Hay Caramba Restaurant

Food is decent, atmosphere is decent. I’m kind of picky when it comes to Mexican restaurants, and to me it feels like this one isn’t very authentic. It’s very close to my house so I decided to give it a whirl. Food was bland, hot sauce seemed generic, and their beans looked like [WARNING] soft chocolate ice ream coming out of your backside D;
I wouldn’t recommend this to the foodies. There too many other places to try around the area for you to waste your time on mediocre food.
Staff was really nice though, however, someone on a table kiddie corner from us was doing some kind of accounting/​work. Looked like a manager? Thought that was weird.
I do believe in second chances but I’ll give it a year or two before I go back.

Called to ask how long a wait was for a table as we were parking. 10 min. Walked in the front door and magically it turned into a 30 min wait. Unethical liars.

I live in Park Ridge and have been going to this restaurant for a long time, although not very frequently anymore. The food is 4 stars, the service has always been a 2, unless the mother (owner) helps you and then service is a 5! If the dad (owner) helps you, then service is a 1. It has always been like this. I go back thinking it might have changed, but it never does. The food quality has remained consistent but the prices have skyrocketed. On my most recent visit this past week, it finally dawned on me that it’s really about time they gave up the silverware wrapped in a paper napkin with the sticky paper wrap. With most meals running $ 15 or more, cloth napkins seem more appropriate at this point. Not a make or break it thing but I do think it’s time to make the change. All in all, I would prefer to take the short trek to Maria’s in Schiller Park for Mexican food. If I want something close to home, I will go here, but only because it’s convenient, not because I love it. I wish I felt different as I like to support local businesses in Park Ridge.

Great décor. Service is hit or miss. Our waitress was excellent but the gal who seated us had a bad attitude. Normally i love this place but was there last Friday and the food was just ok.
Not as yummy as it usually is. Going back to Maria’s

We live in the area and was in the mood for Mexican food so we decided to try this place. The actual restaurant is really nice — nicely decorated, open space, and there’s even an outside space. The chips they served with the salsa were ok — they didn’t particularly taste fresh. For dinner we the ordered the steak fajitas and chicken tacos. The food was ok but not good enough were I would necessarily come back. We found the steak to be better flavored than the chicken. The rice and beans were average too.

Did carry out from here, the food was bland gucamoli had no flavor, my chicken fajitas the chicken was dry and today my son and I both woke up sick to our stomachs

Love this place ! The atmosphere is so bright and inviting, it makes you want to stay all day. Food is good and service was perfect. Would definitely recommend !!

Just your average Mexican restaurant. Not too bad, but nothing special as well. I had the burrito grande, it was flavorful, I won’t complain. The chips and salsa were average, ive had better at On the Border.

Delicious! Great portions and prices. Quick service and fresh! One of my favorite places for lunch or dinner. The only thing is I wish they were open a bit later.

Very good food, very clean, nice atmosphere, good service. Very family friendly. The steaks are very good. Nothing bad to say at all about this restaurant. I will go here once a week if I can.

Excellent lunch Mexican food! We ordered chicken enchiladas, Hay Caramba (chicken taco, beef skirt and cheese enchilada) and grilled tilapia fillet. Everything was reasonably priced plus free fresh tortilla chips with salsa (with refills). Servers are very nice. Nice little bar. Sadly, too early for tequila for me.

Quacamole made right by ur table AMAZING!
Real good Food awesome awsome. Saul was our server. What a great guy with great customer service and always making sure we are ok!
Love this place always a good experience here

If you want very clean (not greasy) authentic mexican food forget taco burrito king or el amigo chino. This is the place to. Their food is freekin amazing. Me and my girlfriend love tgis restaurant and the inside looks kinda like something out of scarface.

When I lived in Edison Park from 1998 – 2009, I would visit 2 – 3 times a year and always enjoyed my meals and cocktails. I was shocked last night at how much the food quality and service had gone down hill. Our waiter only came to the table twice and was unfriendly at best. My boyfriend’s meal, camarones al mojo de ajo, was difficult to eat, lacked flavor, and ended up making him sick. We will not be visiting again and I will make sure to tell others not to visit at well.

This place is super cute with a fantastic atmosphere. Good location and lots of street parking. The food is not fantastic, but the reason I gave it four stars is because it’s VERY kid-​friendly. And when the staff is laughing and smiling as my one year old throws chips on the floor, I couldn’t care less that the guac isn’t gourmet.

Went to Hay Caramba for an after work celebration dinner. We had 7 people, so we made a reservation online, which was super easy. We were seated right away. I had a frozen strawberry margarita… Yum! It was only $ 8.25 so I’m not sure why others have said it was so expensive? I enjoyed my meal, the Hay Caramba combination platter ($ 12). We all shared the flan and deep fried ice team, both of which were delicious as well. Overall, it’s a great vibe, great location/​easy parking, very friendly staff and decent pricing.

We were there last year around this time for my wife’s birthday in August 2014. We had two custom margaritas each at the bar for around $ 100. That was with tip. We have never been back since.

Loved this place! Plenty of parking, yummy food and margaritas. Prompt service with beautiful décor. I had the ixtapa combination and we all shared margarita pitchers. I was here for a birthday, so the ambience was loud and vibrant on a Friday night. The portions are just the right size too, but I think the food was a little overpriced but the service made up for it. They were nice and the food came out pretty quickly, considering we had a party of about 10 people. They served chips and salsa while we ordered and waited for our food. My dish was fresh and a nice sample of different main dishes they have. Overall I was pretty happy and I’m glad I tried this place. I would definitely come back here again. Great for groups, dates, but not a romantic one — it’s a pretty loud area so just keep that in mind.

There’s something so pleasing about the exterior architecture and interior décor of this restaurant that I want so badly to like it. I went there once with my family many years ago (and we left disappointed), but I gave in to the architectural allure and tried it again with my wife a few months ago. Same result.
Unfortunately, if you’re looking for good Mexican food, you’re probably better off finding a hole-​in-​the-​wall in a strip mall somewhere. Hay Caramba is overpriced and just kind of bland. The guacamole that is famously «made at your table» is a portion that a mouse would scoff at.
I’m surprised at all the reviews of how excellent the food is. I’ve had better tacos when I’ve made them myself with ingredients from Jewel. Very disappointing.

I went here one night based on recommendations, and I knew that there must be a reason I’ve never been to this place living in Park Ridge all of my life. That reason is because it’s not that good.
The décor is cute. The host was very sweet and friendly. Our waiter was fantastic. He was super attentive and I had people continuously filling my glass of water throughout my dinner. Our appetizer came out super quick (Queso Fundido — which was just OK. It was super rubbery and not so queso-​like). Food came out minutes after we ordered. I ordered Steak and Chicken Fajitas and everything was good on my plate but the steak. Dry, lacked flavor and just bad overall. The guacamole is very good. My husband ordered the Carne Esada (Skirt Steak) and it was very good. Tender, juicy and tasty. That was probably the only good thing ordered.
I ordered coffee and it tasted dirty and gritty. Kind of like instant coffee. I’m sure that’s what it was.
My husband ordered flan and he said it was terrible.
I hate knocking this place because everyone was so kind, but the food just wasn’t good and I won’t be returning.