Taco el Jalisciense

Good place for Mexican food. Kind of a dive, but the food is good, and they have parking.

«The Jolly Science» as I like to jokingly call this place is my neighborhood mexican dive. I come in about twice a month but I should come in more frequently. The place is divey but clean, the people are always super nice, and the food is the best for the price. Tacos, burritos, enchilladas, relleno, and breakfast are all excellent. The green sauce is my favorite and I’m not really that obsessed with spicy food so it’s a little hot for me but it tastes so good I always find myself sweating my way through it.
Do not be afraid. Go. You will not regret it.

The service and flavor is on point at this taqueria!
After trying a couple of meats my fav was the carne asada, seasoned well and not over salted. Would love to comeback when the trombo has pastor rotating on it, prob for weekends only.
Top secret advice — the best seat in the house is at the taco bar! Shhh! Watching Jose on the grill is actually quite entertaining. Highly recommend it!
If I were to ding them on anything is the torta bread they use. It’s a lil thin for a sandwich to hold everything together.

The first thing you’ll notice is how this small restaurant is literally on an island all by itself in an intersection with parking behind it.
It’s a very small restaurant (maybe sits 10 people tops) and if you hit it on a busy time, you will be ordering your food to go.
The staff is friendly and this hole in the wall has a certain charm to it. But in the end, it’s all about the food and that’s where this small restaurant really shines.
I ordered a taco dinner with rice and beans.
The rice was well seasoned and it didn’t come with frozen vegetables on top like I’ve seen in other eatablishments. The beans were hot and creamy with cheese on top.
I had the tacos Al Pastor. Now I’ve had tacos for well over my existance with Al Pastor (spicy pork) being my favorite.
Taco Jalisciense has the best Al Pastor in Chicago. It’s juicy, the right amount of spices, the subtle taste of pinapple, it’s all so good. I might be wrong but the tacos seemed slightly bigger than most mexicsn restaurants.
I chased it down with a large glass of jaimaica. This is a taco destination that you shouldn’t pass up.

I wanted to love this place and had really high hopes based on the reviews. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a let down. I ordered a steak and a chicken taco, with a side of rice n beans. The rice n beans were delicious and seasoned well! The tacos, however, were both seriously lacking in the flavor department. Super bland. If, it weren’t for the fixins’ on the taco I probably wouldn’t have finished them. I’ve also had way better salsa verde. Maybe I went on an off day? I dunno. I might go back to try some of the other items. But I won’t be in a rush.

The burrito was amazing… I was in a rush because our lunch break is short but food was good once I got it.

Crazy delicious. Best carne asada tacos I’ve ever had. Super tiny taco shack, with parking in the rear. Don’t bother with cheese and sour cream– the meat speaks for itself.

I am in a food coma right now! This is by far the best taqueria I have ever been to, and I frequent taquerias often. I got the vegetariano burrito and it was the size of a newborn baby. It was a burrito angel! I highly recommend this place.

Good cheap tacos that are quick. You can’t ask for anything more! There have a nice parking area so that you can run in and out of there easily. The serving sizes are good for the money. You can jose to eat inside but it’s kind of tight. It does remind me of a place that you might find in Mexico which adds some cool points to it.

I went to this taqueria because it was featured in Chicago’s best
well it is like every other restaurant featured on TV they show one thing and reality is not
I was because the brag about tacos al pastor being original meat cut from the trompo, it is not it is cooked in the grill, also same with the size of the tacos they are small not regular size like some one mentioned steak taco the meat is bland and crispy no flavor, orchata has a good flavor woud not go back and do not recommend as being authentic Mexican tacos specially tacos al pastor also they did not tripas tacos

I eat a lot of Carne Asada tacos, and definitely sample the fare around Chicago, and they have some of the best I’ve had. Super fresh and high quality. I’ll be back.

This taqueria is very good and consistent when it comes to certain items. These would be the Pastor, chorizo, and chicharon. The tacos are a bit pricey but are overwhelming in your choice of meat. They serve tacos in the larger tortillas that make it worth the price.

I have been riding passed this place for a minute. Finally decide to stop inside after work.
When I walked inside I was greeted with a friendly smile. The décor was amazing. I decide on the steak taco dinner tht comes with rice and beans.
I couldn’t wait to get home to taste this meal. The smell of my food was kicking in while I was driving home.
Once I got home and started to eat um I was well satisfied with my taco dinner. The only thing my rice was a tad too salty. I had to mix my rice into the beans to kill some of that salt. Other than the rice being salty. I have no complaints about this place. I will be back again. I will just remember to let them know not to put any salt on my rice

The owner is the cook and he takes pride and care when cooking. For instance I watched him seasons the rib eye steak before grilling the steak over an open fire. Where he then baptized the meat with a lime season juice. I mean everything this guy season is to perfection. I ain’t Mexican but I sure love the authenticity of his food and I appreciate the fact none of his dishes have been americanized.

It’s interesting reading other reviews. Some have complained of how the tacos just aren’t good (totally subjective, I respect your opinion, don’t necessarily agree with it), how it’s a small place (can’t do anything about that), or that they charge you extra for everything (avocado, cheese, etc., etc.).
I know you don’t know me nor do you care, but I disagree completely with that last bit. I understand that American tacos have all that extra stuff, but honey, you came to a place called Taco el Jalisciense — not Taco el Americano. It’s like going to an Indian restaurant, ordering a breakfast burrito, with extra chorizo, and complaining it doesn’t taste anything like the tikka masala you were expecting. Yeah, try figuring that one out, I got a bit confused myself.
The tacos are as good as you can get, and quite authentic. Everyone raves for the al pastor, and yes, it’s pretty good; but I personally enjoy the asada. Order your tacos with grilled onions, lovely way to have them. The taste and cozy confines really take me back to the tacos one would find walking down the streets of a Mexican city (could it be someplace maybe in Jalisco, hmmm? curiouser and curiouser.. .), people behind the counter always have a smile on their faces (at least the times I’ve been there).
Guess my only complaint is that since it’s at a weird little intersection, parking is a little interesting. I gave four stars because, I don’t know, I just don’t feel like giving five. The aforementioned tight spaces, and all that, I guess.
So, quick recap: tacos, good, authentic; service, smiley, friendly; cramped space that they can’t really help.

Meh… I had high hopes after the positive reviews but after an overpriced dinner including $ 8.00 guacamole that was in edible due to be overwhelmingly limey. For dinner I went with the tampiquena that was an overcooked thin skirt steak with the only redeeming quality being the enchilada, I was asked if I wanted spicy or mild and I said mild but everything was so spicy. with all the great taquerias in the chi I would skip this one. Go for Las asadas on western instead.

I was recently flipping through the channels, when I happened to see channel 11 showing al pastor meat being slow cooked on a pit… my mouth watered instantly! !! As I was going to change the channel I was more amazed to see the place was located 15 minutes away.
I ordered to go and the TV did not do justice to those tacos! The al pastor was amazing! Their red hot sauce was the first to actually make me regret adding the whole cup on it! Great Al pastor!

We came here for lunch two a few days ago. Prior to that, we’ve only had dinner here. I would say that the food is much more fresh and delicious during the day time.
We got the usual: 3 taco plate with al pastor it comes with rice and beans. Their so al pastor is delicious! I feel that the portion of their rice and beans are very small compared to other places (DOS amigos, my other favorite Mexican place) also we got their rib eye burrito with grilled onions. This burrito is really yummy. The rib eye is nice and juicy and their tortilla is buttery goodness.
You can’t go wrong ordering their horchata. Best horchata around! Don’t order their guacamole though, not the best. And the bf thought the salsa can improve. They are more pepper, chili based, not tomato so they are quite runny in consistency. We ordered a side of pico de gallo for $ 1, the total came to almost $ 30. I’d say that the for is sort of expensive in my opinion. It is still not my go-​to place but it will suffice for my taco cravings.

I need to stop going to Mexican restaurants based on good reviews. I am almost always disappointed, as was the case at Taco el Jalisciense. Maybe I ordered the wrong things? Mmmmm, not sure. Steak tacos were good — not great, but out of everything we had they were the best of the bunch. I also got a «ground meat taco» — it was terrible — meat was like unseasoned greasy meat mush. I took one bite and could not finish the rest of my meal. The salsas were ok — nothing major. The green was the better of the two. The Agua de Tamarindo was not good at all — lacked in flavor. The rice and beans were ok — again, nothing great.
When we got the total, we could not believe it — over $ 30 for 6 tacos with rice and beans and two drinks. I was shocked… totally not worth it. I think I will stay loyal to my tried and true favorites.
Also, please note that the price per taco will go up as you ask for things like avocado or sour cream…
People working there are very nice, but that’s just not enough for me to return.

To date, one of the best Steak Burritos and Al Pastor I’ve evah had.
Thanks to Anthony M’s constant raving and mouth-​watering photography, I hit this place up. making a trek from the far Southside of the city. It was late-​ish and I’d been making merry… repeatedly…which left me craving some tasty Mexican fare. My friends were kind enough to humor me and agreed to try a new joint out; this rarely ever happens so needless to say, I was on a serious high from not getting outvoted as we made our way into the mean streets of Chicago with one seriously crabby designated driver.
Even though we snuck in JUST before closing time, we received fresh chips, amazzzzing salsa (the Verde is yum) and were served up killer fare with not only a smile, but a side of freshly-​grilled jalapeños. Their Ribeye Burrito and Al Pastor were outstanding! The people here are a sheer delight… customers as well as the staff.
I have since returned, sober, *ahem* and my meal was equally stellar. Craziness!
Although this delightful slice of the Barrio is a tad far from me to enjoy regular visits, Taco el Jalisciense, my waistline wholeheartedly thanks you for the distance between us. Muchas Gracias!