Tacos El Norte

Awesome food. I live right by it and will go over and over again. No matter what you get, it’s amazing. Chips and salsa are fantastic as well!

While the food is delicious, the lady that works the cash register (usually in the evenings) is SO RUDE!!! She has gotten progressively worse over the years. We used to go to El Norte at least twice a week. Because of the rudeness of this lady, we have taken most of our business to Burrito Express (much cheaper and good as well).

I went in the AM and had a Breakfast Burrito, Chips & Salsa, Small Horchata, Shrimp Taco and a large Horchata to go. The bill was $ 22.75. The food in my opinion was average at best and very pricey.

I have eaten here several times and have enjoyed the food. What I haven’t enjoyed was calling in to place a carry out order. The woman who has answered the phone each time is very rude. They don’t have a menu posted online and the woman was upset that I didn’t know a detail of one of my orders. Customer service is not a priority.

I love this place! I’ve been to 5 or 6 different ones on and off throughout the years. Guacamole Tostada, it’s not on the menu so just ask for it. TO DIE FOR! I love their steak burritos but recently found the Chile Relleno burrito. It’s way too good with all that cheese. They make great food cheaply here. Support them.

Really good Mexican food for Mchenry. Love going here.

This is our «go to» Mexican restaurant. Close to home and the food is always delicious. :)

Ate here for the first time in about five years, take out. All of the food was fantastic! I think this was the first time my wife did not have to add extra salt to her guacamole. I had the shrimp burrito, which was very fresh and not packed full of filler like most burritos I get.
Other people in our group had various tacos and the chips and salsa. Everyone commented on its authenticity and taste.
The only reason for the ⁴⁄₅ was the wait. Was told 20 minutes on the phone, ended up being well over 30 minutes. But it was worth the wait!

I used to work across the street as a kid and would be a regular in Tacos El Norte. I would always get the steak nachos, which are loaded with skirt steak, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, beans, lettuce, tomato, and probably a few more goodies that I’m forgetting. It would cost me $ 5 and change for them and it was more than enough to eat! I then got a job near the city and didn’t visit that side of town often. I went back recently to find they jacked up their prices at least $ 2 a plate, which is a bit disappointing, but not a deal breaker (it’s a business, you gotta do what you gotta do, right?). I’ve heard great things about their chile relleno burrito, so I decided to grab one. I was disappointed to see that they put chopped up tomatoes and iceberg lettuce in it… I hate getting iceberg lettuce in burritos because the heat and moisture makes it slimy and unappealing. I know that’s the Americanized way of making Mexican food in the states, but if that’s what I wanted, I’d go to Taco Bell. My suggestion is making two options, one being the «Americanized» version with the lettuce and tomato, and the other being the «Authentic» version with cilantro and lime and onions and beans and cheese… YUM! I understand I can substitute and what-​not, but I thought I’d throw that idea out there. Besides that, I do highly enjoy getting food from here. The staff is always friendly, they work hard, and the food isn’t half-​bad.

The food is really boring at this location. I have eaten at the Lake Zurich location, which was excellent. This location was just off. I never saw the cook actually cook any meat on the grill, rather he would take pre cooked meat and microwave it prior to serving in burrito. I will not eat here again.

My «cultural» culinary experiences growing up:
– «Mexican» food = Taco Bell
– «Chinese» food = canned La Choy over Uncle Ben ‘s light and fluffy rice, with those dried chow mein noodles on top
Aaaaand that’s as far as it got.
Sigh. Mom’s to blame, so my brother and I are making up for our lost food years and dragging her with us.
Despite living in McHenry for 12 years, we’d never been to Tacos El Norte as a family, though I have no clue why. (We’ve been to one other Mexican joint.) Now we’re very remorseful for missing out.
In short: They’re super awesome and have delicious food!
Six of us (5 adults and 1 kiddo) came here for dinner and practically took over the restaurant a mere hour before they closed. The staff was so nice and the food was soooo good!
We had various things: at least 3 of us had seafood dishes (I had tacos: shrimp and tilapia), and I think Great Aunt Norma had a ground beef taco or something. Aside from that, I don’t remember what everyone else had, but LOTS of guacamole was involved: I think we ended up ordering 3 orders when all was said and done.
I had a horchata which was tried by all curious parties. #backwashdoesntapplytofam It was really delicious.
We’re not dessert orderers, but we went all out for some reason. Three of us shared a delicious chocolate molten lava bundt cake and flan. (Yes, we finally talked Mom into trying flan!) Both were delicious in their own ways.
The great waitress also gave us a complimentary tamale to try. I’m embarassed to say that this was my first tamale, but it was very good.
I’m so happy that we’re getting Mom out of her comfort zone, and in the process we found the awesomeness that is Tacos el Norte! I know we’ll be back — hopefully before our next summer vacation, because no one should wait so long to eat such great food!

Easily the best Mexican food in McHenry! Wouldnt go anywhere else!

I’ve been on a grand search for some good Mexican food since leaving Texas. Tacos El Norte had a fairly high star mark so I thought, why not?
There wasn’t anything particularly bad about the place, outside of throwing mozzarella cheese on a tamale. Which is kind of a terrible thing to do. But I’m past it, this is Illinois and you guys love your Pizza. The food was decent, it just wasn’t really anything special. The price was great! If you’re looking for some decent Mexican food for a good price, this is a probably a solid option for you. But I’m still hoping to find something better out there.

Best Mexican food in McHenry, perhaps even the county. Everything is absolutely amazing. Quick service, great staff.

Love love love this place. My favorite Mexican food. Every time I’m back in town I need to stop in at least once! The burritos are so yummy. The green salsa is the best I’ve ever tasted!

The best mexican food in McHenry County! We’ve never had a bad experience here. All their food is great. My personal favorite is the steak tacos, but their nachos are also delicious. The nachos are huge so I usually stick to the tacos, unless I’m splitting them. All their food is authentic. Also their chicken soup is the best. Highly recommended !

My son, daughter, and I stopped by Tacos el Norte today for an early lunch. We have always gone to there for a good Mexican meal and have always been happy. Heck, I’ve gone to Tacos el Norte all over the metro area while I was traveling with work. However, the McHenry location seems to have gone downhill recently. Are they under new management?
Today they charged us $ 40.00 for a late morning lunch for three. I’ve never liked the way they bill; you do not receive a check at your table, you walk to the register and they ring up your meal items individually. The first time they charged $ 35 and change, I asked if she was sure because it seemed awfully high. Then another lady came by and re-​rung it, it came to $ 36 and change. I told her she was going the wrong way. Then the manager came over and literally asked me, «What’s the problem here.» I told her that her cashier’s were ringing too much for a meal for three people. The manager apologized, then proceeded to ring me up for $ 40.05.
I told her that was ridiculous and she started going line-​by-​line with me, showing how they nickle and dimed every item. At that point I told her not to bother and that, while we were regular customers, we will not be returning — EVER!

Delicious food! We got carry out tonight and loved every bite of our chimichangas!

I discovered this GEM about 15 years ago in Lake Zurich, as my office was in Palatine — before I bought my home in McHenry.
LOVE going to the McHenry store now.
Will have to check out their Gurnee location.
Great food, SUPER PEOPLE, and never disappointed.

This is my second time here, same fast friendly service as my other visit. The food is amazing! I had the two taco dinner with beans and rice, husband ordered the chiles rellenos at the suggestion of our waitress, he loved it! We will be back for sure!