El Tezcal Authentic Restaurant
El Tezcal Authentic Restaurant — one of Albany Park's strongest mexican spots. You can taste the generations behind this. Warm, genuine service throughout. Owner on site, BYOB. "The fajitas was very well seasoned, tacos were authentic" — Quang Ta [$$]
What 266 diners keep saying
What 266 diners keep saying
verbatim, from Google
“Delicious meal served in a colorful, plant filled restaurant. The food was delicious and served in large portions. We were also given small soups to start and fruit with tajin after our meal. We ordered guacamole, a taco dinner, steak burrito suiza, potato flautas, and veggie sopes. Everything was so good. And the portions were large so 3 out of 4 of us had to bring home leftovers. Miguel was our host/server/chef and he could not have been nicer. He rolled with our jokes and added some of his own. Truly a local gem that you should check out.”

“Go here asap. This place is awesome. The lady was sooo nice. She gave me soup while I waited for my order and also gave me some excellent watermelon water to go! The food itself was amazing. Excellent quality. Fresh. Very well priced. The place had a great vibe too. I can’t wait to go back and try more!”

“The food is really good and the guacamole is outstanding”

“My pregnant wife’s water broke and we took 10 emergency al pastor tacos from here. Over the phone the lady was so wholesome and supportive. She was excited for us even left cute notes on the bag. The tacos were delicious!”

“El Tezcal just added another notch to my bandolier of go-to Mexican restaurants. Based on Google reviews, I'd bookmarked ETM and was excited when an errand took me to the Albany Park neighborhood. I was warmly greeted, told to sit anywhere--I chose a table by the window--and was promptly served with tortilla chips accompanied by red and green salsas. My server recommended the chicken enchiladas with a rich mole negro. When she said that owner/chef Reyna had just finished cooking a batch--mole is time intensive--I leapt. Served with rice and beans and a small salad, the dish was muy delicioso! An on-the-house bowl of chicken noodle soup was equally good. The tab--very, very reasonable! El Tezcal is BYOB so I'll definitely be back with my wife and cervezas. Muchas gracias, reviewers, for your suggestion!”

“Special request when asked for a 😋 delicious seafood platter from the chef Miguel.”

“Super fresh, flavorful food. Everything from the service to the ambiance was great. Highly recommend their guacamole, enchiladas suizas and pollo en mole reyna.”
“I was looking for a place that made mole and I came upon this restaurant where I spoke to one of the owners. His mother is the chef in the kitchen, originally from Mexico City, and the mole was great! The food was great! The people there were wonderful and we're looking forward to going back again very soon.”
“Amazing food and even better service. 3.50 for some tacos de asada is plus! Great price and better taste.”
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