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I'm one of those people that likes the "hole in the wall" Mexican restaurants. I feel that those type of places serve better authentic food.
And then one day I went to Lalos...
I ordered the chicken enchiladas and I must say.. they weren't bad. The chicken was pretty flavorful and the portion was decent.
This is a place I would go back to... but I'm going to stick with my mom and pop Mexican restaurants if I have a choice.
The goal for Cinco de Mayo was to be outside eating great Mexican food and sipping tasty Margaritas without dealing w/ a crowd.
In my research, I couldn't find any place that could fit the bill. So why not host at our own patio. I can easily play bartender for the Margaritas part, but what about the food.
Lalos, that's what. We had catered Lalos every once awhile for work. This is a great cheap place to cater a last minute event like Cinco de Mayo. Just order the fiesta pack and tell them how many. Here' s what the fiesta pack includes:
Steak Fajitas
Chicken Fajitas
Rice
Beans
Chips/Salsa
Papas Mexicanas
Salad
Sour Cream
Jalepenos
Plates / Serving spoons
@ less than $15/head w/ tax and tip. This can't be beat. Plus, I have some delicious leftovers for the week unless my unemployed roomie cleans the fridge out first.
When I went to pick it up, it was ready to go. No hassle. I'm glad we didn't eat there as it was a madhouse for the holiday as you can imagine.
So why not cater your next fiesta on the cheap w/ Lalos!
Serious girl-time requires serious cocktails. So when heading over to one of my oldest gal pal's for a night of dining and dishing, margaritas seemed the to be the perfect oil to grease the wheel.
Nice weather hits Chicago for roughly 2.8 seconds a year. Unfortunately, I think I may have blinked for that 2.8 seconds, or maybe it hasn't come yet, but anyhow, that fact leads me to seek out activities pretending we live in a city of lovely climes. Drinking frosty drinks in a brightly colored restaurant aids me in this endeavor.
Lalo's delivered in that respect: One pitcher of mango-strawberry swirled margaritas, and I could almost pretend it wasn't raining for the record millionth time this year.
Don't come here for the food. It's alright, and edible, but nothing special. Chips and salsa hit the spot for starters. Not too many meatless options here, beware veggies, but I was able to make do with the spinach enchiladas. Bland sauce and not much but tortillas and spinach rounded out the dish. I did like that it was served with a side of veggies and rice as opposed to the usual refried beans (which I love, love, love, but are fatty, fatty, fatty...and realize that I am aware that my delightfully frosty beverage was close to 8,945 calories, but I'd prefer to go fatty-style on the drinks, muchismiasgracias).
Service was very friendly, and he must've known we were in the mood for lots of girl talk cuz he only swept in when he noticed an empty glass or an empty plate. Suffice it to say, we never went thirsty!
Bottom line? Come for the margaritas and friendly service. Bring a gal pal. Dish. Drink. Repita, por favor.
The staff at Lalo's gets a high-five for accommodating a group of ten ladies on a Friday evening on a moment's notice.
Once our food arrived, though, the reason for their lack of business on a Friday evening was apparent. I had a hard time trying to find something healthy to eat -- I didn't see a single salad on the menu -- so I ended up ordering fajitas, which had lost their sizzle by the time they reached the table. I can't lie; after a few carafes of sangria, it satisfied my craving for Mexican food, but I can't say that I'd go out of my way to go back.
Next time, I'll probably suggest we go to Chili's... that is, if we can get a table.
I've had a lot of Mexican food in AZ and CA. In my opinion, Lalo's is actually pretty good for a Mexican restaurant in the Midwest. We have eaten there 10-15 times and each time, we have gotten exactly what we expected: good, well priced Mexican food.
This isn't a fancy place. It's a good casual place to get together with a few friends and have some drinks. I have had seafood dishes here as well as vegetarian dishes, and pork dishes. The chili rellenos are not the best that I have ever eaten, but they are pretty good. I didn't give this place five stars because it isn't the very best that Mexican food can be, it isn't extremely inventive or different in any way. It is just plain good Mexican food with a good price and a friendly atmosphere. I would go here anytime.
I've been going to Lalo's since I was a little girl with my parents. Its a cute little casual place to dine with your friends or go on a cute date with your significant other. The margaritas are awesome!!! My favorite thing on the menu is the shrimp cocktail. The vibe is so cozy, you feel like you are at your grandmother's house in Mexico, super cute and traditional Mexican style. I heard the lunch buffet is rad from a couple people and every location, including the Oak Park one has the same great service. On weekends some of the locations have live mariachi/music and that also adds to the overall cool vibe of the place. It's also super cheap!
So my friend really wanted to go to lalos and since i've never been i decided to try it out. The chips weren't really fresh and the salsa was pretty good. I ordered the 3 combo platter which included a flauta, enchilada, taco, rice & beans. I did not like the mole on the enchilada. The flauta and taco were pretty good. Rice was bland and beans were alright. Next time my friend wants to go for mexican Im taking him to Garcias.
I probably would have never come here, but I had just seen a movie at Webster Place and I was with a friend who swears by this place. As much as I love my friend, I can't say I love Lalo's. In fact, I'm gonna have to say it was horrible and overpriced.
I had some cheese enchiladas with mole. When the dish arrived, I could barely find the enchiladas because they were swimming in the mole (and bad mole at that--and I'm not usually that picky). The one plus is that our waitress was personable and we received good service from her.
In the end, I paid $15 for the enchiladas. I'm so annoyed that I actually paid for dinner here tonight, but at least the company was nice.
Lalo's is a great Mexican restaurant and definitely worth the money. The ceviche, salsa & chips, Lalo's Ultimate Platter and margaritas were excellent! The food was packing with flavor in which many other Mexican restaurants are lacking. The margaritas were huge and strong...definitely worth $12. Our server was great and very attentive. I am definitely going back and am excited to try their buffet for $6.95.
So we came back.
But missed the buffet. Ordered lunch... Both of us got chicken enchiladas. I have issues with shredded chicken at restaurants, just because I'm really only a white meat fan, so I usually ask for fajita chicken in my enchiladas. Not a big deal in my opinion.
Well, it totally through the waitress off. She had no idea what I was asking. To the point that I was almost like "Okay, just give me cheese enchiladas.' But, eventually we were able to communicate it to her effectively.
Alright, another reason for the loss of a star since my last visit. I think a good way to judge a server is on their ability to refill drinks. Well, it took me about ten minutes to get a new water. Ten minutes, after asking twice, and eating spicy salsa in the meanwhile. Annoying. Also, we ordered diet cokes and it was a good 10 minutes before we got them. It's not that hard. :) If I'm going to pay the ridiculous 2.50 or whatever restaurants charge for a fountain drink, I'd like it with my meal :) Is that too much to ask? I'll stick to Blue Agave. :)
Friend of mine and I went here for the lunch buffet. It was okay. They do have very good margaritas… Read more »
Eek! Methinks not. Exactly.
Don't ever visit this restaurant on the weekends or Friday nights. It is packed and I have no idea why... perhaps the only wateringhole in the area with some slight degree of Mexican authenticity?
We had to wait for more than 40 minutes to get seated. Lalo's menu is quite... small. There is not much variety. The chips and salsa is sub-par (perhaps why they give you these spicy pickled vegetables --- carrots, cauliflower, jalapenos???). But since this is a FOOD review, let's get to that.
The fresh shrimp ceviche there (the only one on the menu) was very watered-down and was more like a cold-soup on a plate. They give you MORE large, hard, round tortillas to scoop it up (the chips are easier to use!), but in the end, I was done with it -- meaning, I did not want anymore!
The regular fajitas (whether it is chicken, beef, or whathaveyou) were very bland as well. Cue in the spicy pickled vegetables they give you with your crappy tortilla chip/salsa... thing. Yes, it's a thing. Not even real food.
The chicken was over-grilled, overcooked, over-the-top... and not over-the-top GOOD but over-the-top of my new Best Worst Places to Eat List.
The wilted "grilled" vegetables with the fajitas rounded out a complete disastrous meal.
There is my review.
The lesson?
Don't go to the only Mexican restaurant in the area just because a lot of ill-equipped taste buds are lining up.
NOT WORTH IT!
This was a perfect place to grab food after happy hour. Fun place with good food. The sangria was good and the margaritas were huge. I was with a large group and we were easily accommodated....we even got to wear the big blue sombrero (yeah for cumpleaños)!
I am always in the mood for a Margarita. Shocking, really. Luckily, Lee C feels the same way so we headed to Lalo's last night with Miguel for a good ol' noche de jueves! Areeba!
When we first entered Lalo's we were greeted by an unwelcoming odor. I will call it, "dirty bathroom scent." Ick. The whole front entrance smelled like a leaky un-flushed toilet. Ruh-roh! Not soon enough, we were lead to a booth in the back of the restaurant (thankfully as far away from the bano as possible). Booth seats seemed to be a popular choice since the middle tables were empty.
The dining area is big but it borders on cheesy / chain-like. Our waitress was very friendly and she brought us a pitcher of ritas in a flash. I highly suggest you pitcher it up because it is $24 for a "party pitcher" and $8 for just one rita. And honestly, who drinks just one? The original margarita on the rocks was tasty enough and pretty strong but not the best I've ever had.
Before our meals came out, the waitress brought us bowls of chicken soup with elbow macaroni in it. Um, ok. Not bad. I found the menu to be pretty authentic but the meals were pricey. I had a combo with un taco, un quesadilla and un chicken enchilada. Lee had a burrito con carne. Miguel went veggie on us and ordered the spinach enchilada sans cheese. Personally, I LOVED my food. All of it. And the portions were enormous which made me feel better about the price. Did Miguel enjoy his spinach enchilada? Not so much. The verdict: bland. I could have told you that it before it even came out (no cheese? Please!).
I don't know if I will be running down Clybourn towards Lalo's anytime soon. It's decent, but not the best. The food was a highlight but the atmosphere was a little spotty. I think this place may be better with a little more umph, maybe on a weekend night. And they definitely need some sort of odor eater up front. Lee promised the bathroom itself did not smell as awful as the entrance way but I still held it until I got home.
Ordered: Corn tortillas
Arrived: Flour tortillas
Ordered: Queso fundido
Arrived: Queso fundido!
Ordered: Authentic sounding mexican entrees.
Arrived: Moderately better than chain tex-mex.
Ordered: Pitcher of margarita on the rocks
Arrived: Pitcher of blended margarita
Re-ordered: Pitcher of margarita on the rocks
Arrived: Un-mixed pitcher of cheap triple sec, tequila, and water with a hint of lime flavor.
This location, with its open dining area, tends to get a bit loud. The overall feel is very "touristy."
Its not romantic, but more a place to celebrate. (judging by all the large parties the last time I was there)
Mariachi band was fun.
Margaritas were good.
Food was fine, not extraordinary.
Service was attentive.
This Lalo's gets the job done, sure. But its too typical to get 4 stars.
If this place didn't have good guacamole and margarita's, I would give it 1 or 0 stars.
Their food is bland and overpriced. They only have 2 items on the menu under $10 and they aren't even good. The rest of the menu seems very limited. And the tables are so close together! We had to move our table out of the way to sit down or go to the washroom.
The mariachi band was so loud and in our section of the restaurant there were 4 birthdays so the band played Happy Birthday 4 times in a row! Although we had been done eating for a while, it took a long time to get our check. Then we were stuck waiting for the mariachi band to move so we could leave. The restaurant is too narrow for diners let alone a moving band.
EDIT: I just want to note, this review is *only* for Lalo's catering. I do not enjoy dining here. --pam
"People get sick of pizza, you know!" So, you want Mexican for 40 ppl, delivered to your Loop office? It's Lalo's Catering, then.
There is only one option for catering - a meal setup including meat, fixin's, rice, beans, and chips&salsa. We like it. It's a great option for group lunches. I love not having to guess how many trays, which entrees, etc. It's a no-brainer.
The delivery is always EARLY. They bring more than enough of everything. You will have tons of leftovers (they hold up pretty well, though). Not cheap!
How anyone can honestly like this place is beyond me. The ambiance screams "CHAIN" and food screams "BARF". So many good places for Mexican food in the city....why pick this one? This is like somewhere you would go if you were visiting relatives in Kansas, not Chicago.
The guacamole was a congealed mass of green slime, the tortilla chips hard enough to chip your tooth and the quesadillas were your garden variety found in the frozen food section at Aldi's. And the Margaritas? Sure, if you like Crystal Light mixed with cheap tequila than you've got yourself quite the fiesta.
Also, it was a Saturday evening and the place bordered on completely empty, which was a omen if I've ever seen one. Despite the lack of warm bodies the service was non-existent and we had to go up to our bartender to get our bill. All in all one of the worst dining experiences I've had in Chicago, ever! Awesome!
Lalo's...mmm..i'd rather not! This place isn't exactly what I was looking for an mexican food. and I didn't realize that Lalo's had a dance club. I will make one positive review...their staff is friendly minus the bouncer. I was a little concerned when all male guests were padded down for weapons when we entered the dance portion of the restaurant. Why is there a need to pad down party goers? I don't think I'll return to this place anytime soon!
Don't order the frozen margaritas! Their regular lime frozen margarita tastes like dishwater with lime palmolive and their fruit magaritas taste like cough syrup. You are better off with a Margarita on the rocks, those are very good.
I'm always disappointed by their meat dishes but usually do well with their vegetarian dishes. I love the spinach enchiladas. Otherwise just order appetizers.
They have a live Mariachi Band on weekends. They are fun when there is a big crowd there but otherwise it can get irritating. The restaurant is very brightly colored and the layout gives it a festive atmosphere.
Lalo's is best for appetizers and drinks with a group of friends.
Nothing Special:
After watching Little Miss Sunshine (which is a 5 star emotional drama) there was an odd feeling in my stomach.....either from the warm family goodness of LMS, or the fact I hadn't eaten all day. Me and fellow Yelper Travis decided to partake in eatings at Lalos because our directions to "The Clay Pot" were less than accurate.
Atmosphere: Multiple story Mexican eatery adorned in typical restuarant fashion, nothing to write home about. There are booth and tables usually accommodating 4-6 people, with larger tables for bigger parties available. We had about a 20 minute wait which we spent in the bar waiting, which had the Futbol Match on at a deafening volume. Also there apparently were multiple bachelorette parties going on....not that two single guys really minded. Bonus was a very good Mariachi (like I would know the difference) band who did play an animated "Here comes the bride" for one bachelorette party.
Service: Our waiter was very prompt and helpful always tending to our needs, though it appeared to be a busy night.
Food: I ordered the Burrito dinner, which I have to say was nothing special, though you can literally give yourself a coma with the plentiful chips and salsa. Overall the menu offers nothing really out of the ordinary from what you would expect at "normal" Mexican place.
Mommy Factor: Eh, if mom was more of a burrito fan I guess this would be a place to take the folks. Overall, this is a pretty tame area with some local color, and appeared to be pretty kid friendly.
Date Factor: Now if you are the neighborhood and MUST have a burrito I would say make a move and try it out. However, this is definitely not a place for a romantic getaway, proposing, or engaging snuggly goodness......did I just say "snuggly goodness"?
Bling: Most our meals were about 10 -15 dollars with adequate amounts of food. In all honestly I think paying 15 bucks for a burrito was kind of getting hosed, because Chipotle pretty much pumps out the same quality for less, and has that oooh soo good "plastic" ambiance to it.
All in all, I rather save the 15 bucks and buy Little Miss Sunshine on DVD when it comes out.
When I want real Mexican food, I go to Mexico (or I ask any line cook in Chicago to whip me up a little something) but when I can't jump on a plane and need a little dose of South of the Border, I go to Lalo's.
The food is okay, nothing remarkable but definitely decent. Nothing is to die for but it won't kill you either. I've always had good service here so no complaints there. They always put everything on the side like I ask in Spanglish. The Margaritas are great and they gladly fuflill my whims of mixing up the flavors-Mango Raspberry, YUMMMMM! My Mexican friends like the moles and they are mole snobs. Frontera its not but its great for groups because the atmosphere is lively and a little on the loud side so the sound of a screaming kid isn't going to ruin anyone's night. I don't get the Sopa either, chicken soup is the last thing I would expect but the steak tacos are decent and I am really a fan of the guac. and parking is decent for the area.
Have I ever been blown away or overwhelmed by fabulousness? No, but I've never had a bad experience here and they are a family owned business so I give them props for what they do.
And I always get a lollipop!
Wanted Mexican food late on a Sunday evening. Open till 11pm great.
Bright and festive decor, instantly got me feeling like a margarita. Had Mango and raspberry, Mango had slivers of mango within, yum!
Also ordered Mojito's which stunk. Mojito's were too mintified, I was pickin' them out of my teef(teeth). No quality, taste, it missed zest.
Small margaritas are about 14 oz woO! medium is 24oz woOO!
Menu, is it still a menu when they only offer 5-6 dishes. It was a first time for me, I thought maybe they're are so good at these few dishes, no need for more. My food was poor, I like spice and flavor. I had tacos with the spiced meat. It seriously lacked for me. My friend is down with bland food, she thought it was ok. I think she was really hungry.
Margaritas won us most. And.. Fried Ice cream. It was enough for two to share.
One strange thing I must share. Visited the men's room just before leaving, its located in the basement many steps away, through a closed door. In the basement is where the party room is and Crate and Barrel just threw a party. It was closing time. I could see that the floors were just cleaned. The strangest, funky ass rot smell was in the air. I pondered, Crate and barrel peeps shit on the floors? or was it the cleaning solution used to clean the floors. Outrageous! I had to pull my shirt over my nose.
Only reasons I would go back: Good margaritas and served in large quantity. Women watching, 20s-30s in small packs.
So this Lalo's was my first experience and a decent experience. Because of which i went to the West Loop Lalo's and was horrified!
This Lalo's had good service, nice ambience, live music is entertaining, but food is pretty average. So go to enjoy the experience if you will, don't bank on the food.
FOUR STARS FOR BUFFEXICAN!
I went out for the Mexican Buffet at Lalo's with Robert S today, and it was really, really good.
I really like Lalo's. It's cheap, fast, good, and filling. Those are usually the four criteria that matter most in restaurants. The lunch buffet is really good... It's just everything on their menu with the exception of the things that either wouldn't keep or are too expensive for a buffet... You could either order something from the menu for $8 or go get as much of it as you want from the buffet for $9.
VIVA LA BUFFEXICAN!
Went here recently for dinner. The margaritas were too strong in my boyfriends opinion, but just right for me. :) We both loved what we ordered and the service was dependable. Fun atmosphere, however, neither of us were too disappointed that the mariachi band didn't make it to our table.
This place is pretty bad - but it's clean, so it doesn't get just one star. I mean the basic reality of this place is that it's the standard white bread version of Mexican food you'd expect to get at an outing of office secretaries pining after happy hour margaritas. Nothing stands out and the décour is trite. It reminds me of a Mexican version of Chili's.
I don't go here for the food. The food all tastes like its been microwaved.
I go here to get drunk.
'Nuff said.
Best Pickled Vegetables.
Lalo's is a good mix of authentic and Americanized Mexican food. I fancy a little both so I say Bueno!
Their soups and pickled carrots are very authentic and very tasty Mexican dishes. Yum!
I had high expectations for this place because my co-worker recommended it. Oh how disappointed I was to see that Lalo's never measured up and here is why
1. Frozen vegetables....please do not advertise that your meal comes with fresh grilled zucchini if you are going to put on my plate frozen peas and carrots...YES I WILL NOTICE
2. I had the Vegetarian delight....nothing really delightful about it.....I thought that the flavors were purposely masked with hot sauce to burn ayour taste buds and believe me I do eat spicy food. again, I didn't occur to them that I would notice my enchilada lacked spinach they supposedly comes with. So save yourself the $12 you can make this meal at home in 3 minutes with real fresh veggies.
3. The manager also tried to add $5 to our bill for nothing. The bill just didn't add up simple math....he first argued that the bill was correct but then started blaming the computer. I felt like he tried to pull a fast one on me because the restaurant was empty.
4. The waitress never came to pick up my plates and my table was dirty for most of the time.
I will probably never eat there again; there are much better AUTHENTIC Mexican restaurants around.
Afterthought,
After reading some of the reviews below I was shocked to see that somebody else also received their bill with unaccountable charges on it. Hence I changed my rating review from two starts to just one.
I recommend Lalos for the lunch buffet. Mexican buffets are rare for me - being from the northeast. For $7 it is a steal. They have a variety of items so you will find something you like as ling as you like Mexican. The service is friendly and attentive.
Uncle Julio's Hacienda puts this place to shame. The margaritas are standard and the soup is good. Everything else is pretty flavorless and service is slow. I wouldn't go back. I've given it a couple of tries and have finally given up. :(
Really 2 1/2 . Been there 4 times, ordered off the menu the first 3. The food was pretty good over all, but a little over priced. We tried the lunch buffet yesterday. Not too good. If all you want is to stuff your face, then this is good because it's only $7.00. But in terms of quality / taste, you'd be better off many other places. Has about 7 / 8 hot dishes, cold condiments, sour cream, salsa etc. and a fairly good Ceasar salad. The beans were OK, the cheese quisadillas were just thrown into the pan, and had slimy black things hanging out of them. I wasn't sure what they were since nothing was labeled. They were mushrooms, but being ethnic food, I needed to make sure. Buffet for 2 with two cokes and tip, $24.00.
Standard food, like the salsa. This location is less of a scene than the River North location, doesn't get the happy hour crowd. Margaritas are quite tasty though.
Festive atmosphere, great buffet selection, authentic mexican food, mighty fine margarita's that will knock you on your butt, tho I miss the jumbo size they used to have that was practically the size of my head, good service, love the fact that you get chicken soup with your meal...it's all good.
We went here because we thought it would be way too crowded at Uncle Julio's Hacienda. Pretty good food, friendly service, AND we were seated right away on a Friday nite!
I come here because my meetup groups host monthly meetings in the lower level. Anyway, I was having trouble deciding between 2 or 3 stars. Then I remembered the warm and fuzzy feeling that came over me after drinking what they consider a medium margarita on the rocks. What the heck, 3 stars it is. The food is nothing to write home about. It's not bad and it's not great. I've definitely had better and paid less. Service is also mediocre. The decor is cute and there is always plenty of street parking.
I went to this place with a group of people and really enjoyed the food, but it was way too packed. I'm claustrophobic and felt a little overwhelmed with the amount of people they packed into this place. It's great for them, but scary for me. Their drinks are phenomenal however, as is their steak. I would totally recommend it to anyone as long as they understand that they will be elbow to elbow when they eat. ;)
Not my favorite place to go for mexican food, but the margaritas are always good and strong and there's never usually a wait. The food is average. Nothing too exciting but it hits the spot if you are in the mood for mexican.
The food at this Lalo's is WAY better than the Lalo's downtown. It is more of a family place. An afternoon is the best time to go when it's not so busy. I'd recommend it over the other Lalo's although the atmosphere isn't as great. The food makes up for it.
Come Eat and Enjoy Music
Neighborhood: North Park
Free Taco with Combo Order!
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Category: Grocery
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Mexican
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Category: Nightlife
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Category: Mexican
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