Kokopelli

Came here on a Friday night with a group of 6 ready to use our groupon. The restaurant itself was nicely decorated, everything you would expect in a wicker park taco place, exposed brick, hardwood floors, cool bar with back lights etc…
With our groupon we got 3 guacamoles 12 tacos and 12 cocktails. Score. As soon as we sat down the server informed us three tacos were not available, kraken, steak and pulled pork. We were pretty bummed because on a menu of 8 tacos, three were not available. We made due with the remaining tacos. We ordered a mixture of the 5 that were available. Also ordered their seasonal faux and their chicaharron guac. Also ordered milanesa tortas only to be informed 10 minutes later they too were not available.
Presentation was done nicely. Guacamoles were excellent (highly recommend the chicaharron). Tacos were ok. My favorite of the bunch was the shrimp tacos but the shrimps lacked in quality (think 9.99 bags of frozen shrimp at jewel). Maybe too much time was spent on ambience and presentation, not enough in food. They gave us complementary once cream as a nice gesture for not having much in the menu. It was kind, but I would have traded it for a full menu.
Probably wouldn’t come back again. I would much rather go to one of the 500 taco restaurants in the ½ mile radius.

The tacos were delicious. It’s hard to make a taco that are complex and flavorful. This place can do it. The manager was über nice, sat at the bar and they even changed the channel to the college football game of our choice. You can’t beat the $ 5 margarita and the taco special of 3 for $ 11. We split the 3 tacos and that was plenty. Nice ambiance and good music.
Not sure what these other ppl are whining about. It’s tacos — keep the expectations low and you’ll win every time. Lol.

I haven’t heard of many Mexican places that don’t have chips and salsa as a complimentary dish at the table so I was a bit surprised that a Wickerpark mexican restaurant was not offering any chips and salsa to nibble on.
We did order the chips and salsa as a starter and were very disappointed with the amount and quality of the salsa that was served.
I was also very disappointed in the ceviche. It lacked any real unique bite and was very liquidy.
The traditional guacamole was not noteworthy either.
What stole the show for me were the kraken and shrimp jicima tacos. Both packed a flavorful bite and I had the option to do both tacos on a thin slice of jicima rather than tortilla which I absolutely loved. It left me feeling light and not so stuffed and was a unique and refreshing taste.
Overall the service was good and the place was nice… minue a few fruit flies that buzzed around. I do think that since there are plenty of other spots to try I will wait before I pick coming back.

The worst service. With a group of girlfriends and all ordered tacos — aka this places’s bread and butter. The brought out two of us our tacos and didn’t say anything about the other 5 ladies. Ten minutes later, 6 out of 7 had our food. The last friend didn’t get her tacos until the rest of us had completely finished and we’re ready to leave.
No apologies, no updates on what happened and we had to ask the super late tacos were taken off our bill.
Drinks are good. Tacos are good. But nothing worth dealing with terrible service.

In terms of the food, I was surprised at both the high artistry of the presentation and the fairly bland quality of the meats in these tacos. Tried the baja, shrimp, steak and La Chota (roasted pork) tacos… I would honestly say that none of the meats were even vaguely interesting. But, at least on the baja and La Chota tacos, I liked the toppings but they were hiding so much bland fish/​pork that I’m not sure what the real intent of the tacos were here. Pairing great toppings with incredible cores is the backbone of what makes the tacos at Authentaco and Antique Taco so amazing. At Kokopelli, it’s a poor disguise for average steak, for example.
My El Abuelo cocktail was good and the chicharron guacamole was tasty. We had a Groupon so the prices were better… spent $ 41 all-​in for the Groupon plus tip, which saved us about $ 10. Good daily specials but I’m not sure those deals lead to the kinds of quality you can get elsewhere. Service was attentive, and almost overly so; within a ten-​minute stretch, three visits to see how things are going is probably too many. Very glad I came since I live close by but I’m not sure this measures up to the high quality I can find elsewhere in Wicker!

Another taco shop in Chicago. Another so/​so experience.
We got the groupon and got some dranks. Smokey guey for me and margarita for him. They were ok. If it wasn’t part of the groupon, don’t think I’d order them otherwise.
The environment itself is very cute. There’s chalk drawings on the walls and TVs along a really nice shiny new bar. I can see this being a place to catch a soccer game if you live in the area.
Taco time: I had the jicama shrimp, baja and kraken. He had the pulled pork, steak and kraken. While I liked the concept of jicama as I’ve heard it’s low carb and very healthy, it was pretty tasteless. The baja (their take on a fish taco) was 90% cabbage and again lacking on the spices. It should be renamed cabbage salad. Hubby said the pulled pork was his fav but again nothing to write home about as it was pretty fatty. The kraken was decent and pretty much the winner, but wouldn’t really hold a candle to other taco shops in the city.
I enjoyed the experience for the discounted price it was, as service was nice and all, but I’d rather make the trek to a bit more of an authentic spot to satisfy my taco needs.

High heels, drinks and hunger made me a bit unsteady on my feet. This was the closest food in a 10 ft radius.
Boy was i pleasantly surprised. Nice open bar concept, outdoor seating, drink & food specials. How could I go wrong.
Tacos:
Portobello — My favorite, the pickled onions & the marinated portobello are just awesome together, i should have ordered 2 of theses
Shrimp Jicama — very light dispite having fried shrimp
Kracken — a bit salty but tasty
I will definitely be back on Taco Tuesday

Decided to come here the last night of Wicker Park fest and was surprised that it wasn’t too crowded. However, it did take a while to get a table and once we did, took a few more mins to get menus. Once we did get our orders in, the service was prompt and friendly.
We started with the seasonal guacamole which had queso fresco and bacon bits in it which tasted great. It was nice to have micro-​greens as a garnish. Since there were 5 of us in our group, we were able to try all of the tacos and the Kraken and Shrimp tacos stood out as most unique. The shrimp taco was wrapped in shaved jicama which was interesting and the rest of the tacos were in homemade tortilla shells. The size and portion was great, but the tortillas were charred and burnt in some spots. I could only taste the bitter burnt tortilla. The fillings of all the tacos however were tasty. Not like any other tacos I’ve had before.
Also, I had the Oaxacan Old Fasioned and my girlfriend ordered the Margarita Kokopelli. Both had very strong pronounced flavors — the Margarita had jalapeño –infused tequila with cucumber. A refreshing drink on a hot day. The Oaxacan Old Fashioned was a latin-​twist on the classic whiskey drink. It tasted much smokier than the classic Old Fashioned.
Kokopelli sets itself apart from most other taco joints in Wicker Park (and there are many) — definitely worth a try. Especially on Tuesdays when it’s $ 2 taco and $ 2 tecate night.

Strong drinks. The cucumber margarita was tasty. Seasonal guacamole was blah; missing something. The shrimp ceviche was solid. Tacos ok. My favorite was the battered fish taco … sadly can’t remember the name of it but it tasted so fresh with a great combination of slaw to fish ratio.
Chocoflan was rich but delicious: No dessert menu so you have to ask if there are desserts at the place. Don’t miss this dessert.
I can’t pinpoint why the place didn’t wow me. It’s a solid place but service was mediocre. We had to ask for plates when our appetizers arrived. Then a fork for dessert.
Ok place, solid drinks but missing a «.Je né sais pas !» Wow factor.

HOLY TACO! BEST TACOS in CHICAGO!
My fiancé and I wanted to try something new and I had a craving for tacos.
After doing a little bit of research, Kokopelli peaked my interest.
We went in on Sunday around 9pm and were greeted by a lovely host who made us feel welcome the second we stepped into the restaurant. We were seated immediately.
I LOVE the décor!
The whole place has a great vibe and fantastic music.
All I wanted to do is get up and dance.
I only wish that I had come here during the Blackhawks games to enjoy the awesome bar and the specialty drinks. Hopefully the Bears will be decent this year and I’ll be able to use that as an excuse for a visit.
But, on the Sunday that we went, I had the KRAKEN TACOS (grilled octopus marinated in a Mexican pesto, pickled onions, castigo aztecs salsa) and STEAK A LAS BRASAS TACOS (grilled rib eye marinated in cilantro chimichurri, refried pinto beans, guacamole, cactus leaf salad, salsa verde) as both were recommended by the manager.
I ordered 3 tacos and I was FULL!
The homemade tortillas were filled to the brim with delicious ingredients.
My fiancé ordered the MILANESA TORTA (breaded chicken breast, chipotle mayo, roasted bell peppers, crispy bacon, robo de dante salsa) and couldn’t stop raving about how good it was.
We ended the night with a to die-​for FLAN.
Simply delicious.
One other thing caught my eye on the menu, FUNKY TACOS (grilled portobello mushroom, baby spinach, goat cheese sauce, pickled onions, robo de dante salsa). I will definitely be back soon for one of those!
Give this place a try, you won’t be disappointed.

There’s much to like about this place. They have a long list of interesting tacos and small dishes, perfectly suited for those who fear commitment and love to sample and swap. Their origins are in the Tijuana food scene — and the more interesting elevated scene (think La Querencia) rather than the al-​pastor street-​taco scene. That’s all for the good.
And yet many of the tacos are not successes — drippy, droopy, and overfilled. I suppose it is good that they are taking some chances, but it means that you need to spread risk when you order. As some of the other reviews have suggested, the kraken, steak, and shrimp tacos are all very good, and shrimp seems especially underrated. The margaritas are too sweet for my kitchen but passable for a restaurant — and much enlivened by the thick lick of salt on the glasses.
All in all, this was a worthwhile adventure. But when I cross over to this side of the 90 – 94 for dinner there are at least half a dozen superlative options, and Kokopelli doesn’t quite rise to that level for me. Three-​and-​a-​half stars, with the borderline half-​star added out of nostalgia for Mexico.

Quiet, extremely friendly place. They claim they make everything fresh and in house– everything.
I only stopped in for a beer but the staff was exceedingly friendly. WIll stop in again.

What a pleasant surprise Kokopelli is! The bf and I were cruising around last Friday night looking for tacos and margs. Our original place we had in mind was too long of a wait, so open table suggested Kokopelli as it had plenty of seating in 3 minutes notice. We quickly snatched one up, found parking on Milwaukee, and we’re good to go. Kokopelli is larger than it looks from the outside so seating is not a problem.
We were promptly seated and given menus to mull over all the tacos choices… boy are there a lot. The best part about Kokopelli is that you can mix and match your tacos!!! Ahhhhhh the possibilities were endless! We decided to go cray and order 6 different types of tacos. Even though we tried 6, there were about 10 we didn’t try… seriously there are so many options. The ones that stood out to me were the El Pachuco and the steak al las brasas. All the others were delicious as well, but these two were my favs! We also ordered the seasonal ceviche which was sooooo fresh and fabulous and one of the guacamoles (I apology for forgetting which one)…Regardless it was muy muy bien!
All in all… Kokopelli is a hit. Great food, great drinks and a huge menu sure to please a variety of palettes. I highly suggest you stop in if you haven’t yet:)

If I could, I would rate this restaurant 10 stars. It was by far one of the best places I’ve ever been to in Chicago for tacos. This place has a very chill, welcome atmosphere. We went on a Saturday night and it wasn’t packed… it was amazing ! We ordered tacos, we tried the HIGHLY recommended kraken taco, steak and shrimp.
I do not say this lightly when I say they kraken taco was the best, I MEAN the BEST taco I’ve ever had. The kraken taco is octopus, avocado and some other really tasty stuff, I will say I normally hate octopus. This taco though… the octopus was not chewy, grilled wonderful and the combination of flavors… let’s just say the server knows his stuff. Seriously, I don’t like octopus normally.
Speaking of servers, the bar tender/​sever was amazzzing. He deserves his own Unilocal page. He was sooooo friendly, accommodating and just plain wonderful. He gave recommendations, made coverdation to those who wanted it and was really passionate about the place. I will say he made part of the night what it was … and most servers aren’t that memorable.
Finally, the place has an open window/​patio so you can eat facing out to the street. YES !!! This totally added to the chill, summery experience. Not to mention the Spanish music playing in the background.
At first I had my doubts when I walked in since it wasn’t xrowded, but as the night went on this wormed it’s way into my heart and became one of my faves. I’M COMING BACK and I seriously recommend it to others despite those other reviews.
(And seriously get the kraken taco even if you don’t like octopus)

Initially, I was very excited to try this new Mexican joint with the funny name. The décor was inviting, and it was very close to home.
A couple friends and I decided to make a reservation and give this restaurant a shot. Long story short, it was disappointing. We went there on Tuesday night to take advantage of their $ 2 tacos. I love tacos. If tacos were on Tinder, I would definitely right swipe that business. If they ever legalized food marriage, I would be first in line, at the courthouse, with a couple of them in hand.
I couldn’t contain my excitement when I saw their extensive taco list. Fish tacos! Shrimp tacos! Octopus tacos! Is there nothing this place can’t make into a taco? I wanted to try them all. I wasn’t expecting them to be so tiny. All tacos are precious in their own special way, but I wouldn’t pay the full $ 4 price for these. They were small and definitely left something to be desired. The flavor was great, but I wasn’t expecting to order four of them to feel somewhat full.
Not to mention, we also ordered guacamole and the pineapple salsa. My friend compared the salsa to pureed baby food. I couldn’t unsee it. From the small, baby food sized jar, to the small, baby food sized spoon, this is what I would expect to buy from Gerber.
Usually, I don’t season my food with salt and pepper. It’s a huge insult to the chef, and I respect their work. However, this guacamole NEEDED salt and definitely wasn’t worth the full $ 8. Like a bad one night stand, I’ve definitely had better. They also don’t give you very much for the price.
Now, onto the service. Mediocre. I understand the Hawks game was on. I’m a fan too, but it shouldn’t take more than 2 minutes to get my can of Tecate. Also, when you give me a new can, please take the empty one away. With only 15 or so people in the restaurant, it was difficult to flag down our waitress for the check or for anything else.
Sorry, Kokopelli. I gave you a fair shot and you let me down. However, I understand you guys are the new kids in the neighborhood. You’re going through those awkward stages of figuring out your menu and honing your image. Don’t give up on yourselves, you have the potential. Remember Antique Taco is right down the street, so you better step up your game.

I smiled as soon as I walked in. I love their décor with the colorful plates and lime green bench cushions. Used a groupon for two cocktails, guacamole, and four tacos with a friend and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal.
My cocktail, the TJ sour, was great– refreshing and strong, with just the right amount of kick. The guac was fresh and flavorful. For my tacos, I went with the grilled and breaded fish ones. I definitely preferred the breaded fish one, but both were really good. The proteins are garnished with unique and well-​paired flavors. There was also a perfect filling to tortilla ratio– small tortillas packed with meat and toppings, so you’re not left with a handful of tortilla after eating the filling first. The tacos come in threes, which would have been an ideal portion, if we didn’t have the guac first. They have a long list of tacos, and I would definitely come back to try to the other ones and enjoy more of their cocktails!

Came in for a quick bite and wasn’t very impressed. The design of the restaurant was cool and cozy, but the food was pretty mediocre. My friend had the trio of tacos with looked good, but didn’t taste all that great and I had the octopus ceviche which was Very overlooked/​chewy and pretty tasteless. I wouldn’t come back form seconds.

Came here for dinner and a drink and ended up staying longer than planned.
To be honest I wouldn’t have probably ever stopped by if a friend hadn’t brought me, so glad I did! It’s so nice inside! Food and drinks are wonderful and the service was fantastic, everyone who works there was very friendly and helpful.
Margaritas come in pitchers which is a must for me, so that satisfied me!
Really though, this place is wonderful.

My party of 3 arrived at 6:30 on a Sunday evening to find the place surprisingly empty, but it did pick up a little over the next hour and a half we were there.
First, I will cover service:
The hostess greeted us and allowed us to sit wherever we wanted. She also turned out to be our waitress. We only noticed her and one busboy as front of house staff at that time. As a waitress, to say the least, she was extremely underwhelming. She was unhelpful and didn’t seem remotely exciting explaining the menu to us, even after I said «Can you explain the menu? It’s our first time here!» She didn’t mention the mini tortas or bocadillos sections on the menu.
As the evening progressed, a bartender appeared and another server came out (from the back? I guess?). This group of 4 seemed to all do everything (???) — We saw the bartender helping a table with their bill, the busboy seated multiple tables… it was all very odd.
The most important thing: on top of not having any enthusiasm, the staff seemed as if they had never received ANY TRAINING. I will get to this with our food and drinks:
We ordered the pepino picante, which was extremely sweet and not spicy as our waitress suggested (disappointing, chile infused tequila sounded like a nice twist on what would otherwise just be a cucumber margarita, and that it was), the smokey guey (was expecting a nice smokey cocktail, received a drink that slightly tasted of mezcal… with a ton of lime juice and simply syrup), and the el abuelo (was looking for something fruity and sweeter, was recommended this. It was extremely strong and tasted similar to an old fashioned). Overall, didn’t love the drinks.
Next up, food:
The salsas — We did a trio. The castigo azteca we decided was the best thing we had at the restaurant. The lagrimas de lucifer really is insanely spicy.
Chicharron Guacamole — Expensive considering how small the portion was, but tasted good.
Tacos:
Kraken — Good. That’s it.
A special of «pork confit with a tamarind glaze» — Pork was extremely dry and rough. No tamarind taste and was paired with a very, very sweet cabbage slaw.
Rasta — This was good but desperately needed lime — we couldn’t understand why they didn’t put more lime with their tacos when they were ALL craving a fresh squeeze. Table also agreed that we had no idea what they did with their «pickled» onions to result in them having no flavor. Literally. At all.
Steak a las Brasas — This was the favorite. But, again, back to service: we asked our waitress what exactly the taco had in it. She stood there speechless and looking embarrassed (seriously), and then awkwardly stumbled over her words, grabbed a menu from our table, and just stammered, reading to us what the menu said. We could have read it for ourselves, we actually had already done that, but we wanted to know what the additional ingredients were, specifically the crunchy ingredient on the top of the taco. Guess it’ll remain a mystery.
Couple other notes:
1-​The outer door slammed SO LOUD every single time someone came in or out of the restaurant, the front half of the restaurant would turn to look at the door.
2-​On the top of the «tacos» section on the menu it said «All tacos served with home made corn tortillas, monterrey jack cheese and avocado» — We found this not to be true, though we were relieved when our octopus tacos didn’t have cheese ;)
Unless there is a drastic change with the service, we will not return. Is it so bad that I wanted the staff to be enthusiastic about this cool new place and recommend great items, describing them until my mouth is watering? Or, at the very least, know the menu? Yikes.

More of a 3.5.
Liked the vibrant cool space which definitely fit in Wicker Park.
Tried the pumpkin seed salsa. It was more of a spread with a mustard/​hummus texture than an actual salsa. It was pretty good, but not amazing.
They must have changed the option of not having to order the same kind of taco, as previous Unilocaler mentioned. I was delighted that we got to choose any 3 tacos. Had the funky veggie, steak, and kraken tacos. I was most excited to try the kraken, as I like octopus, and while not bad, just didn’t feel the flavors went that great together. The veggie and steak were pretty good, but all the tacos kinda tasted the same and had the same flavors. Couldn’t really differentiate them besides the protein. Also, as others mentioned, the tacos are on the smaller side but are packed with ingredients, so it is pretty filling.
Service was good. Staff was friendly and attentive.
Overall, food was good but not that memorable.