horrible and Unilocal has officially lost all credibility from me and my friends.
I’ve added a screen shot of the review that was removed and can only wonder how long it will be before this all gets removed.

Friendly staff. Nicely decorated, best for dates or girls night out. The table side guacamole is a definite choice for appetizer. The house made chips and salsa are delicious and complementary. The enchiladas stuffed with plantains is delicious, i almost want to not try any of the other entrees and just keep getting this one. Tried a bite of my husbands tamales and they were perfectly made. The mango margarita was also yummy and not overpowering. Will definitely be back.