Original Taco — Restaurant in Palatine Township

Had dinner here this past evening Mon. 11-18-2024! Really missed these guys since my last dinner here last winter! Luckily, this past night, my favorite server, Ivan (pronounced ‘ee-vahn’) was working! He was great as usual — very attentive, pleasant, knowledgeable and efficient! For dinner I had 8 different tacos (tripa, quesobirria, cachete, cabeza, cecina, nopalitos, pescado and lengua) and menudo con pata! For dessert, I had flan and a champurrado! Everything was amazingly fresh and delicious! For a Monday evening, the place was pretty busy with folks dining in and ordering take out! It was as always, clean, brightly lit and comfortable to dine in— I enjoyed sitting near their tv and watching The Matrix while I ate! I’ll definitely be back for more! //(Sept./Oct. 2023)Had a late lunch/early dinner here today between 4:30 - 5:30 pm (this was also my first time to ever eat here)! I ordered 4 regular tacos: tripa, chicharonnes, cabeza and cachete! They were ready in 5 minutes and were ALL spectacularly mind-blowingly DELICIOUS! I also ordered their special that day: Costillas de Res con Nopalitos (Beef Ribs with Cactus) which came with Mexican rice and beans---another amazing winning dish!!! Last, I had the Caldo de Pescado (Fish Soup)--again, another wonderful dish, which hit the spot since it was cold outside that day! Big delicious chunks of fish and lots of yummy sliced vegetables in a dark hearty broth! My server, Anita, was AWESOME -she was so very pleasant, helpful, quick and attentive; I felt so at home! (Left her a 40% tip!) The dining area had about 10 tables in it. Loved the wall mural showing a Mexican countryside! The restaurant, overall, is clean and airy inside--not dark, divey nor depressing like a few other Mexican restaurants I've been to in the past. I am planning on coming back a lot more--like tomorrow/this weekend!!! This place is definitely a hidden gem in the boring, outdated, un-hip bastion of banality that is Palatine! It's in the strip plaza that has Morkes Chocolate Shop in it; that plaza is across the street/road from a Napleton Mazda dealership. This place fills up quickly once 5 pm hits! I was definitely the only gringo in the whole place who didn't drive a big cool pickup, so that for me, was a very welcome sign that I had eaten some truly authentic and most excellent Mexican cuisine!!! Can't wait to...

We got takeout from here tonight for the first time. My partner went in to get the food and ordered three burritos with everything plus rice and cilantro and onions on all. Only one burrito came with cilantro and the others did not come with any of the extra toppings we asked for. They were also missing sour cream. Beyond that, the burritos were just objectively terrible - the steak was chewy and tasted like nothing and their green sauce had absolutely no flavor. there was no seasoning on anything. I called to see if they would be willing to give us a partial refund or remake the order or something, but the man who picked up the phone started arguing with me right off the bat even though I was just trying to explain what was missing. He called me “honey” in a condescending way several times, treated me like I was stupid, and was clearly looking for a fight as soon as I started talking. I guess customer service is dead. I love supporting local and small businesses, but take your money elsewhere. Raul’s burrito express in wauconda is consistent, delicious, and the staff is so kind. I would suggest you spend your money there or honestly anywhere else instead. im really sorry that the man that answers the phone is so unhappy with his life, i hope things turn around...

BEST BURRITOS IN THE SUBURBS. I have tried popular authentic Mexican places in almost every suburb. Let me tell you, NOTHING beats this burrito. The chicken is so good and juicy but my personal favorite is the steak because i feel like steak is scary to try at places but their streak is delicious. I also ask them to crisp up the sides for me and they do it with no problem. I could eat here everyday if i wanted. AND the prices are so reasonable.

5 MONTHS LATER JUNE 17TH 2023

I finally decided to go out again for burritos here, I was so excited but extremely disappointed. I got my regular large steak burrito with everything on it. When i got to eating it, I automatically noticed a difference. First, the sauce in the cups was extremely watered down. Also the whole thing lacked any flavor, even basic salt and pepper. It just tasted so bland. I’m not sure if it was just a bad day for them or what. Also i payed around 33$ for 2 burritos and fries. Not sure if that’s too much considering recent inflation but definitely think it’s more than it was 5 months ago.

Just Sad thinking it might...