Lalo’s

It’s been years since I’ve been in this place – over 15 years. My standards must have been lower then they are now, because back «in the day» I loved this place. That love has flown the coop and I will never be back.
When we went for lunch we discovered that a lunch buffet was being offered. It was $ 2 more than the regular offerings on the lunch menu ($ 12/​buffet; $ 10/​lunch menu). The prices were considerably more than what was listed on their website and I really don’t like to spend more than $ 8 for lunch.
Service was non-​existent. When we needed refills we had to flag down the bus boy – the waitress was no where to be found. The food on the buffet was mediocre at best. A sign posted next to one dish said «Cheese Enchiladas». They weren’t cheese, they were chicken. When I asked about the cheese enchiladas I was told they didn’t have any and the only sign they had was chicken enchiladas. Even though we were there early – just after 11:30, the food was drying out.
I think my beloved’s final comment is most appropriate «Look around» he said, «We won’t be seeing this place again». Adiós, Lalo’s.

The house margaritas are awful. I took two sips and I was done. I food was okay but not worth the cost. The quality of food is not great.

I was surprised there was a wait at 7pm on a Sunday. The server was friendly and very attentive. The menu was very small, very limited selection. The food was good, a little bit pricier than I would expect. It was cool to see the band walking around playing at people’s tables, but was also inconvenient when you are trying to have a conversation.

Stopped by Lalo’s a couple weeks ago for lunch on a Saturday! We were lucky enough to be seated right away despite the restaurant being pretty busy. Overall, everything about my experience at Lalo’s was good… Except for the menu! I eat Mexican food quite often and this menu was so small and lacking your standard Mexican food options. It was kind of pricy, too (though the price of the meal does include chips and a complimentary soup). I ended up ordering the Steak Burrito Dinner with a Pacifico Michelada. Both were tasty, but again, the menu did not leave a lot of room for options! I would’ve loved a steak quesadilla or steak enchiladas with verde sauce instead, but these meals were either listed as vegetarian or with pulled chicken… And I didn’t even see verde sauce on the menu. Kind of weird. We also got guacamole as an appetizer, and it was, sadly, quite flavorless. –insert shocked face here-​. Their salsa was good, though. All I can really say is, «meh.»

Went here for a friend’s party. We had about 30 people which included 12 kids. They had a good area set aside with enough space for everyone. The service was good and waiters were helpful. The food was also very good and the portions were big. This place is good for larger groups.

Stopped in for National Margarita Day. No specials, no deals. Disappointed. Would probably not go back. Margarita was tasty but expensive. Did order another but had to ask twice as bartender forgot to bring it.

Use to come here a lot. Haven’t been in a few years. Was there on a Friday evening and was surprised how empty it was… until I was walking out the door.
Started with a Margarita on the rocks — size Large. It was so bad, I returned it. It taste like what I would imagine the plastic bottled margarita mixes already blended with tequila would taste. Got a red sangria instead, not the best I’ve had, but a LOT more tolerable then the margarita.
The taco platter was just very boring. Just a step up from on the border, and not by much.
If you’re looking for good, authentic Mexican worth the $ 15 a plate, this is definitely NOT the place!

Lalo’s is our go-​to place for Mexican food! Always good food, friendly service, at a reasonable price.

Food is pretty great here. Service is great too. There is sumthin funky about the «Mid-​sized» margarita. You might want to leave your keys at the door.
/​Jeff

Had a great server in Virgillio and I have to say this is one of the most underated and unappreciated restaurants around. The folks that manage this haven just get it. They do everything right and their professionalism makes it run like clockwork. Not to mention the outstanding food. They take pride in what they do and it shows. A must go to whenever you see the smiling sunshine.

The truth is, it was just okay for me on a personal note, but the rest of my family was extremely happy! What saved dinner was the fact that they have a vegetarian menu, after asking our waitress what my vegetarian hubby could order. The regular menu was slim pickens for him. 4-​stars for the menu discovery! You have to ask for it.
We decided to go for an Ikea run tonight, and everyone seemed to be craving Mexican food. We ended up here by default, because we realized the other smaller independent restaurants we were considering closed at 6pm. Lalo’s was a bit out of the way, but a nice place for a family meal.
The chips are homemade here, but they were underwhelming for me and the salsa wasn’t very exciting. I enjoyed the chicken soup starter to the meal. Served with a lime, it had a nice kick to it. The kids menu is great, and for ages 10 and under. My hearty eating nine year old boys filled up quickly. The menu is divided into two sections – hungry and extra hungry. They ate for $ 5.50 and each kid got a mini bowl of soup, steak tacos, rice or fries. They loved it! Hubby ordered guac. tacos, and I ended up with chicken and beef flautas with guac., rice and refried beans. In retrospect, I wish I would have ordered off the vegetarian menu. I felt a little wonky after eating… just too much food for me.
Would I come here again? Probably not. It’s just not super convenient, and I didn’t find the meal to be memorable after leaving.
Service was absolutely lovely. Our waitress was quick to handle all our needs.

Well… The experience was going alright until there was a toothpick found rolled & cooked into one of the mini burritos that my friend bit into. Luckily it didn’t break or he didn’t swallow it. What made matters worse is that we told the busboy & he was like «oh, ok???». We asked to speak to the management, not to complain, just to make them aware of the situation so it doesn’t happen again. He seemed shocked & repeated «umm, you want to see the manager?» We said yes please. He reluctantly went to find someone. A few minutes later, he came back out, NOT the manager & made some generic apology on her behalf, like there really was no concern. I know she wasn’t busy cuz the place wasn’t really busy. It really wasn’t a big deal but IMHO, she should’ve made a table visit, the very least.

My family and I have been coming to Lalo’s restaurants for years now!!! They always have GREAT food and great service is awesome! I really would recommend this place to anyone looking for great Mexican food, great margaritas, and great music!

We came here for lunch and were told about the lunch buffet. It was great value for the cost. There was a large selection, including taco’s, mini burritos, quesadillas, gauc, rice beans, dessert etc. Unlike many buffets where they are light on the protein, all the options were stuffed with meat and delicious. The service was friendly and fast and everything was filled and replaced regularity.
We will definitely be back and highly recommend it.

I’ve been here twice and wasn’t crazy about it. I usually order a burrito and taco salad and both items were over priced in terms of quality and quantity. Drinks are also not so great either.
It had a very good location right in Schaumburg and you can’t miss it since it’s right on Roselle Road.
Overall, not a big fan of this place.

Pretty neat little spot. I went a few weeks ago with a group from work and it was really nice! We ordered several appetizer samplers for the table and the guacamole. Everything was very authentic and fresh tasting, I really loved the guacamole and the flautas were awesome. The margaritas were ON POINT and had a lot of alcohol in them, and the flavor combinations were awesome! I had strawberry and a strawberry mango margarita, and both were great.
I really loved the atmosphere in this place, it reminded me of the Mexico Pavilion at EPCOT. Little bridges to walk over to get to your table, a mariachi band playing, and cobblestone floors. The bar had karaōke going and dancing. It seemed like this place was always a big party! I really enjoyed my visit, as did my co-​workers. I hope to come back for a full meal sometime in the future and I feel bad for driving past without a thought so many times!

This was my first visit to this Lalo’s. I have been to both the Berwyn and Chicago locations. In my opinion in comparison to those two, this one as far as the appearance of it is sub-​par.
Today is a gloomy type of day and unfortunately it felt that way inside. It was very dim and just wasn’t conducive to «bringing out the sunshine in me.» Luckily I had a great group of people with me to help that.
The food on the other hand was very good. I ordered the Enchiladas Suiza, my favorite and it was definitely a hit. My co-​workers order the lunch buffet and stated they enjoyed the variety and the food in itself.
Our waiter was pretty great. He was very attentive. He ensured that he did not hover but at the same time met all of our needs. My water glass never got empty despite him not hovering around so for that I give him kudos! I can tell he was keeping a watchful eye over his tables.
The area near the rest room seemed a bit cluttered, or it may just be that it was so dark in their that it appeared to be cluttered.
Im curious to know if it is any different in the evening, or a brighter day outside as a whole, so for that I will return.

Lalo’s is in a unique position of needing three different reviews, or at least one review that is an aggregate of three components: lunch buffet, dinner, and bar.
First, the lunch buffet. I was not a fan. Limited selection of room-​temperature food. Pass.
Second, dinner. Very good! I’ve had dinner here several times and the entrees have always been tasty. The apps are a little bland but that’s not really a big deal. You don’t leave a movie because the previews were boring, right?
Third, the bar. Totally different vibe from the dining room. There were a few different things going on in the bar while we were there. Part sports bar, part singles bar for older people, and mix in an occasional large group of women drinking margaritas and getting their swerve on with mariachi bands.
Overall, it’s good as long as you know when to go and when to skip it.

My boyfriend and I went in for dinner about 630 on a Friday night and this place was packed. We waited about 15 minutes for a table and had a drink in the bar.
We ordered the appetizer sampler which was really nothing special. The quesadilla had a slice of ham and you wouldn’t even know there was cheese on it. Tamales were dry as well as the flautas. The nachos were thrown on the plated and all the cheese got on about three chips. Not much cheese either. The service was slow. I understand that they were busy but I did feel a bit neglected by my server.
I ordered the carne Asada. Huge portio of streak! The steak was good. Rice and beans were good. However, my boyfriend had the burrito and he said we could have gotten one from the Mexican place down the street. It was nothing special.
I give three stars for my portion of streak and the prices were good. Paid 60 bucks including tip for everything and the dinners included a soup and I had a drink.
They have a mariachi band that sings to people for dinner or birthdays. It’s s nice touch but it was extremely distracting. I think this place would be great for a birthday celebration but not a date night.

I’m surprise by the low rating here! I initially called early in the week to make resevrations for a Friday night, but was told they would only take reservations for a party of 6 or more, understandable. Our party of 4 got there around 7:40pm on a Friday night and it was busy, but no wait, awesome.
We were greeted with some chips and salsa and our server to take our drink order. ½ price draft specials and $ 6.50 red or white sangria, hmmMmmm sangria. I went with the red sangria and it was delicious and fruity, so I had 2 glasses.
We ordered their Botana Combinada: combination appetizers of nachos, quesadilla, tamales, flautas, and seafood empanada. I always like ordering any combo dish because you get to taste a little bit of everything. My favorite had to be the seafood empanada although i wish it came with more then one. The flautas and tamales were a bit dry, but nothing a little bit of sour cream and guac can’t fix. The quesadilla had ham in it and it was delicious.
I ordered the carne asada a la tampiquena, medium rare and it was perfect. The skirt steak was cooked to perfection with the warm red in the middle, so tender and juicy, drools. I thought the rice and beans and were just okay, but the steak definitely made the meal. I was really satisfied. (It always made for a good steak and egg english muffin sandwich the next morning.) The rest of the party also enjoyed their meals and the live entertainment.
I can’t wait to go back for some juicy skirt steak and a ice cold red sangria.