Burrito Parrilla Mexicana - Lombard — Restaurant in Lombard

I wasn't planning on leaving a review, but my fiancé keept encouraging me to do so. I really don't like leaving reviews like this. However I will be as fair and honest as my memory will allow with my review.

My fiancé and I ate at Burrito Parrilla Mexicana in Lombard over a week ago. The guy who took our order was very professional. He knew his way around the menu and handled all of our questions quickly and professionally. He handled everything in a way that made us feal like we were dining at the right place. We didn't have to wait long for our food. It was brought to our table with a smile. There was kind of a language barrier between us and the lady who brought our food, however that gives authenticity to the ambience as well as to the food we were about to eat.

My fiancé ordered ground beef tacos and water to wash it down with. She liked the ground beef tacos. She is a little picky on the food that she likes, however overall she enjoyed her food. The fact that she liked the food is a good thing.

I ordered a taco salad with ground beef, a pork tamale, and a horchata to wash it down with. I have always been a sucker for horchatas and because of this I am picky on how they taste. The horchata was really good, better than I was expecting. The ground beef taco salad I had was pretty good too. The guy who took our order explaind that it doesn't normally come with the option of ground beef. However they made it with ground beef because I asked. It goes far with me when a restaurant is willing to go the extra mile for there customers.

This is where my glowing review comes to a screeching hault. Unfortunately I do not know how the pork tamale I ordered tasted. As I cut into it I quickly realized something wasn't right. There on my plate I pulled a finger sized piece of a latex glove out from the inside of the tamale. It was literally the whole finger of a latex glove. I instantly lost my appetite.

I calmly walked my plate to the counter. The lady there seemed quite shocked when I said, "I'm not sure if you guys made this tamale your selves or get it from a distributor, but I found a piece of latex glove in this tamale". She was so shocked she didn't know how to respond. She almost seemed to scared to respond. I walked back to my table, finished my horchata then started to leave the restaurant. I thought about staying and asking for another tamale or some type of free food coupon, but the more I thought about it the more I realized I really didn't want to eat anything that came from this place. My stomach still feels uneasy everytime I think about this place. I thought about asking for a refund, but upon walking towards the door I heard what sounded like some of the employee's arguing. I looked up and saw about 2 to 3 employees with my plate in the middle of them arguing in a different language. With them arguing the way they were I really didn't want to get in the middle. Thus we left.

They didn't apologize to us for what had happened. However on that same note we didn't stay long enough to give them that chance. The employees here did not seem well traind on how to handle situations like this. Either way we do not plan on going back...

I had a three taco platter with rice and beans ($10). Carnitas (tender, but no crispies), al pastor (ok), and lengua (under-seasoned, tender). Often taco meats will be revived on the flat top grill before being tortilla'd, but these tasted/felt like they were scooped right from the steam table. The beans were good, the rice was rice, both sides were really small. A friend got guacs for the table and it was simple and good ($4.30 for small, or an astronomical $8-something for a large). Salsas, all of which were just good: very mild red, medium verde, and medium quemada.

Overall, this place is making fresh, tasty food. My issue with it was fundamental. I saw it as an attempt to translate taqueria food into something more approachable to a larger clientele. But in doing so, Parilla lost some of the bold flavors, enticing textures, and general spark that I love about taqueria food. And they charge a bit more.

If you like Burrito Parilla, start visiting some of the small taco shops--the ones most people just drive past. Try a taco here, taco there, until you find a place that wows you. It'll happen. Then eat everything you possibly can, hold your...

The food here is really good and consistently fresh, with portions that feel worth the price. I’ve been here multiple times and the quality has always been reliable whether I’m ordering tacos, burritos, or bowls. The ingredients taste clean and well-prepared, and everything comes out hot and well put together. The service isn’t anything standout, but it’s not bad either—staff gets the job done and I’ve never had a negative experience, just nothing super memorable in either direction. The line usually moves pretty fast, and the food comes out within a reasonable time even when it’s busy. One of the things I really like about this location is the atmosphere. It’s usually calm, clean, and a good place to sit down and eat without feeling rushed or overwhelmed by noise. The space has a nice, simple vibe that makes it easy to enjoy your meal without distractions. Overall, it’s a great option if you’re in the area and want something fast but fresh and satisfying. It’s definitely a step above typical fast food, and the menu has enough variety to keep things interesting across visits. Definitely one of the better casual spots around here for...