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Angels & Mariachis
Category: Restaurants Mexican Mexican [Edit]
1721 W Division St(between Hermitage Ave & Paulina St)
Chicago, IL 60622
Neighborhood: Ukrainian Village
(773) 227-7772
- Nearest Transit:
-
Division (Blue Line)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 5 pm - 2 am
Fri, Sun 12 pm - 2 am
Sat 12 pm - 3 am
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Hipster, Trendy
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
247 reviews for Angels & Mariachis
Review Highlights
-
"...the wrestler masks, and a little dia de los muertos flair." In 6 reviews -
"The margaritas alone are worth coming back." In 83 reviews -
"The flavors on the short rib tacos were great with a nice..." In 79 reviews
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247 reviews in English
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Review from Cara T.
Chicago, IL
2/19/2012
It really makes me sad that this place doesn't have more stars, but I really enjoyed myself and it's just A-OK.
My husband and I discovered Angels and Mariachis after one of our neighborhood favorites closed early for a wedding rehearsal. I got on open table and looked up nearby availability. I found A&M, it was starred low, but I thought it was worth a try.
We started with the chorizo fundido and green bean salad. I thought the fundido was okay--I just think melted cheese on a tortilla is odd and there just isn't a lot of flavor there. The green bean salad was excellent. I love manchego cheese and crisp green (green bean, asparagus, etc.) This did not disappoint. I had the steak tacos and the special taco (it was a cactus taco). They were pretty good. The cactus was a little funky, but I'm glad I got to try it.
I also had a couple cocktails. One was a cucumber drink--it was a little yucky. It tasted very melon-y and vegetable-y all at the same time. And there was a lot of pulp--I wasn't a fan.
The atmosphere was a little dark, but it was calm and quiet when we were there (Saturday around 6). We were able to have a conversation, even though we couldn't see each other very well.
Overall, A&M isn't a bad restaurant. I would come back and have a salad and some tacos--try a few more cocktails. It's just not my favorite place. -
Review from Rebecca A.
San Francisco, CA
5/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
This is a bummer. A&M looks awesome and super fun, but the food is horrible. We had the soft tacos, chips and guacamole and I actually didn't finish anything because it was so bad. Something smelled spoiled too. Too bad, I wanted to be a fan.
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Review from Jacob J.
11/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Not sure how I feel about the place.
Stopped in recently on a Saturday night, it was everyone's first time in there. The room was mostly dead except for a few groups that all knew each other and looked at us awkwardly. A few typical, tall blondes in platform heels and skin tight attire were serving. One of the blondes was getting groped by a customer and his pal. I think she was cool with it since it went on sporadically through the night. Man.. like dude was checking to see if the bread was fluffy enough. I hope they tipped well.
Their music wasn't memorable and I couldn't tell you for certain if there was any. Sports played on the boob tubes. Not much eye candy or people watching. Though our bartender was uber effing cute, she wasn't trying hard or dressing the part, she just was. Hello brunette.
Our group shared a pitcher of decently poured pre-made margaritas on special for about $14 a pitcher. A sign outside read "Jameson $4". Although when it came to paying we were told it's $4 only when taken as a shot. (Suuuuuure)
If walking the strip of bars this way, it could be a spot to stop in the future if I was already lit and looking for tequila or a decently decorated Men's room. With that said, maybe a stop by on Cinco but other then that, it wouldn't be a place I'd actively keep in mind to check out again. -
Review from Joe D.
Chicago, IL
3/14/2012
Closed, mercifully.
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Review from Stephanie L.
Chicago, IL
11/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
Is it ok if you want to wash your mouth out with soap after you somewhere?!?!! No, I think not...
Went here with a group when we were starving...first sign, there was only one table in the restaurant.
They had $3 margaritas....sweet!!! WRONG...it was the most disgusting margarita I have ever had...I didn't drink it. It was sweet, no booze & horrendous! Blah!
Next up the food...eeehhhhhh! Chips & salsa were ok. Salsa was really garlicky. I had the ceviche, some of the lobster taco, traditional torta, & short rib taco. The ceviche was like salsa???? It was gross! A weird seafood mix when the waitress told me it was shrimp. I was totally disappointed. The lobster taco tasted like they took a seafood special from a cheap Chinese restaurant & threw it on a taco...yuck! Torta was so dry I had to take a sip oft beer (I just couldn't drink the margarita!) to get it down. The short rib taco was bland, dry, dog food like. The dining experience here was disgusting!
I would NEVER eat here again...I'm sure any restaurant on the block would be better than this place...do not go for food. Maybe it's a good bar scene but stay away from the margaritas!! I think they were premade in a slushy machine! I had the traditional on the rocks & I even tried the strawberry...both the same...both disgusting -
Review from Alex F.
Chicago, IL
11/21/2011
I went here for a birthday party last weekend. It's really not my favorite place. I like Mexican restaurants, and I like bars. I don't know what this place is shooting for.
I'll give them a star for the cool wall paper with murals of famous wild west characters. I'll give another star for the bar allowing my friends to have vegan foods catered.
The cocktails were lousy, as was the atmosphere and music. -
Review from Corinne M.
Chicago, IL
10/30/2011
Let me start out by saying, I work a block away and went here after work one day, by myself. They had just opened and I was the only one in the place, so the service was pretty awesome (I should hope so, being the only cusomter!).
The margarita was just meh. And the beans were bad. The rest of whatever I ordered, was pretty forgettable. -
Review from Ben R.
Skokie, IL
8/21/2011
We went out for a birthday party last night. We had reservations set for 8:45pm. By the time they sat us, it was already a quarter to 10:00pm. This was just the first of many problems to come. Someone ordered coffee and they served it ice cold (who does that?). It took them an additional hour to get us the rest of the food, which was lackluster at best. The waitress was a sweetheart, but it wasn't enough to compensate for the rest of the mishaps.
I heard good things, all of which cannot possibly be true. Their efforts to buy us off with a free round of drinks at the end was not enough to turn the night around. If there was an option to give less than the one star, I believe this restaurant would garner it.
Boo. -
Review from Chuck K.
6/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Wow! Went to this place on Saturday last weekend. Was dead, no one there! Service was great, sat outside and enjoyed this quite interesting neighborhood.
Here's the story!
Short Rib Tacos and Fondidos are the way to go! The Fondido was unbelievable, especially if you like cheese!!!! The flavors on the short rib tacos were great with a nice sauce.
Margaritas were decent, not necessarily $6 great, but good! Overall price of meal was conservative.
Check this place out. You'll be satisfied!!! -
Review from Jamie L.
Chicago, IL
2/14/2012
I can't believe the horrible reviews I'm reading, I love this place! It's been pretty dead the last few times I've been there, but I have never been disappointed in the food or the margaritas. I highly recommend this if you're looking for Mexican food with a little twist. I have brought a number of friends with me to this place, and no one has ever had anything but good things to say about it.
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Review from Dakota F.
Indianapolis, IN
7/20/2011 6 Check-ins Here
I've been wanting to check this place out and I'm glad I did!
The food here is nothing special. It's the standard American style "Authentic" Mexican. Sure, they've got Mexican dishes with real Mexican names, but the flavor isn't entirely authentic.
The steak tacos are really tasty and the chips and salsa are good (and flowin!). The sangria is pretty tasty too, one of the better one's I've had in the city.
The upsides:
Cool decor & location
Good service
The downsides:
Okay food
VERY LOUD patrons!!!!!!! (And it wasn't even packed)
***The place was so loud I was practically yelling to my friend sitting 2 feet away from me. -
Review from Larissa A.
Quincy, MA
6/26/2011
$5 Rum Punch and delicious TexMex... YES!!
We were TIRED it was our last night in Chicago and were STARVING. After aimlessly wandering for a bit we stumbled across Angels & Mariachis. The place was super cute and wasn't to crowded early on a Sunday night. The hostess and waitress were super enthusiastic and attentive.
The drinks and food were just as we were hoping. Delicious! We started with the stuffed pepper app and it was great. Then had chicken tacos, yes they were small but it was filling. Thankfully the salsa was still on the table because this was the perfect addition. The BF got another chicken entree and he really enjoyed his as well. -
Review from Nicole M.
Chicago, IL
1/14/2012
We use to come here quite often when it first opened (2008), but after a bit it went downhill in quality. Maybe about 2 years ago the restaurant seemed to get new mgmt (new menus, drink specials, etc) and the food was very good again.....they must have a hard time keeping a chef bc they food hasn't been consistent. Havent been back there in months bc the last time we were there the food tasted like it was something you'd buy in the freezer section of a low end grocery store. Only give it 2 stars instead of 1 because the staff is friendly.
Walked past there the other day and a sign says they are on vacation for the month of January. -
Review from Adam K.
10/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Whoa, why 2.5 stars? Its kind of a cool place, a lil douchey but solid! I like this place. Its right next door to me and has a lot for it. Granted I did not eat here, just drank till the girls I was with told me to stop acting like their dad. Which I did not do. It is a cool place to get drunk at because they have a big open window looking out onto division st. I guess I will try the food and re evaluate.
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Review from Emily B.
Chicago, IL
7/27/2011
I was hesitant to try this place because of the bad reviews, but I like to see what things are like for myself. My husband and I went here for dinner one Friday night. It was beautiful out so we sat outside. There was no wait, were seated right away. Our waitress was super cute and nice and kept our drinks filled ;)
I had the red sangria, very good, had 3 glasses and ordered steak tacos, yum! My husband tried a margarita which was also very good but I don't remember what he had to eat. However, we ate everything. They also give you free chips and salsa which you can never go wrong with.
I would definitely go here again, possibly just for the drinks. They have great specials every night. The only down side I can see about this place are the small portions, but when you are in Wicker Park, the drinks are what matter most! -
Review from Santiago A.
Chicago, IL
1/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
/cue Cielito Lindo music:
Ay, ay, ay, ay,
Canta y no llores,
Porque cantando se alegran,
Cielito lindo, los corazones.
Pájaro que abandona,
Cielito lindo, su primer nido,
Si lo encuentra ocupado,
Cielito lindo, bien merecido.
Why did I sing that (or type that, as the case may be)? Well, my mother taught me that if you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all. But... seeing that this is a review, I guess I'll say a quick little something.
This place has too many bad qualities to mention without the risk of hitting Yelp's character limit for reviews (if there is one). First off, the prices are way, way out of whack. It was $50 before tip for two people. We shared an app, she had a salad, I had a sandwich, and we each had a drink. Now, maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if A) the $10 drinks were stronger or tasted better B) the food wasn't mediocre or C) the DJ wasn't spinning music that gave this place a serious identity crisis. Unfortunately, this establishment failed on all three of these counts.
On the plus side, our waitress was really nice. Also, I do have to say that the guac and the chips and salsa were very tasty. However, this is Chicago. It's 10 years away from being annexed by Mexico. You can get good chips and salsa and guac anywhere and much better food. It also doesn't help that this place is on Division, and has to compete with several awesome alternatives.
They really need to step up their game. Maybe if they actually had mariachis singing Cielito Lindo and other great classics (instead of a bogus DJ) they would have something going for them. -
Review from Edwin W.
Cook, IL
5/11/2011
AWFUL!!! It is almost impossible for me to hate an establishment that serves alcohol. (stop judging!) But this place is horrid. I wish I was able to give it ZERO stars just to bring down their overall rating.
I have NEVER encountered more rude bartenders in my LIFE!!! I never thought it was even possible for people to be employed in the service industry to have that big of a chip on their shoulders. It's call service PEOPLE! Trust me, there is no way you can hate YOUR job more than I do. All you are doing is serving alcohol. I sit in a freaking cube staring at a screen that damages my eyes, while sitting on my ass gaining weight feeling sorry about my own miserable existence for 8 hours. HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY HATE YOUR JOB MORE THAN I DO?????
People come to bar to erase those 8 hours of misery they just spent counting minutes until they will be able to wrap their lips on that cold beer which will make them feel better about themselves for the next couple hours until that vicious cycle starts all over again. But no. This place manages to hire people to work behind a bar to have a pissing contest with all their patrons with who has it worst.
I have an idea. Don't work at a bar. I think you people are more qualified to work as a prison guard. -
Review from Kris R.
11/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
yuck. i came here with stephanie l, im not sure there's anything good to say about this place. i guess the $3 margs on thurs are worth it if you like really really sweet margs. the decor is pretty tacky.
all i can say was i ate it because i was drunk. 'nuff said. -
Review from Toula M.
Chicago, IL
9/11/2011
The star is for the decor.
As far as the food and margaritas go.... negative f'in 5 stars.
If you like your margaritas with more triple sec than tequila...then you will love their machine made, rose flavored vomit inducing, fauxgarita
The food? I got the steak tacos....4 of them....they were microtacos...with more fat than meat. mmmmm - BARF.
The best part of my experience was when I walked the F out of there. -
Review from Andrea G.
Oak Park, IL
7/13/2011
Went on a Friday night. There were three of us. Snagged a table by the open windows. Started with some fantastic swirrled margaritas (wound up going through a couple pitchers of them). Ordered a fundido, 2 different kinds of tacos and the mussels. The lobster tacos were awesome. The truffle fundido was good. The mussels were perfectly balanced on the chorizo spice and the broth was yummmmy.
Our waitress was friendly, non-intrusive and helpful. We never had empty glasses and our food came out paced well. We were drinking and eating for a couple hours. It was tons of fun. For just randomly choosing this place I would definitely come back and try it again! -
Review from Mandy C.
Chicago, IL
5/16/2011
ONLINE MENUS for the place are way, way, waaay out of date, so don't repeat our mistake by expecting a decent variety of yummy options. You will be disappointed.
SUMMARY: Nice waitress, average drinks, food sucked SO BAD that I'm writing my first review in like, a year. NOT for kids, NOT for picky eaters.
So I've lived in the neighborhood for a couple years now, always walked by this place because the sign (yes, the sign) gave off a corny vibe. Others have described it as feeling very VH1 "Tool Academy" or "Daisy of Love", Ed Hardy/Christian Audigier...the kind of thing that makes you want to ask, "Is this real?"
SERVICE: Our waitress, Natalie, was incredibly sweet. We really liked her. She was never intrusive and always available. The tables were not set, so unfortunately we did have to wait for silverware and napkins. We did have to ask for water refills, but they came promptly.
BOOZE: We went on a Sunday, half-price margaritas (so we had several $18 pitchers for $9 each). They have a number of flavors available on the rocks, but only 2-3 frozen (strawberry, lime, and a swirl of the two). On the rocks, they had pomegranate, peach, mango, raspberry, passionfruit, sour apple, and maybe another 1-2 more. AVOID mango, it is nasty. Passionfruit is weird, but I think that's more of a personal preference. The pomegranate and raspberry were best.
TASTE: Well, the food itself tasted okay, but nothing on the menu was exciting to even read about, and we were even less enthused once it arrived.
Our appetizer was mediocre - we went with the trio of guacamoles, consisting of your standard guac, extra-hot, and mango. The texture was way to thin and even seemed watery at times. Texture-wise, it was actually some of the worst I've had in all of Chicago. The flavor was alright, though.
My friend got shorted on his side dish, and they used the wrong kind of peppers when making his chile rellanos. (Uh, that doesn't work if you grew up in California eating Mexican food.) Oh, and they gave him one, instead of two. Lame.
Bread pudding was fine. Nothing particularly special, but good.
PORTIONS: Okay, let me put it this way - we all went hungry, despite the fact that we consumed the following: free chips/salsa, an appetizer, plenty of booze, and our main courses. We ended up ordering dessert, too, of which I ate most, since my meal was comically small.
The entire table laughed at the size of my salad, which would not even be considered a "side salad" by most standards, much less a starter or main. Like I can't even think of a point of reference for comparison because it was literally so small. It was also presented all spread out on a large plate, which defintiely did not help matters...it only exaggerated the already comedic disproportion. To add insult to injury, it was about $15 - I ordered it with chicken, which doubled the price of the dish, and provided literally the only food on the plate. So, $15 for a piece of grilled chicken.
Sooo...yeah, there's about a million other places we would choose to go to before this place. What sucks is that I REALLY did want to like it - I just want to drink, be fed, tip well, and be on my way. They have a great location and nice staff, but the MENU and FOOD just suck. -
Review from Jessica s.
Chicago, IL
11/29/2011
Came here with friends for drinks and desserts. I had the donuts, they were good but nothing special. I got a margarita that was subpar to say the least. I was not a fan. Service was off, with everyone getting things at different times. The place wasn't busy and we were pretty much the only ones there so I'm not sure what the problem was. I'm not sure I'd want to really come back here given all the other great places in the area.
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Review from Phil T.
4/10/2011
Wasnt impressed or dissapointed, but the decor and music were good. Intentions were for a small group fri night (lent) for some booze and some apps. Started off w/ margaritas on the rocks, they were decent w/ a good amount of tequila.
Chips and salsa were good....Roasted red and smooth tomatillo. The trick here is to dip in both! It actually makes a killer combo. I was really hoping the name was kinda how the salsa was going to be.
Started off w/ the scallops. The flavors were there, perfectly cooked, the plating was really good, I liked them but you seriously only get 2! Ok I obviously know the costs/pricing for food. I dont mind paying more for pure exctasy in my mouth, but these 2 scallops for $9 dollars arent worth it.
Truffle Fundido. Yes truffles are getting played out a lil but seriously w/ melted cheeeeeese! (as I wipe drool). Served w/ tortillas. Basically I felt like it was something I would call make your cheese quesadilla. lol
Lobster tacos.....Here is where I get confused on pricing comparing to the scallops. 4 mini tacos for $10 unless they are mixing the lobster w/ other seafood then just infusing lobster into that. Anyways they were definitely enjoyable and would go back just for them. Good seafood and veg options.
Really want to like tihs place more and prob will be in the near future to try other items as well. -
Review from Denise P.
Chicago, IL
12/21/2010
This is one of my sister's favorite bars in the city, because quite honestly she could live off of margaritas and chips and salsa. She thinks the margaritas are SOOOO strong, and being $3 on Wednesdays (her night off) she's all over that.
The margaritas were tasty, and made with Sauza so you're not going to feel like death is near afterwards, but strong? Not really. Apparently it's because I didn't order the swirl margarita, that's the strong stuff (I think she's dreamin'). Either way, it was tasty, and for $3, who cares?
The spicy guac with habanero is good. Don't know about habanero-level spicy, but it's good. Salsas were tasty, the chips were greasy, good drinkin' food.
Haven't ever eaten actual dinner here because I always come so late.
Crowd is, well, interesting. Everyone here kinda looks like a tool, to be honest. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too dressed up, both the staff and the clientele, to the point where I come in feeling underdressed. I didn't expect to be going to the club coming here, nor should I.
Last note - be careful on those stairs! Bathrooms are in the basement. -
Review from Andrea D.
Chicago, IL
12/17/2011
Margaritas are good. Food is bad. Tried the ceviche - it was shrimp this night and it was coated in some un-identifiable thick sauce. Yuck. Hubby and I shared two orders of tacos - pork and steak. Steak was interesting if not great - a little dry but covered in crispy thinly sliced fried potatoes. Pork was just dry and flavorless. Chips were really good - sala just OK.
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Review from Alexis P.
Chicago, IL
4/6/2011
Angels and Mariachis is like Mexican food as designed by Christian Audigier (of Ed Hardy fame). Most of the stuff on the menu is typical Mexican fare: chiles rellenos, chilaquiles, tortas, arroz y frijoles, churros, but what comes out of the kitchen is like what you would get if you google translated those words and then tried to come up with those dishes using ingredients from a French market.
The decor is pretty cool and mostly Mexican folk art inspired, juxtaposed with a soundtrack of Depeche Mode, Johnny Cash, the Clash and Dropkick Murphys with a little Fall Out Boy here and there.
Not everything here is awful, which is why I don't object when my friends insist on going here for the $5 burger deal on Mondays. The pomegranate mojitos and good company make it worth it. -
Review from Tory w.
Updated - 9/13/2011 2 Check-ins Here
An update....wow, a total 180 from my first visit here.
It was not too crowded, but we were seated in the back room, where everyone basically ignored us, especially our waitress.
They were slow to bring water, slow to take our order, only two out of five dishes came out and then the other three were a lot later, we were not given enough cutlery and napkins and considering that everyone was ignoring us we started eating with our fingers what was clearly not finger food.
We ordered the guac, which was ok, but were only given about 10 chips to go with it, for three people. We asked about 5 times for more chips and were told over and over that they were being made. When they finally came out (at the end of the meal), they tasted of burnt oil and were disgusting. The rest of our dishes were average.
The coup de grace is that the waitress automatically added a 20% tip onto our bill, when we were only a party of three - very presumptuous considering that her service was so crappy.
I see no need whatsoever to return.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/5/2011
I'm so surprised by all of the negative reviews because I thought this place was quite good. I went… Read more »
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Review from Angelina B.
Chicago, IL
8/2/2011
The drinks here are amazing. Best margaritas and sangria around! They also have this watermelon mojito that is to die for! Must try:)
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Review from Kristen S.
Cincinnati, OH
4/25/2011
As a former Wicker Park resident I am very familiar with this eccentric Mexican hangout. I used to love their taco salad w/cilantro lime dressing, Coronitas (mini Corona Light's) in a bucket ANY DAY OF THE WEEK, and Spanish speaking staff. THIS HAS ALL COMPLETELY CHANGED FOR THE WORSE!!!! When I came into town this past weekend I was extremely disappointed and actually wished I had spent my Saturday night dinner somewhere else! The menu has completely changed and the staff was rude, arrogant, and could care less about service. The staff spent more time fraternizing with their friends than worrying about the guests in the restaurant. Coronitas are now only available on Monday's and the menu leaves authentic Mexican cuisine to be desired.
The only thing I could find that wasn't different was the decor and the salsa, which i still love so that's why this review gets two stars instead of one. When I come back to Chicago and I am craving Mexican I will not be eating here. Las Fuentes in Lincoln Park off Halsted is way more amazing, especially if you dine outside, trust me.
I hope for the sake of Division St. this (once great) Mexican restaurant can get their act together. -
Review from Ariel B.
Chicago, IL
1/16/2011
The staff was very friendly. This is the best thing I can say about this place.
The meal, meh. Not good at all. First, they only had one brunch menu (for the whole place), something they found behind the bar.
Second, the coffee. OMG, the coffee. They had to brew some. Ok, they just opened, I'm fine with that. They brought cream in the little creamers. Well, I didn't read the creamer....Hazelnut. Barf. That's the only cream they had.
The food itself was bland and just not good. There's no other way to describe. The rice and beans were bland and cold, the egg enchiladas were bland and just tasteless.
Skip skip skip. -
Review from Kathleen G.
Chicago, IL
10/8/2010
Sat outside for what appears to have been the last warm Friday of the year. Waitress was pleasant however nothing here is speedy, but the drinks come sooner than anything else. Chips & Salsa took about 20 minutes to arrive, food about 45 minutes but I was expecting it so no big deal.
Tacos were solid, but not spectacular. If you want cheap, fast Tex-Mex go to Taco bell. I'm not sure why the food takes so long (maybe to get us to purchase a few more beverages?!) but know it does before you go -
Review from Ashley M.
San Francisco, CA
12/31/2010
Not a good place for a quick drunk bite. Do not be fooled by the "taco bar" sign as you stumble down Division. Your food will take at least 15 minutes to come out and will not be the cheap greasy mexican food you might craving at midnight. Here's why:
1. Nothing substantial on the menu under $8. (I was on the hunt for like $4 tacos. Not here.)
2a. The waitress described the fundidos as a sort of diy-quesadilla. I got the 4 cheese one. None of the 4 cheeses listed were bleu, yet when it arrived, the thing tasted like 90% of the cheese was bleu. This makes them get 1 less star because I dislike bleu cheese and the menu said there would be no bleu cheese.
2b. The fundido dishes will probably give you indigestion for 2 hours, as it did to us.
3. The chile rellenos plate claimed to have 2 chile rellenos, but neither item was actually a chile relleno; it was just 2 different peppers stuffed with cheese. Not even the right kind of cheese. And no sauce.
4. We got 0 water refills. We had to bust out our water bottles.
5. They forgot to give us silverware. We had to find their pile of to-go plastic forks. 2 minutes later they brought us actual silverware, after we had obviously started using the plastic ones.
The only redeeming quality was the guacamole, which was good, and the free refills of house chips. -
Review from Debbie P.
Chicago, IL
1/29/2011
I've been here twice -- once with my parents for a quick lunch and once with a group of friends for a night of mayhem. The former was the better experience by far, but neither experience was close to a homerun.
Food: It was good. Not great, not terrible. Just good. The margs seemed fine to me, but I'm not a frequent margarita-drinker.
Night scene: We hung out upstairs, which is one long and narrow hallway of sorts, with booths lined up against one side and the bar on the other. It was super dark up there, and the music was way too loud for the space (if there's no dance floor, turn it DOWN, people).
The bartender up there, while completely capable, was frustratingly taking his time with everything and the way I had to clamber to get his attention among the other bar-dwellers reminded me of the push-and-shove-your-way-in days of college. -
Review from Katie H.
Chicago, IL
7/14/2008
White people: STOP TALKING ABOUT AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FOOD. I don't care if your aunt was half meh-hee-can and occasionally made guacamole. You're still a honky (can I say that? as a honky? probably not but I just assumed white people slurs don't count because they're all so half-ass). You've made a "Run for the Border" your fair share of times. Admit it, that cheezy crunch wrap looks kind good, right?
Authentic it ain't. Tasty it is.
You probably don't give a rat-crap when I went here but maybe you would like to know that Sunday lunch, I rolled up and had my choice of tables - inside and outside. We were immediately presented with chips and an interesting sweet 'n spicy salsa. Expect to see lots of crackers (I'm on a roll here) drinking Coronitas out of buckets. If you've got the pills, maybe try a Michelada.
Shrimp tacos made me unbutton my jeans. Uggghhhh so good. Senor Man had carne asada tacos and I got to try one. Thumbs up on that there marinade, A&M. I will say that I was a little peeved that we received flour tortillas when we had both requested corn. Just when I thought I couldn't feel like anymore of a gringa...
So lunch really hit the spot and we're already plotting to bring our Uncle Julio-loving friends here some time.
Just to end this review on a stupid note - because I'm given to fits of illiteracy, I drove by this place and thought it was called "Angels and Matriarchs" kept suggesting we try it (how does that even make sense?). Eventually I wised up but Senor Man still insists on calling it that just so I feel good and silly. Fanks. -
Review from Sarah B.
Chicago, IL
5/31/2009
The lovely Mandi G. and I decided to have a little birthday shindig at A&M. (Thanks to Mandi for hooking everything up!) I had never been so I was looking forward to trying something new.
When we walked in we were greeted by the nicest hostess, she was so sweet and really set the tone for us to have a nice evening...and that is where the friendliness ended.
Our server seemed totally unenthused and really could not be bothered with us. When 9pm rolled around (we bought a drink package that started at 9) we had to pull teeth to get our wristbands and get the party going. Mandi had to track down the manager to regulate and still it was a pain in the ass. Later on, the GM came over to our party, gave Mandi and I some shots and apologized for our trouble. That was nice but really, it didnt make me feel much better about the atmosphere. I just didnt feel very welcomed, especially since it was our birthday party.
The food was okay, I didnt love it but I was starving so it did the job. I dont think I would go back to eat there, or for any reason for that matter.
I had a great time, overall, but only because I was surrounded by good friends. -
Review from Damian C.
4/9/2010
A group of 3 friends and I decided to give this place a whirl. Even though there are tons of Mexican/Tex-Mex places we could have gone to closer to our homes in Lincoln Park, we opted for a to-and-from cab to Wicker Park to try something new. We called in about 20 minutes in advance to check seating and make a reservation to make sure they could seat us, and whoever answered the phone told us the place wasn't crowded and just to come in.
Naturally, when we got there, every table was initially full minus 4 seats at the bar.
Hmmm...
Luckily, a table in the front corner opened up and my friend dove in like a hawk and reserved the seats.
We got some menus and took a look. The design was pretty sweet; their designer needs mad props. It was fairly simple - not a ton of choices, so it wasn't too overwhelming. The prices were pretty cheap, too. The waitress told us it was $3 beer night when we asked for the specials, but there was no drink menu attached or on the table. She recited the beers for us and we ordered a round. A few minutes later beer and chips/salsa ended up on our table. The chips were a bit stale and tasted like something out of a bag from the grocery store; the salsa wasn't too bad, but a little mild for my taste. We put in our orders - I ordered the cheese enchiladas and my friends ordered the burrito, torta, and a salad.
And then.... that was pretty much about it for the next half hour or so...
Which gave us plenty of time to catch up, chat about life, friends, city living, books, stickers, music, TV shows, career moves, who's married, who's pregnant, who should be pregnant, how many stars were in the sky, what was going on at Edge bar across the street, how my friend keeps attracing Jewish men, and anything else under the.. moon.
By the time our food came another round of drinks followed. My enchiladas looked more like an enchi-lasagna, but pretty tasty. Tons of cheese, but I should have ordered the green sauce since the red was a bit sweeter than I prefer. No major complaints from the gang regarding the food, but nothing really to write home about either.
Overall the quick Mexican dinner took about 2 hours, which ended up working out fine since we were all catching up. The service was pretty slow but I think I only noticed 2 waitstaff so that may have been why. Although the tables were all full, the place wasn't really "crowded". I liked the waitress, but the pace could have been picked up a little. The bill wasn't too bad, and we had a 20% off coupon to ease on the wallet.
Lastly, if you have to use the bathroom, beware! It's down a flight of treacherous stairs into the basement. Don't fall!Listed in: Less than or = to 2
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Review from Diana R.
5/31/2009
I've been here twice and I'm still not impressed. Both were for birthday parties.
The atmosphere is super cool. I love the decor of the mexican art along the walls. The booths that seat a ton of people. Its a nice set up.
The service is bad though. I caught two servers talking about me and a friend of mine in spanish right in front of me (thinking I didnt speak spanish) but guess what! I do! How rude! They were talking about how we didnt purchase the wristband.... so I'm going to pay full price for a drink, not a big deal! Just dont talk about it in front of the customer. Rude!
And lets not start on their food... whos REALLY in the kitchen?? Not memorable food at all!
The only reason this gets two stars is because they had a foosball table... so fun and their frozen lime margarita... those things were damn strong for a slushy.
I would not make my way back anytime soon unless I was handcuffed and blindfolded. At least Betty's down the street has chibbings a plenty! -
Review from Andre W.
6/2/2009
NIce waitstaff and cool foosball table going on here.
Walked inside and did not know they had an upstairs bar/party area. I asked the very nice hostess was there anyone upstairs. Doh! Thats exactly where they were.
I got a vodka lemonade and it tasted liquorless. I got the margarita frozen and on the rocks. Woooooo! That was good and they caused me to have a slight hangover the following morning. I did not have any food here, but maybe in the future I will. The margaritas alone are worth coming back!Listed in: Who's Hood? Dre's Former Hood!, My Division
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Review from Kevin N.
5/22/2008
Stopped in for a round or two recently at this place in Wicker Park, and liked what I saw. Being from out of town, and not necessarily burdened with the idea of local gentrification (or yuppification) issues, I was nonetheless curious as to how this place might stack up against the fare in my neck of the woods. And the verdict? I liked it.
Now who knows, maybe that says more about me than this place, but seeing as I live in a part of the country where you can't swing a tortilla without hitting a TexMex joint, there were some things about this place that I thought were loads of fun. First of all, if I was ten feet tall I definitely would have absconded one of those Mexican wrestler masks that were perched above the bar. The Mexican beer selection here is terrific: much of the stuff I seek out back in Texas, and the bartender was never too far away, despite the growing throng.
I haven't eaten here yet, and the chips and salsa weren't as much to my liking (who knows, maybe that's regional), but for atmosphere and libations alone, I had a perfectly jovial time. Worth a stop.Listed in: Exploring Chicago, Drinking in Chicago
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Review from Carl A.
Chicago, IL
5/30/2008
I like the eclectic Mexican-Rockstar-esque bar feel.
The music is great for this kind of place: flamenco, spanish rock, country... it's fun.
They will eventually catch their stride with food and service.. they just need to figure it out.
Being a food-guy.. for the price, I would expect a little more from the food being close to what I would consider expenisve for mexican/bar food.
Overall fun place.. FUN. that's what you are going here for ...not neccessarily the food.. cause you can get great mex/bar food anywhere. 3 stars for a great experience, minus the menu.
