La Catrina Mexican Restaurant
La Catrina Mexican Restaurant — straightforward mexican in Far South Side. Friendly without hovering. "The salsa here is next-level – so fresh and flavorful that we couldn’t stop dipping our chips" — Jacqueline Hogueisson
What 132 diners keep saying
What 132 diners keep saying
verbatim, from Google
“I came for the mango margaritas and it did not disappoint! The chips and salsa were also amazing. Chicken flauta was good steak passing on next time”

“Stopped by this taco spot and was really impressed. The food was very flavorful and the portions were generous. The tacos were fully loaded with well-seasoned meat, fresh toppings, and just the right amount of cheese . The rice and beans tasted fresh and complemented the meal perfectly instead of feeling like filler sides. The salsa also had a nice, fresh kick. My daughter had the margarita. She said it tasted just as good as it looks, well mixed, refreshing, and not watered down. Overall, everything was so appetizing and delivered on taste.”

“Good service. Good quality and quantity of food. My margarita put a big smile on my face. My fajitwere sizzling-people eating were like Wow! While my food was on its way to the table!!!”

“Their carne asada is top notch. Very nice place too.”

“This was our first time at La Catrina. The service was exceptional! Our food was absolutely delicious. Our main courses came out soon after our appetizer and they kept it fresh and hot for us in the kitchen. Pictured: empanadas, tamale dinner, and tostada dinner. Our beverages were freshly made iced tea and a premium margarita with an orange liqueur. Every single thing was delightful. We'll be back.”

“I came as a first time customer and enjoyed my visit. I ordered two modelos because I like to drink beer. To eat I ordered the Catrina Burger. It was pretty good considering the patty looked like the prefrozen pattys. I might be wrong about the patty but that’s what it looked and felt like. The fry’s were ok. I absolutely loved the salsa they had for the chips. Everything on the menu seemed a little pricey but maybe it just being cheap lol. For the neighborhood it’s in it’s ok. I would have liked to hear more music playing while I was eating like some Cumbias or corridos but it was pretty quiet in there. Still a good place to come eat and drink.”

“Online ordering was disabled, so my husband drove there to place a carry out. He ordered, and was told 15-20 minutes. When more than 40 minutes had passed, he asked the woman who took the order to check on it. About 5 minutes later the food came out. We ordered Combo fajitas dinner with corn tortillas, carne asada with flour tortillas, pico de gallo, and a side of a single chili rellenos. ($4.50) the fajitas were great, the carne asada was good. We both liked the beans and the rice. The corn tortillas were terrible. The “chili rellenos” side turned out to be 4 small blistered peppers of some sort. That’s it. No batter, no cheese, and worst of all, no poblano pepper. I’m not sure what these are, but they will go in the garbage. We will likely try again, but I’ve never heard of a Mexican restaurant with terrible corn tortillas, or a chili rellenos that’s not a stuffed poblano pepper.”

“The food is good, the first chips were old, and besides that, the experience was nice. The employees are amazing. Loved the Margaritas.”

“Loved the owner, Antonio, and the staff. Place is small but comfortable. They have the best drinks and they are affordable.”

“Cinco de Mayo at La Catrina Mexican Restaurant was absolute chaos… Walked in and was told the wait would be awhile, but nobody took my name or even asked how many people were in my party. Meanwhile other groups walked in after me and were getting checked in. I had to walk back up myself just to get added to the wait list. Once seated, we never got silverware or napkins and had to ask multiple times. When I asked again for silverware, they only brought one set. Then the night completely flipped… A worker accidentally dropped a margarita order in the waiting area about 5 feet away from our table, and glass flew everywhere — all the way under our table and even into my date’s tacos after she had already eaten one. I actually caught some pretty big chunks of glass under our table on video, and at one point you can even see someone taking their shoe off because glass got inside it. They asked if we wanted the tacos remade, but honestly the tacos already weren’t very good so we declined. In the end they only comped about $5 off that order. Food-wise: • Chicken tacos were really dry • Tortillas tasted store-bought, similar to Mission tortillas straight out the bag • Torta Dinner was $19 and came with a tiny portion of fries • Bread and meat on the torta were decent, but it felt like more bread than meat overall Now the ONLY thing that saved this place… The margaritas. Strong, flavorful, and LOADED. Two of them and it’s probably time to call an Uber. Would I come back for tacos or tortas? Probably not. Would I come back for the margaritas? Absolutely. @ChewingWithTheBros. Ratings: Service: 3.5/10 Queso fundido 4/10 Chicken Tacos: 4/10 Torta Dinner: 6.8/10 Margaritas: 10/10 Overall Experience: 5.5/10 #ChicagoFood #FoodReview #ChicagoEats #CincoDeMayo #FoodTok”
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