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Belmont (Purple Express, Brown, Red)
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Alright- so a little disclaimer here:
Once upon a time, I loved tequila. The bus boys at my job as a pizza place hostess at age 16 would buy us bottles of Jose and we thought we were badass. But after 9 shots in an hour on my 21st and threats from the resident mom (aka college roommate) to take me to the hospital, I swore the stuff off. Including margaritas. Bleh.
But this place was recommended to me to take my husband for a good margarita, so I had one with him to be festive, and it was delicious. By our third round, we were schnockered. Ate some food along with it. Don't remember what it was, but I was drunk and it was food. We celebrated me overcoming my aversion to tequila.
Wrong. Had one a few weeks later at another joint and couldn't drink it. Attempted a second time at another place. Still no go.
So, I'm giving El Jardin 5 stars. Food is totally average, if not less than, but who cares? It's the only place I can drink a margarita and enjoy it. Sold.
NEXT.
I will start by saying that the salsa at El Jardin is quite good, but I can get good salsa at Jewel. The margaritas are also good- really strong- which is a plus because I needed A LOT of tequila to feel better about dropping my precious, hard earned dollars on a place that SUCKS so much.
On to why El Jardin sucks...
Let me begin by explaining that I live near Chicago and Ashland, which is basically a mecca of delicious, homestyle Mexican restaurants and taquerias. In fact, one of the reasons why I love living where I do is because of the proximity to such a vast selection of (inexpensive/yummy) burritos. But, I digress.
A steak burrito at El Jardin is...$14. Is it gold-inflected steak, you ask? No. Just a regular steak burrito.
Moving on to the enchiladas- they charge extra for cheese. Um...'nuff said.
Guacamole. No price is established besides "Market Price." I'm sorry, I thought we were at a Mexican Joint, not McCormick and Schmick's.
My combination platter was mediocre at best- but only with the aforementioned salsa dumped all over it. The tomatoes were a strange white-ish color. Gross.
The service, absolutely TERRIBLE.
The worst part of the experience was that my group of seven had a bill of around $200 and they refused to take more than two credit cards. C'mon now. The extremely rude manager told us we would all have to take money out of the ATM. Couldn't be because of the $3 per transaction ATM fees, could it? A coincidence? I think not.
El Jardin is the stingiest of stingy. They think they can get away with ripping people off just because of the location. Well, maybe they can, but not this girl. I'll leave this place to the drunk Wrigleyville douchebags. Just tell them to stay far away from Taco Veloz.
Hard to believe that some people rave about this place. Were we at the same restaurant? El Jardin is average at best.
The margaritas were sickeningly sweet (I couldn't even drink one) and it tasted like sour mix. My friend even ordered an extra shot of tequila to pour into his to try to help but there was no noticeable change in taste.
The entrees? Unremarkable. I had the El Jardin combination which was a beef taco, beef tostada and chicken burrito. While the two beef choices were pretty good- that chicken burrito was dry and had nothing in it other than shredded chicken wrapped in a tortilla. And the sour cream that came with them was hard. What the heck?
The best part about this place looked to be the patio (thus the el jardin name)- but there was no room for us the night we were there so we sat looking longingly at the people outside.
I guess the location will keep this place going. But in my book- there are tons of places that do good Mexican in Chicago. This just isn't one of them.
This place is a dump. After I had a pile of slop that gave me the trots, my group had to wait a half hour before we received our check. Once we gave our credit cards, the manager told us that they would only accept two credit cards -- clearly a violation of their cardmember agreement. She wouldn't let me get a word in and kept telling me that that is how their computer was set up. Um hello, not only can't she refuse payment, but she could have split the checks into separate tables if it was such a huge issue. She told us off then walked away. I hope this place gets shut down. They suck!
Tonight we took a little trip to Lakeview's "El Jardin Cafe," a Mexican restaurant located at the corner of Clark and Roscoe. I ventured off to this particular spot about 4 years ago with some friends before going to a party, but not too much is remembered about that event.
I started out, going with what I know best, which was the steak burrito grande. I like to say I know a thing or two about burritos, so I took on the delectable challenge to see if I would be impressed, and surprisingly I was.
Now, it wasn't the most "authentic" Mexican burrito (onions, meat, cilantro), but a more Americanized version with the regular fixens, which included steak, beans, cheese, lettuce, avocado, and tomatoes. This burrito was delicious. No, really. It was. It was a perfect size burrito, not too large, and not making me wish I ordered extra tacos. The thing that I was most impressed with about this burrito was that they lined the beans pretty evenly around the whole tortilla, giving it a nice stable structure, which didn't fall apart on me, and still kept all the fresh juices in it.
Another plus behind this burrito - they used fresh avocado slices, rather than the normal guacamole spread. Don't get me wrong, I love guacamole, but this was nice, and different. And, it really helped you distinguish the difference in taste between that and the beans. Instead of the beans and guacamole mixing together, they remained their own. The quality of steak was excellent, grilled to perfection with a lot of flavor and juices trapped in the meat. This dish was served with a side of salsa potatoes, which I wasn't too keen on. They were rather bland in taste, and nothing to write home about.
Another thing I like about El Jardin Cafe was salsa/hot sauce that they leave on the table. The sauce was excellent to dip your tortilla chips, but the thing that amused me, was that they were presented it in what appeared to be IHOP syrup dispensers. Nevertheless, it was good. Also, when we cleaned out the first basket of chips another appeared quickly without us even having to ask.
Lois, on the other hand, ordered something different -- the Queso Fundido, a plate of broiled Chihuahua cheese, which came with pico de gallo, corn tortillas and a side of rice. The huge plate of cheese was all hot, bubbly and delicious -- with a little bit of a kick to it - and some serious cheese grease, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. In short, it was everything you'd dream a plate of broiled cheese to be. The meal came with four tortillas and although Lois believes cheese is the cornerstone of a good diet, she was only able to eat three (skipping out on the pico for purity's sake). It might have been a case of "too much of a good thing." The rice, which came with some bonus peas mixed in, wasn't bad but not tremendously flavorful.
Over all, Lois and I dropped a little more than $20 here (including tip), for two dinner entrees and a coke.
Let's see....
~Dining alfresco on a beautiful summer night-Check!
~Refreshing and strong margaritas? Check!
~Homemade salsa that'll make your mouth burn? Check!
~Spinach quesadillas to give the illusion that I'm eating healthy? Check!
4 checks for 4 stars....I'll be back to El Jardin!
Nice little outside cantina area....but nothing too special. Cheap plastic furniture, and not the best view of the area (felt like I was in a prison behind a stone wall w/ bars)
Good chicken quesadillas...but I've had better margaritas elsewhere. Also, in looking at the menu, I thought things looked pretty expensive compared to other Mexican restaurants I've been to...
Was a little pissed that our waiter basically just took off after they cleared our plates so we waited around for 1/2 hour before we could get our check. If we didn't say anything, I'd probably still be sitting there.
I entered this place on a whim, but will likely not be back anytime soon.
I only had the cheap "on the rocks" rita's but could not drink more than 2 of them because they tasted too sour. But FYI that you WILL be drunk after two anyway so it doesn't matter. The food didn't really look very good so I didn't try any. One plus for smokers is that they have a covered patio where you can smoke. The staff is very friendly. Other than that, the place is pretty much a "hole in the wall," teetering on a "dump." I suggest you have 1 or 2 ritas prior to going out somewhere so you will be nice and buzzed for not a lot of $$$.
If Cesar's has "killer margaritas", El Jardin has "mass murderer margaritas".
The food was good, too.
So it's quite simple, good margaritas, decent food. Definitely one of my mainstay Mexican places in the city. Ranks close to Cesar's but not anywhere close to Tarasca's caliber. Margaritas are better than Cesar's, not better than Tarascas. Food is good, on par with Cesar's.
Basically this is a run-down feeling Mexican place. Have a few TVs there so you can watch the game. Fairly quick in-and-out and you can't beat the location basically being at Sheffield and Clark.
However, not all that authentic, I actually had a waiter that looked like Seth Rogen's twin. And no...not a Hispanic version lol.
This place was pretty cool. Until it pissed me right the eff off. The food was decent, but they refused to split the check for a party of 7.. I simply cannot understand why a place would make it so difficult for consumers to pay them for the services they provide--which were not phenomenal by any means. And using the on-site ATM just for the restaurant to collect commission fees on top of the already imposed gratuity of our $200 ticket just doesn't sound that appealing either. And don't worry, I've already filed a complaint with MasterCard for violating their merchant agreement by imposing a minimum payment to accept a credit card. Credit Cards are supposed to be convenient, so if you're going to make it an unnecessary headache for your customers to use them here, please discontinue accepting them for payment and go back to a strict cash-only operation, or maybe try accepting shark's teeth instead.. Either way, I probably won't be ever going here again.
This was easily the worst Mexican food I've had in Chicago since I moved here two years ago. Aside from the poor service, the food was bland, dry, and nauseating. Sure the margarita was good but big deal.
The guacamole was too creamy and the enchiladas that both my friend and I had were awful. Even the rice and re-fried beans were disappointing. Never, ever again. Boo.
Strong margaritas, but terrible, terrible food. Mediocre service too.
The enchiladas tasted like styrofoam. Well...styrofoam with some kind of tomato sauce I guess. I'm not sure if that's any better.
I decided to eat leftovers when I got home. Go somewhere else.
el jardin is kind of like my old faithful mexican restaurant - dependable and easy to get to. although i wouldn't consider the food rave-worthy, they have an awesome patio, heavy handed drinks and large portions. they're also very accommodating to large groups.
side note, i would recommend this el jardin over the one just up the street on clark at roscoe.
The food is nothing above average. What this place has going for it is location. You do not need great food or great service when your Close enough to Wrigley Field / Wrigley-ville. Most people are buzzed enough that the first Margarita & a pile of chips is all that matters. The guacamole is listed as "market price" on the menu as if it was Lobster. It was also very creamy like store bought but it tasted OK. Everything else goes back to my 1st sentence - "average".
The food is always good, drinks are always good and not too expensive, and the service is always good. The only reason I wouldn't give 5 stars is the decor isn't great, it always looks a little run down to me.
It's the perfect distance walk in the summer to sit outside and eat good Mexican food at reasonable prices.
Good food, GREAT margaritas, and an awsome patio during the summer is why I love this place. I really haven't seen the bad service people talk about (I mean the place isn't the Signature Room) so I would go in open minded.
If it's warm, and you are looking to relax and just unwind this place is one of the best...
Seriously some of the best margaritas in Chicago. You will leave here with a good buzz with just one margarita, and a fantastic one if you have two or three. The food is good enough to soak up everything you just drank. This is one of the only places I will frequent in Wrigleyville.
The only thing this place has going for it is its close proximity to Wrigley Field. It feels like they don't even make an attempt at serving good food because people will come out of convenience.
I come here about once year with friends (at their request) for margaritas, and every time I remember why it's only once a year.
Sure the margaritas are strong, and will get you drunk very quickly, but they taste pre-made and artificial.
The chips are terrible-no flavor whatsoever. Chipotle makes better chips.
Salsa-has a kick to it, but again no flavor.
I rarely make it past the chips and salsa. Seriously, if you can even get those right, I don't want to eat anything else on the menu.
Chicago has way too many better options for Mexican at all price points.
El Jardin charges way too much for mediocrity.
Never again.
Great food, very tasty. Great service, very prompt. The interior was unremarkable. Now on to the best part, the drinks! They make one strong margarita. A side note: they are ok tasting, not great, more sour which I guess masks the tequila well - but these things will knock you out. A friend warned me that I would feel "good" after one margarita. I did feel good, in fact, I felt so good I decided to order another one and another one and....well you get the idea. As the margaritas flowed and the company got merrier I discovered something interesting about El Jardin. This must be the only place in Chicago, perhaps even the country, that has a spinning bathroom, in fact the whole restaurant was spinning toward the end of the night. Wow, what a great experience - well, not so much the next morning. I'll be back for sure.
I'm not sure people have figured out this stretch of Clark Street.
The complaints about quality and service never cease, as though someone ought to care about those things in a neighborhood where transplants and their money keep rolling in no matter how crummy the food is.
Go to Topolobampo if you want some expertly prepared Mexican food to complain about.
Leave us to drink tequila and read our comic books in peace.
We went to sit outside and have a few drinks. We thought the place was perfect for our needs. Only thing we order to eat was the chips and queso-- which was very good and a bit different. It was more fork and knife cheese with salsa on the side. You have to build your chip instead of dip it is liquid cheese. I'm a HUGE fan of liquid cheese, but enjoyed the queso here. Drinks were strong enough, beer was closed. What more do you want for a patio?
My girlfriends and I had a rockin' time at El Jardin.
We originally went there for the margaritas. Only $8 and SO strong and tasty! I recommend the frozen strawberry.
Then, the food was fresh and so flavorful. My beef tacos were full of seasoned meat and weren't greasy at all (a miracle taco!). My friend had the veggie burrito, and she kept exclaiming how amazing and fresh it was. Our other friend had the chicken tamales, and they were so good she saved her last one to take home!
I only gave 4 stars because the ambience is kinda generic. But after one of those margaritas, you won't even notice...salud!
El Jardin has been in this location forever. Back 15 years ago their food was ok. Now their food is terrible---the Italian crew along with our leader Guy Bacci went here for Margaritas and they were very good but instead of going to Adobe Grill or Spacion we got lazy and ordered food here.
HUGE MISTAKE-----STAY AWAY FROM THE ENTREES AT THIS JOINT!
Go there for there Margaritas and chips and salsa but stay away from the food. Guy Bacci says that they do have a good selection of Patron Tequila. Bottom line is go here to drink but not to eat!
Does El Jardin have the best Mexican food in Chicago? No. Is it fancy? Nope. Is it a little old school and grungy? Yep. Can it handle a party of 40 drunken people on their patio on a Thursday night with no reservations? You betcha. And that's why it gets 4 stars in my book.
El Jardin has come to be my company's dinner spot of choice after our annual Cubs Rooftop game. I have to feel sorry for El Jardin, because we barrel into the restaurant drunk as skunks, fueled up on beer, shots of o-bombs, Jameson, Jim Beam and tequila. It's not a pretty sight. But the staff always treats us with respect, doesn't bat an eye when we slur our orders and promptly wipes up any spills due to the deterioration of our hand/eye coordination skills.
The patio is where it's at for El Jardin. Its huge, has tons of seating, and you can smoke out there. Sign me up!
Come for the margaritas; stay because you no longer remember how to get home.
2 1/2 stars
I actually like it at El Jardin, my friends don't, but I do. Sometimes when we're tooling around the neighborhood on a Saturday someone will say "Where should we go for lunch?" and I'll pipe right up and say "El Jardin". A collective groan emanates from my friends, but sometimes I win even if their enthusiasm is sorely lacking. Isn't nice to have friends who will give-in for you on occasion?
I actually like the kitschy room, the bad décor and the tables squeezed together. It feels more like a place on Boca Rattan than a hacienda in Mexico, but whatever: its fun, if you can suffer the inconsistent service. Just keep drinking, it'll be fine.
I think El Jardin makes a fine margarita: one, two, there, floor! I always get extra salt too just in case the booze isn't destroying my liver I can rest assured that the salt is doing double time on my heart!
The chips and salsa with a margarita is worth the trip [or price] alone, but you've come this far, you should eat something.
My friends and I will splurge on the guac [almost $7] and Queso Fundido with chorizo [$8]. Skip the pricy salads, but inquire as to the soup. They can sometimes be half way decent.
Then we all go our separate ways. Everyone thinks they've found something on the moderate menu, even if they wouldn't touch something else, for whatever reason.
I typically get the Carne Asada Miguel which, unbelievably, is more expensive than the Red Snapper with Pico de Gallo ... or the Steak Taquitos or the Potosinos. Typical favorites of my friends include Flautas, Pollo en Mole and Fajitas Torta.
Admittedly there can be an aesthetic "problem" with presentation [how is that lettuce, tomatoes AND onions are all white?] and that may be the primary problem people are really having, but I think the food is tasty for what it is: Mexican diner food in a Boca Rattan room.
Have another Margarita; the second round is on me.
It's not tex-mex, le sigh. No regular queso, le sigh.
The fundido was okay, nothing to write home about. They serve R.C. products which I love so regular RC soda, mmm, a-okay in my book!
I chose the fajitas which were oh-my-god, ginormous. The plate could probably feed three people. AND, it came with onions and peppers. Yes, you read it right, fajitas with the actual real sides. I probably only ate 1/4th of the plate, it was so much! I must have really enjoyed the rice and beans because that plate was empty, haha.
My friend says they have good guac and margaritas but I can't vouch for that at the moment.
I'll be back. Lots of food, convenient, good service and didn't break the bank.
This restaurant is fantastic! My sister and I went last night and had an excellent dinner.
My sister is a vegan and has trouble finding things to eat at most restaurants. So she told the server that she wanted the tacos with just beans and he immediately asked her if she was a vegetarian and if she ate cheese and sour cream. We have never gotten that attention to detail at any restaurant in the city - unless of course it is a vegetarian restaurant.
Then! the server asked her if the enchiladas might better fit her needs and suggested that they put spinach and mushrooms with the beans in the enchiladas. My sister cleaned her entire plate and raved about her dinner. This specialized service more than made up for anything mentioned in the other reviews. Sure, you are outside on patio furniture, sure it took a while to get our check, sure my tostadas were too salty, but asking my sister if she's a vegetarian? We'll definitely be back.
Also, the margaritas are excellent. If you haven't tried them, you shouldn't knock them. They are some of the strongest margaritas I've had in the city and after one it is hard to remember which way the train stop is.
Excellent restaurant.
Factors that are alternately excellent and terrible combine to make El Jardin an oddly polar three star establishment. Start with the good: when it's warm out and all you want is an evening of outdoor dining with some friends, sometimes it can be challenging to find a place where you wont have to wait an hour for an outside table. El Jardin's front and back patios are more than large enough to accomodate you and your party except possibly during the immediate pre- and post-cubs game rush.
Sadly, the service is pretty poor. We were sitting at a table on the outskirts of the patio for at least 20 minutes while my friend waited to even order a beer (I had gotten mine from the inside bar before he arrived). While we lounged there for the next 2+ hours it was pretty frequent for us to be wondering where our (or any!) server was and in need of water or another beverage. Speaking of other beverages, I can't say anything about the more premium (or frozen) margaritas, but the basic "El Jardin Special" margarita for $8.00 is not really palatable. It's not like I was expecting to look over at the bar and see the guy making me a fresh one in a shaker or anything... but it was obviously mass produced with the cheapest of available ingredients. And to top it off when I put my mouth to the glass to drink, there was a layer of salt the size of a gummi worm ringing the edge of the glass. And not the tasty (in moderation) big grain kosher/sea salt. This was pure Morton's. My first sip reminded me of the time I accidentally opened my mouth in the Dead Sea.
Bringing the experience back up to salvageable however, was the food itself. My general feeling is that most mexican restaurants serve extremely similar food, but I have to say the fajitas I had at El Jardin were definitely above average. The chicken breast was actually seasoned and cooked well instead of overdone and dried out. All the ingredients seemed pretty fresh. Everyone else with me enjoyed their meals as well.
OK, I'm going to agree with most everyone else. The food, while not the best in the city, is decent. However, after three or six of their awesome Margaritas, the food is the best I've ever had.
To be truthful, me and my friends go there exclusively for the outdoor patio and the Margaritas. It's definitely not a winter place for us.
My rating is based on the Margaritas, chips/salsa and patio. We love it and will continue to drink there during the four warm months that Chicago has to offer.
I'll be the loud drunk guy on the patio that all the sober people hate. Enjoy!
Good Margaritas. Don't over do it or you'll feel & look like crap the next day. I like the Menudo but often they don't have it. I also like the lengua tacos. My friend insists that this is the only place to go for pork tacos ... I disagree. I think the La Pasadita Restaurants on Ashland are more authentic and MUCH cheaper.
You go here only for Margaritas.
You get drunk off of the margaritas, and then make the clouded decision to eat dinner since you are sick of chips and salsa.
Bad idea
The food is bad. But I know that already
Will I go here again? Sure when I'm in the mood for gross food and margaritas in wrigleyville (which means I am probably already 3 sheets...)
What have i learned then? Nothing :)
This is the better of the two locations, however I feel there drinks and food are lacking as far as good mexican goes. The salsa is pretty mediocre but this has potential with its location and cute decor.
I'll put it this way - I have never been disappointed by El Jardin, but that's probably because my expectations aren't sky-high.... Thus a 3 or 3 1/2 star review.
I enjoyed the guacamole (always a plus), and the burritos/tacos/fajitas are standard tex-mex, complete with lots of iceberg lettuce and rice. Portions are gigantic! The chips and salsa - well I remember the salsa being very hot. Although that's not always a bad thing. But I can't remember exactly what it was that made me lose feeling in my tongue - the drinks or the salsa. The margaritas - well they're strong. And pricey.
It's a safe bet for cheap, non life-altering Americanized Mexican food. I have no complaints here!
Food wasn't bad and the drinks were cheap. They even brought us a free round. Our service was good, and I'm sure that garden's nice when they have it open.
I actually did not have a margarita here. Instead we shared a pitcher of red sangria which was damn tasty, strong and a really good value - we each got 4-5 glasses and the pitcher was $14!
We started with the bean and chorizo dip, which had a great flavor, and a small side of guac which was also excellent. For our entree we shared the chicken fajitas and had enough to take home and have for dinner, for two people. And unlike some other places :: El Maricahi::, we didn't get charged another $5 for extra tortillas or our sides of cheese and mole.
Tipsy and full on good food, with enough leftovers for another meal, for under $40 for two - yep, I'll be back.
Go here for the grain alcohol margaritas. They will fuck you up, yo.
A far better margarita than Cesar's Asshole Palace on Clark or Broadway.
i'm kinda ashamed to say that my mom was the one who introduced me to these margaritas. a wee bit on the pricey side but they're damn strong and delicious.
lunch service was a bit slow and the entrees seemed a tad bit overpriced as well so i knocked off the fourth star i would've given it. the option to have all chicken breast was nice and worth the extra couple dollars. also, the guac was just ok. the cheese on top saved it from blah. i still contend that i make better guac at home.
I love this place, but it has gone downhill slightly since its early days. I used to come here a long, long time ago after Cubs games with my dad. For some reason we found it hilarious that they would fill up your water about every minute. Even if you had only taken one sip, they would run right over and pour. I remember the food being excellent back then, but now it is pretty much your run of the mill Mexican restaurant. I usually get flautas or chimichanges. Both are pretty tasty.
Definitely come in the summer when you can sit outside on the patio. That is what makes this place more appealing than some other Mexican places. The staff have always been really welcoming as well. A good place to go after games if you're in the mood for Mex. Oh- and don't try the coffee tequila! They talked us into that once and it's as gross as it sounds!
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