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Clinton (Pink, Green)
Don't Just Wish Someone A Good Holiday, Give Them One With Chili's.
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Went to De Cero for a late lunch on Nov. 17th. I see how this restaurant would cater well to a "lite dinner & have a few drinks crowd", however if you're in the mood to have a meal for two at a reasonable price and leave with your appetite satisfied, this is not the place for you.
If you can get over the price shock of the $4.25 tacos, whose portion sizes, by the way, are not made up for in size, here's my take on the palatable. Cudos on the guacamole, my favorite indulgence yesterday afternoon and 3 of 5 stars on the green pozole, good but not quite authentic. The tacos al pastor, though not authentic and rather sweet in nature, were good. The skirt steak tacos however were delicious.
I say, a place to try, but not one to frequent. Will I go back? Probably, but no guarantee.
Too expensive and the food is nothing to write home about.
I'm very picky about my Mexican food and De Cero's food leaves much to be desired. There are much better Mexican restaurants in the city, for example Zocalo.
De Cero's food is bland, overpriced, and very small portions.
Luckily work picked up the tab. Never going back, spend your money elsewhere.
Tacos should never cost $4. I do not care what is in them.
By nature of them being named "tacos," their price ceiling hovers somewhere around the $1-$2 mark .
So, the options De Cero...
1. Stop overcharging for little tacos.
2. Change the name to "overpriced tortilla food snuggies."
That is all.
Expensive Mexican fare? Interesting concept, but I can get on board...it's the only spot for Mexi in… Read more »
Good drinks, average food. I've been here a few times and have tried nearly all of the tacos. Some are very tasty-- steak, ahi tuna, duck. But, one of the pork ones was nearly inedible.
Piece of advice: Tell your server if you don't like spicy food-- some of the tacos are blow your mouth of hot! But, if you tell them, they'll leave the killer salsas on the side.
Due to the fact that I could eat Mexican for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the rest of my life...i have been targeting this west loop, upscale mex locale for some time. Grabbed an early lunch with some business colleagues...and it couldnt have been better. Great guac...diverse and tasty taco selections (I had a chipotle chicken, ahi tuna, skirt steak and tomatillo pork...all of which were stellar)...brilliant margaritas. Service was splendid...but the one downer was the price. My top shelf margarita was $18! The tacos were $4-5 each. Add in rice and beans...and we paid $23 each for a plate of tacos at lunch. It was $180 with tip for 3 people with tip...too much in my book. I cant imagine the prices go DOWN at dinner...;) This isnt Frontera (which is actually cheaper) or Topolobampo, either...what gives, De Cero? Overall ...fabulous...but keep a close eye on your wallet.
Overrated and overpriced.
I've had a couple people tell me how great this place is. I no longer trust those people's opinions.
Maybe if I knew exactly which of their dozen or so tacos were good and which were blah, I would have been okay. Instead, I decided to try most of them because they all sounded so delicious or interesting. Most were interesting, but very few delicious. And the prices are slightly ridiculous.
Bah.
I visit here about once a year to satisfy my annual craving for unique tacos. That said, here is the low-down:
Pros: staff is great about honoring reservations, unique and flavorful tacos (favorites include catfish, battered shrimp, avocado, and braised duck), TASTY margaritas (love the pineapple margarita), delicious duck nachos
Cons: PRICE. Seriously, an average of $4 for a taco? These are small tacos (the size of a toddler's palm) on top of that. They do have a bogus "deal" of 8 tacos for $30.50.....hardly a "deal" even to share, as my fiance can eat 6-7 of those easily.
In summary, unique and tasty tacos at an astronomical price. Will continue to visit scarcely.
Meh is right. Not that expected more, but, if promoted as an upscale, urban-meets-rustic Mexican taqueria, at least get the taqueria part right. Right? Granted, this is not a taqueria in Pilsen, so my expectations were a little less than average.
What I liked: Many different taco options (15 to be exact). Tamales. Guacamole. Chips and salsa. Pretty good variety of the basics. And, a good variety of other entrees, none of which I tried. Great ambiance. Nice layout. Good location. Servers and host were extremely pleasant.
What I didn't like: Soggy, store bought tortillas -- both of the tacos I tried used a single, flimsy corn tortilla. Authentic? I'm inclined to say no. They complete ruined a perfectly good skirt steak taco by slathering some mayo-like sauce that tasted of plastic all over the inside of that taco. The al pastor was tasty, IF I WAS ABLE TO TASTE IT -- there are no salt/pepper shakers on the table for a reason...because apparently there is no salt or pepper used in the dishes.
The plate of duck nachos had exactly 5 chips on it, buried under a mound of porky-tasting (I thought it was duck....oh yeah, the rendered duck fat oozing out of the pile reminded me it was) shredded duck and some white cheese looking melted substance -- not so bad, HAD IT BEEN SEASONED. Throw a little salt on that bad boy.
Service was doggedly slow -- the table next to us, who was seated AFTER we ordered received their food first, AND left before we were done eating.
The side of re-fried beans I ordered, touted as "bacon mashed pinto beans" tasted IDENTICAL to La Preferida's version, and the low-fat version at that! You don't have to be a CSI investigator to tell the beans were from a can. And, "bacon mashed"? Puh-leese. I didn't taste a hint of the porky, fatty goodness of bacon in those beans. Bacon. What bacon?
But, to add insult to injury, tacos average $4 each -- OVER-PRICED. And it only gets worse -- a two-tablespoon serving of salsa (in this case, pico de gallo) is $1! Holy guacamole!
Our server was nice enough to give us three macaroons gratis due to the slow service. But, if I'm paying about $9 for two flimsy taco-wannabes, I expected a little more, like, TAKE THE $3 OFF OUR BILL FOR THE 6 TABLESPOONS OF SALSA YOU GAVE US.
I really wanted to like De Cero. Really. I did. But, think twice before you spend the last of your dimes (after you pay your 2009 property taxes) on De Cero. Authentic Mexican taqueria? Go to Pilsen. Rapido.
Maybe De Cero was talked up too much? I heard it was amazing and it didn't really live up to all it's hype for me. It is definitely a hip mexican restaurant that you can get dolled up to go out to (which kind of seems like an oxymoron), among all the cool West Loop restaurant/bar action.
I went here on a Saturday night with a group of 8 girlfriends, and they luckily took reservations. We had a table that was oddly placed, but the space was not super conducive to a group setting (narrow building) which made chatting pretty difficult to anyone besides the person you were seated next to.
We had a couple not-so-great experiences with our server. She seemed to be a little fake-nice...and it was obvious to each of us. When we ordered a side of salsa ($1.25) she instead brought out the appetizer of three different salsas ($6.75). At the end of the meal we annoyingly split the check, I hate doing this but we made it as easy as possible with writing down exactly how much to put on each card/cash...yet she still messed it up and we almost tipped her 40% before one of my more sober friends caught the mistake. Also, the busboy was the one that came and gave us our food in four separate shifts (doing it in roll-call style shouting out each entree and we had to claim them) which made some people sit there for 5 minutes with their food in front of them unable to touch it until all 8 of us had been served.
A few thoughts:
* The guacamole was SO yummy, very fresh and good serving size
* The tortilla chips were perfection. Clearly they are made onsite because they come out greasy (in a very good way) and taste delicious.
* The duck taco was awesome, please order it.
* Margaritas are pricey, too pricey in my opinion. They are delicious and a bit strong, but they are quite small for their $9 price tag.
* I was told the avocado tacos are a must, however they just tasted like cut up avocado with sour cream on a tortilla...as in nothing to write home about. My friends claimed that they had changed them or they were off, because they definitely used to be better.
So there is a plethora of reviews here about this place and I have experienced for myself most of what other Yelpers have written here so rather than repeat what others have said, here is the short list of pros and cons.
Pros:
Not crowded, we were there on a Saturday night at 7:30PM (I guess this could be a bad thing too)
Decent enchiladas
Cons:
Tacos are hit or miss (We ordered several) and the tortillas were no bueno
I know it's a Mexican restaurant but out of Chardonnay (on a Sat night)??
Service could be better
Not a very expensive restaurant but pricey for what you are getting
I think the beans are canned.
Oh and whoever wrote about the tables being awkward was spot on. Who puts table legs at the very corners of the table? I must have banged my knees about a dozen times.
Meh. It wasn't anything too special, but it wasn't awful either. I guess I was just underwhelmed.
The guac was pretty average, but since I was starving it didn't really matter. The chips weren't super fresh, so I used a lot of guac to cover up that fact. We then ordered the taco platter & I chose 4 to try. I was super excited about them, but again was just underwhelmed.
Beef tenderloin tips: Ok, but the texture really weirded me out. I thought when it said it came with mushrooms it meant on top not minced & in the meat.
Tomatillo Pork: Very tasty, but SO salty.
Chicken Mole: Ok, but wouldn't go out of my way to get it again.
Veggie Black Bean: The sour cream was tasty, but that's about it.
I guess I wasn't a fan of De Cero & probably wouldn't go back even if I was in the neighborhood. Ouch.
This is a more up-scale taqueria. I came here in the summer with some friends and we dined outside. We were able to get a variety of tacos and share. Nothing really stuck out in my mind as innovative for a nicer Mexican restaurant in the city,
I was craving fish tacos and decided to go to De Cero since the taquerias near me don't really have fish tacos.
We ordered the 8 taco deal and the salmon and catfish tacos were very delicious! They added different types of sauce as opposed to tomato salsa, but I definitely enjoyed the flavor and combination of the tacos with the vegetables.
I was pretty disappointed by the service though. We went to during brunch this past Sunday and only about half of the tables were filled in the brunch dining area. It took over 25 minutes to get our food and it seemed like they were just trying to close up since they close at 2:30 and re-open for dinner.
Anyway, the food and coffee are good, but the service was rather mediocre and the guy server helping us was kind of depressing.
Upscale Mexican? Seriously, how is Mexican food "upscale?" FUNNY!
Nevertheless, the wifey is half Mexican, and she loves Mexican cuisine. So, after hearing mixed reviews, we decided to hit up the trendy West Loop for dinner and drinks. We arrived early, so we decided to sit at the bar for pre-dinner margaritas and chips. As discussed in previous reviews, we asked for chips & salsa, but received 3 different varieties at $8. Hmmm, $8 for chips & salsa? I didn't get the memo that the recession was over...
Once seated, we took a looksie at the menu and ordered pork tamales & the (8) taco platter. Here's our take on the food:
Salmon: Decent
Skirt Steak: AWESOME
Ahi Tuna: Overcooked---NASTY
Mole Chicken: VERY TASTY
But, $32 for 8 tacos? Pricey. YES!
Tamales: Average, at best!
Margaritas: Yes, they were quite tasty. But, once again, what the hell is up with the prices? $11-$13 for a margarita, that is standard size, with an average amount of tequila----GEEZ!
All in all, the service was very good, especially considering the place was packed on a Saturday evening. It's a trendy taco bar with a decent (not extensive) selection of tequilas, good food---BUT, nothing out of the ordinary!
There are many Mexican joints with food that is just as good (if not better) for a fraction of De Cero's insane prices.
NOTHING SPECIAL---Don't believe the hype!
Way too overpriced for tacos. I'll give them that the portions are decent, but I just have a hard time paying that much for a tortilla and some meat. That being said, the al pastor was the best followed by the tomatillo pork, and lastly the tenderloin beef. I liked the pineapple combo with the pastor and the tomatilo pork had some nice flavors as well. The beef tasted mostly like pot roast, which is fine, but not something I'd get again. The guac was one of the better I've ever had and the salsas were pretty tasty as well.
De Cero more like De Zero. I want to hate the place for my terrible meal but I swear they have potential.
De Cero basically means "from scratch" and based on the décor and the food concept, I think they nailed it. I have a feeling that I hosed myself by not really looking at the menu or even their sign above the door as you walk in. Under their name it says "A modern day taqueria" which means I should have gotten their tacos!! But instead I ordered the chicken enchiladas with Verde sauce. Their Verde is awful, the absolute worst I've ever had and it ruined my whole meal. My co-workers had the tacos and the grilled chicken mole which they all raved about. I will admit I was drooling over their tacos which De Cero is known for apparently (a nice write up in a 2005 Chicago magazine). Unfortunately, I really didn't get to peruse the menu because we were rushed for the Blackhawks game, but looking at it on-line now, I wish I got to try the tamales and a whole bunch of other items. Our waitress was fantastic, getting us in and out without any problems. The margaritas were nice but the Mojito was way too sweet (even for me). De Cero is not cheap but it also won't break the bank plus you should be able to find parking in the area. I would check out their Sunday Brunch, I hear great things.
You might have hurt me De Cero but I will give you one more chance!
I gave this place two chances....one because I love Mexican food and then I had a groupon and so I tried it again....De Cero is one of the worst restaurants I have been to in a long time. The hostess is inefficient at best, the two times I have been there there were open tables and I still waited to be greeted and seated. The cerviche was thawed frozen shrimp...that's it, I don't even think they salted it. The tacos were tasty but dry and the service was awful at the table and the bar.
They do have a decent margarita if you can catch your waiter.
First of all, I'm of the opinion that "gourmet" and "mexican food" are pretty much an oxymoron. Mexican food is eaten from a stand, a seedy establishment of some kind, late at night, cooked by someone's Mexican grandma, you get the idea. It's like saying "gourmet" Hawaiian food, or "gourmet" Indian street food-- no dude, give me the authentic, non-bourgeois version (preferably cooked by someone's grandma). Pleaseandthankyou.
But, this place is actually kind of yummy. I've tried several tacos in the past, and came in just for appetizers last night. The three salsa + duck nachos were enough to fill me and my girlfriend up to the point where we had to take our tacos home (hah!).
And it was delicious, with a nod to grandma but a little more inspired. Home made chips, pickled jalapenos and vegetables, possibly the best tomatillo salsa I've ever had, and lots and lots of duck with gooey cheese and creme fresca. I guess its OK for grandma to take a night off every now and then.
We went here on a Friday night without a reservation and were told that we would have to wait 45 minutes - 1 hour. We went to the bar and ordered drinks while we were waiting, but within five minutes the host found us and told us that they had a table ready for us.
Unfortunately, that table was right near the door (door 3/3) and despite the space heater and three doors in between us and the outside, our table was so cold we had to wear our coats.
I had the passion fruit margarita and my boyfriend had the regular margarita. I liked my drink a lot. His was just a regular margarita.
We ordered guacamole and chips - the chips were really good and the guacamole was just average. I ordered three tamales - two corn and one goat cheese. The goat cheese tamale was really, really spicy. The corn tamales were really tasty. My boyfriend got three tacos - the spicy chicken, skirt steak, and tres queso. He thought the skirt steak was disappointing. The other two were above average.
The atmosphere was a little noisy and dark for my tastes, which made it difficult to talk.
We decided not to stay for dessert because we were tired and very cold. If I could, I would give this restaurant 3.5 stars because the food was better than average and the drinks were good. But in the battle between three and four stars, this restaurant falls on the three side.
man it was good! Order the XXX Habanaro hot salsa, so freaking good.
There's the positive three stars and the negative three stars. This is a positive but not (yet) enthusiastic response to my first visit here. I tried three tacos and two margaritas (house & passion fruit).
The tacos were good, but not memorable. The al pastor was actually a bit of a let=down, and since I measure Mexican places by the quality of their Al Pastor this is a big negative point.
The beef taco (I forget the specifics) was nice, but the meat had a very strange texture.
The Ahi Tuna taco was great: limey, spicy and complex in flavor.
The margaritas were good although (and blame only me for this) I regretted ordering the passion fruit one right away, because I knew it'd be sweeter than I usually like my cocktails.
I will go back, but only b/c it's in my neighborhood, and I feel like once I've latched on what I like, this place can be make for a very nice experience.
I come to de cero once every two months. It's one of my favorite places to get together with friends and play catch up over easy and delicious Mexican food. Unless I go with a large group of friends (4 or more) I don't bother making reservations. I've had dinner at the bar in the back of the restaurant - they always have some weird black and white film playing on the televisions and the bartender is really nice and attentive.
The first thing to do is order one of the margaritas - well worth the $9.25. My absolutely favorite is the hibiscus. I also love the guava and the passion fruit. If you don't want to spend that much on drinks, go for the paloma which is only $7.50. The beers are pricey for what they are: $6 - 6.50 for Dos Equis, Modelo, Pacifico and Corona. The last time I went my friend asked the waiter if they were charging him the fuel costs to cross the beers over the border - he laughed and after the 4th modelo gave him the 5th one free. I thought that was really sweet.
First, I'm going to echo the raves about the duck nachos. AMAZING. I highly recommend them - beware, they load the platter with rich duck meat and queso. This is definitely an appetizer that could pass as an entree or shared with two or three other friends. I've had the mushroom quesadilla but it's not a favorite. The main attraction of course are the tacos! The 8 taco platter for $30 is perfect for share. Without the duck nachos I can usually pack in 4 tacos, but after all those margaritas and nachos, I can only do 2 or 3 max. They really fill the tacos full with meat. My favorites are the braised duck (with sweet corn), steak tip, battered shrimp and chipotle chicken. Once when I was waiting for a friend at the bar, the bartender let me in on a secret - they usually have a special taco like lamb.
For dessert, the flan and cinnamon coffee are a must. The cinnamon coffee helps to settle the stomach after all the rich meats. Always a good time and satisfying meal.
Oh De Cero, I wanted to love you. I've been wanting to dine on your patio for months and finally had the opportunity on a beautiful evening a couple of weeks ago.
I called the morning of to see if they took reservations for the patio area--they don't, but I was assured that we wouldn't need one because they "don't get very busy on Tuesday nights." Okay, sounds good.
Upon our arrival, we were told that the wait for a patio table would be 45 minutes. It looked like a couple of tables were near finished, so I thought we would likely be seated more quickly.
My friend and I took a seat at the bar and ordered margaritas. I asked for a mango on the rocks and she asked for a papaya on the rocks. We were informed by the bartender that those can only be served blended. Really? We asked him to give it a shot anyway and the margaritas were fair enough. Not particularly flavorful, but the bartender was heavy handed with the tequila so naturally, I was satisfied. I thought about ordering a Pacifico as drink #2, but a Pacifico was $6. Marg = way more bang for my drunken buck.
An hour later we were seated at a table outside. Unfortunately, the table was on an uneven part of the sidewalk so my friend's chair was nearly three inches off the ground on one side. But after our strong margaritas we were amused and didn't mind rearranging.
We ordered the chips & guacamole to start. The guac was awesome, though the serving was arguably the smallest portion I've ever seen. We then moved on to the platter of eight tacos. I selected the battered shrimp (amazing), chicken mole (mediocre), beef tenderloin (tasted like one of my Mom's dry pot roasts) and skirt steak (bland and tough). We also ordered a side of black beans & rice (average), as well as the Mexican slaw (interesting).
Our server was slow and not entirely aware of her surroundings, which made us realize that our wait for our table was probably her fault--we waited for a long time for her to take our drink, appetizer and entree orders, as well as for the check. Learn how to turn tables, girl!
I wouldn't go out of my way to go back to De Cero, but if in the area I'd sit at the bar and enjoy a margarita and a couple of shrimp tacos.
I was walking home from work (River North) to Greektown and all of sudden I NEEDED Mexican food. Now I know that there are a ton of tasty Mexican food places in Chicago, but I wanted to find one that was on my way home. So I went to the Yelp i-phone app, typed in Mexican and up came De Cero....so off we went.
The restaurant itself is a decent size and was very busy (expected on a Thursday night). We did not have reservations and were seated right away, at a great table may I add. Our waitress was super sweet and came up to us right away. We decided to try the duck nachos and the taco combo platter. We also had 2 margaritas (one each ).
First, the margaritas.....SO STRONG, could it be possible they were too strong....? But this is better than the usual "the drinks are weak" complaint....
On to the duck nachos....YUMMMERS. I do wish they gave you a few more chips, because they load the toppings on these bad boys. I did have to use a knife and fork to cut the nachos up so I could eat them. But def a good appetizer.
For the taco combo platter we ordered the following:
Vegetarian Black Beans
Avocado
Skirt steak (2)
Chorizo
Braised duck
Sauteed Salmon
Al Pastor
They also bring out 3 different types of salsa.
My FAVE was the chorizo. Each taco comes with some sides....cilantro, onions, garlic, crema, lime....i enjoyed all of them. This combo platter is the way to go if you want to try a bunch of different items.
For being the only Mexican joint in the area, I would def go back.
I've been here twice.. once with a group of 5 friends and just last night with my BF. Service was pretty good. But what I'd really come here for are the tasty margaritas- they have many flavors (hibiscus and mango are my faves so far) and they are pretty strong. Also they have lots of different taco fillings.. its fun to get the platter of 8 tacos- all different kinds and taste them all. Also, the guacamole is HIGHLY recommended.. very fresh and just GOOD tasting! They have a patio in the summer which is nice (you can smell the chocolate from the nearby chocolate factory) and in side is 2 rooms.. one is louder , the one by the bar is quieter.
Very good place.. I'd probably eat here more if it was a little cheaper.
My thoughtful husband picked this restaurant because I LOVE mexican food. He heard of it from a friend and decided to try it out. Just by judging by the trendy decor and high prices - I was thinking, the food would probably be good. Boy was I wrong.. here's what we ordered.
- Duck Nachos - we got 5 chips that was covered with cheese, duck, sour cream and guac. It was actually pretty good, but the duck was a bit dry and why would you only get 5 chips?? Most of the time I was just eating the stuff on top with nothing.
- I ordered the cheese enchiladas - YUCK.. it was edible, but not very good at all. It really wasn't covered in sauce like what I'm usually used to plus the sauce wasn't that good
- My husband and sister order the 8 taco platter -
Tuna - YUCK
Strip steak - Great
Catfish - Good
Pork - OK
Chirizo - OK
- Also, since we were celebrating my brithday - got a pitcher of magarita :) It was OK, but I wish I tasted a bit more tequila.
Eh. It was OK.
The drinks were too sweet and not boozy enough. The tacos were OK, but sparse on the filling. The taco that was advertised as having habanero in it was not even remotely spicy. The tamales were only OK.
Our server was really nice, but spaced on people's drink orders several times. All in all, the entire experience was only OK. I wouldn't make a trip back.
Good effort De Cero, poor follow through. This rating is closer to a 2.5 star review rather than a solid 3. It would totally have been a 2 star review if I would have paid for dinner since I think some items are overpriced.
Likes: tasty guac, good hot salsa with the chips. Duck nachos are unique (if you don't like duck, don't order 'em, people) and I enjoyed them. I had a corn tamale, and while it wasn't outstanding, the sweetness of the corn paired with the tang of the sour cream made for happiness in my mouth.
Dislikes: for a $4 taco, I expect more flavor. I had 1 al pastor and 1 chicken mole. Yes, the meat was good quality, and bountiful, but I was not impressed. What can I say I'm still a sucker for Taco Burrito Palace.
Will I go back? Probably. I like the feel of the place even though it is a bit noisy, and there was a lot more on the menu that I'd like to try.
Sunday brunch here was a nice twist from the usual french toast and pancakes. The chipotle chilaquiles with chicken were excellent, with shredded chicken, just the right amount of cheese and spice, and an omelet on top to cool things down anytime the spice started getting too strong. My wife had the black bean cakes, which were okay, though not nearly as good as the chilaquiles. The guava margarita was very good. My wife's mimosa had more pulp than usual and was more like a bellini.
I recommend the jalapeno cornbread, which was delicious and served with honey for dipping. At $3, the cornbread is a steal. Overall, the meal was very good for me, though not as good for my wife who must have had a jalapeno seed in her cornbread.
This was the first restaurant I ate in on my very first trip to Chicago last weekend and it was a fabulous experience!
We walked in a little on the later side on a Friday night and were seated right away. The space was pretty cool, really open, but a little on the dark side and incredibly loud! We started with the house margs, delish, and guac - hands down the BEST guac ever - definitely a must-order.
Three of us split the 8 taco dinner and we tried the salmon, chicken, duck, steak and al pastor. My fav was the duck - very flavorful.
Overall, fun atmosphere for a night out with the girls and reasonably priced as well, I would come back on a return trip for sure.
I went here with a girlfriend to have dinner and drinks. The drink prices were very high, so I had to stick to beer. We shared the taco combo platter, it was way more then enough for 2 poeple, very good. I just wish the waiter had more suggestions on which tacos to put in the platter. Over it was good.
Keeping this short & sweet, but mainly because my experiences there have been limited to carry-out (I work in the broadcast production biz, we don't leave desks often). But, after repeated orders, I can give you these few honest words...
De Cero should be known for their delicious variety of tacos, period. Recently, they started bulking up on their fillings, so the older reviews you see of scant meat & ingredients have since become moot. After sampling 10 different taco versions thus far, there wasn't a bad one in the batch...both pork tacos stood out as the most tasty, and the avocado was less so but still decent on flavor. Order a batch of any three, with some chips to start; for lunch, that's all you'll need for a filling meal.
Also worth mentioning, the guacamole is top notch...the right consistency, and wonderful flavor.
As for dining in, service and other dishes offered, I can't provide a complete review, but the other posts I've seen make me a tad skeptical. So take this for what it is...praise for the best parts of my experiences. De Cero to-go!
I want to like this place more than I do. I love the interior, it's rustic modern filled with a few different rooms. The tables are weird, they have legs on all for ends and they have to pull it out everytime someone sits on the banquet side. Just an odd observation that I'd like to add.
Normally there isn't a wait, once we did sit and eat at the bar so we didn't have to wait. I've also sat in the small private party room for a larger group which was pleasant. Service here is pretty good overall.
Now onto the food. The enchiladas ( i normally get) are decent and I am left satisfied. Once I tried the taco platter with a friend and I was left unsatisfied. Personally, I am not into the gourmet taco selections, just give it to me straight with the steak! All the additions made the tacos colder and unlike your typical hot & saucy Mexican plates. I've also noticed, whoever I come with are usually unsatisfied by the menu options also.
In the end, this place is too expensive for an average experience. Not sure If I'll be back, at least I won't be recommending it anymore!
J. and I stopped here one evening when Avec had a wait line for over an hour. This place definitely didn't fall short by any means. If you're a taco lover, this is one place to try. They have some amazing combinations of tacos that will make your mouth water. The chorizo taco, beef tenderloin tips taco and the ahi tuna taco are my top three. Their tamales are also quite delectable. Gotta try the 3 combo if your a fan of 'em.
On the flipside, the guac is a little on the bland side. So I'd suggest skipping ordering that app. Also, the margs aren't quite up to snuff. So if you're going here with "margs on the mind" like J. usually has when attending a Mexican restaurant, you might want to go elsewhere. However, if your going to eat food and have a marg, it's definitely worth it. Enjoy!
I must have passed by this restaurant so many times but never knew it. Thank goodness for Groupon for bringing it to my attention!
For Mexican in this area, I usually stop by La Perez but tonight we thought we'd check out the competition. We're definitely glad we stopped in. The menu is pretty extensive and the descriptions of the dishes made my mouth water! We ordered guacamole, carne asada, chorizo taco, and braised duck taco. For dessert we had the white chocolate brownie with chocolate chip ice cream.
Everything tasted really delicious and great. Except for maybe the braised duck. Maybe my expectations for it were too high? But all the yelpers said to get it. So I got it! It tasted rather bland and dry. I had to smoother it with guacamole to juice it up a bit and still couldnt finish it.
The wait staff was extremely friendly. They constantly monitored whether we needed a refill in our drinks (the horchata is delicious!) or chips (they refilled it even though we had 1/4 of a basket left!). And they took away our plates quickly after we had finished.
Overall we had a great experience. Its a little pricey for Mexican food but for the quality and freshness of food and a great wait staff, I think its definitely worth it.
De Cero. You wooed me with your promise of duck, shrimp, catfish, chicken mole, and beef tenderloin tacos. Quite good.
Your goat cheese tamale set my mouth on fire with the hot of the salsa calmed by the cool of the cheese.
Your chips and guac cooled my angry head from driving in some crazy traffic just to get to you.
So what went wrong, you ask? Simple. The service. The bartender could not be gotten no matter what we did. Yes it was busy- but there were three of you back there and no one could wait on us? Really? And then when we finally did get a drink we ordered the next one right away for fear we would never see you again.
Once seated- our server was better- attentive and helpful - and she made some great suggestions from the menu,
Know if you go it is NOISY in the place- lots of solid surfaces with little to cut down the noise so my suggestion would be to grab one of the bistro tables out front where it was definitely easier to hear your friends.
Valet parking is $10 or on a weeknight you will probably be able to find parking on one of the side streets.
My advice? Order take out and enjoy those amazing tacos in the comfort of your own home where the only one who has to get you a margarita is you!
Note: This review is based on my experience at the De Cero booth at Taste of Randolph fair.
I don't think I've had a worse taco. Or a more expensive taco. Five dollars for a single taco that barely has anything in it? I tried both the ahi tuna and steak taco. Ahi tuna never tasted so bad.
Went here for dinner tonight and I was expecting the wait to be an hour long! We decided to seat at the bar instead of waiting for that long. I ordered the passionfruit margarita since everyone was raving about it- but I thought its was ok-so I decided to stick with vodka tonic.
The duck taco for apps was interesting--I never eat duck but I tried it. I actually liked it--it didn't have that weird taste =)
We opted for the taco platter for $30 and we ended up taking 3 tacos home. I especially like the beef tips and the sirloin steak!! YUM!! The special for tonight (tilapia) was okay. I don't know what happened to our seared ahi tuna taco though--we never got it.. oh well..
I shall be back!
"Andrea H. and the Case of the Disappearing Salsa"
The scene: Wednesday night, 7pm. Andrea H. and Adam W. at the bar waiting for a table. They order chips & salsa. The bartender delivers plates, napkins and a bottle of De Cero branded salsa.
Adam W.: "Is this it?" as he points to the bottle
Andrea H.: "I don't know, but it's a really cute idea."
2 minutes pass. The bartender delivers the chips and salsa in a bowl.
Andrea H: "Oh, I guess the stuff in the bottle is just extra sauce."
Host: "Your table is ready."
Adam W.: "OK, let's bring our chips and salsa."
He takes the chips, walks to the table and walks back. Andrea H. gets her purse.
Adam W.: "Where did the salsa go?"
Andrea H.: "I don't know. I didn't see anything. Hopefully they'll bring another."
3 minutes pass. Another bowl of salsa arrives at the table along with another bottle of De Cero branded salsa.
To be continued...
Our time at the bar gave us the opportunity to explore the menu. I'll start with the drinks. I was happy to see that Palomas and Cheladas were part of the drink menu, but I was disappointed to see that all of the margs are made with sour mix. Sour mix is ok for pitchers at a divey place, but I feel like expensive margs should be top shelf. I ordered the Paloma and it was good, but pretty sour. For my second drink, I was happy to order a Michelada and have the server know what that was, first of all, and second, to have it with Negra Modelo. It was made perfectly. Tangy, a bit spicy, and all kinds of delicious. Yum.
We decided to go with the taco sampler. So many tasty looking options. Some were hits and some were misses. Here we go.
The Hits!
* Ahi Tuna with Mango & Habanero Salsa: Interesting - shredded ahi but not much more than a hint of the sweet/spicy salsa. Good, though.
* Chipotle Chicken: The mashed bacon pinto beans totally make this one. Smoky and so so good! OMG.
* Rajas: Very flavorful grilled peppers and cheese.
* Battered shrimp: The batter is light and delicious and doesn't overwhelm the taste of the shrimp.
* Braised duck: The duck in combination with the sweet corn salsa was very complimentary.
* Al Pastor: Very flavorful pork - very smoky. The pineapple was a good, subtle accompaniment.
The Misses
* Chicken Mole: Very dry. The flavor of the mole was overshadowed by the fact that I needed several sips of my drink to get it down.
* Skirt Steak: Way overcooked and ridiculously chewy. Toothpick please!
The tacos were good portions of meat and I was very happy that they were not smothered in sauce. The sauces were just enough to compliment the meat. Perfect. I also liked the three salsa that came with them. The hot is definitely my fav, spicy, but not crazy.
...continuation...
The scene: Dinner is finished. The busser comes to clear the dishes. Andrea H. and Adam W. reflect on being happily stuffed.
Adam W.: "Hey, where did that bottle of salsa go?"
Andrea H.: "I have no idea, I never saw him take it. Guess they don't want you stashing it in your purse on the way out."
Another great mystery solved. Hooray!
chiles rellenos are out of this world here! guac is great too (altho i think adobo grill might have a more customized option :)
the tacos menu rocks. i recommend the ahi tuna taco. probably one of my fav. but, the ceviche was not that spicy which made my date a little unhappy (chiles rellenos made up for it ;)
ambiance is good BUT i didnt realize the restaurant was as "rocking" as it was - expected more romantic setting.
OH - and.the.cocktails.rock...i.mean.it. mango, guava, hibiscus, etc...
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