Kie-Gol-Lanee — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

Where to begin. I visited on a Sunday with a party of three. We were quickly seated. There were about 4 tables open which was a good sign. A packed restaurant must mean the food is good, right?

I ordered the steak tacos along with a horchata and an alcoholic beverage. The food arrived promptly. I’d say we waited about 7 to 10 minutes for that. My horchata arrived just before the food. My alcoholic beverage was nonexistent. I had to inform the waitress to cancel it as I had already finished my food.

Onto the food. The plate was 3 steak tacos with a small bowl of beans. This was $20 for three tacos and a bowl of beans about the size of 3 tablespoons. Now, I’m giving the benefit of the doubt in assuming the cost is due to fresh ingredients being used. Fine. Let’s move on.

My aunt ordered two martinis. Tell me why they were $16 dollars each?! That’s absurd. Saba, the Italian place on Milwaukee Ave, doesn’t even charge that much AND they ask you what type of vodka you’d like. Unacceptable for it to be so expensive.

Moving on.

The atmosphere was typical of a normal Mexican restaurant. It was loud. There was the usual art on the walls. At least they weren’t blaring music. There was no music. It sounded more like a high school cafeteria with all the loud talking, children on iPads playing loud games, and so on. They seemed to be pretty accommodating to large parties that show up spur of the moment. That’s nice of them.

Onto my food. The steak tacos were absolutely dry. The meat was tough to chew as though it was overcooked. The black beans were very good, just didn’t have enough to enjoy. The hot sauces they offer are definitely meant for amateur heat eaters. Lots of flavor in the sauces, but no heat whatsoever. That’s fine I guess. I also ordered a side of grilled onions. That tiny bowl was $5! I counted 3 cebollitas. Are you kidding me?! A bunch at ANY Mexican store is $1 for 10! I paid $5 for 3 grilled onions. That was insulting.

For my aunt, she said she found the food to be okay. It wasn’t anything special. She enjoyed the taste of her martinis, but it’s quite difficult to screw that up.

My wife enjoyed her food. She said it was good. That’s about it. You should know something about her. She’s a very well known food critic and has over 3 million followers. She won’t be critiquing this place since she doesn’t believe it deserves her attention. I guess that’s good?

All in all, if you’re Mexican, don’t eat here. The tacos at Carniceria Guanajuato are FAR superior to these. They’re just a few minutes north of here. If you’re Caucasian, give it a shot. They seem to cater to older white folks.

I should also mention, that physical location had gone through 4 different brands within the last 7ish years. I’m fairly certain this current company is just a rebranding of the last business.

The prices are most likely due to the use of fresh ingredients.

The alcoholic beverages are extremely overpriced.

The food was mediocre, but maybe it was just a bad day.

The ambiance is lacking and far too loud with conversations.

As a closing note, this is all coming from a Mexican male, a Mexican aunt, and a white wife. My grandmother owned a Michelin star restaurant and I had the honor of learning and making her recipes. I’m by no means an expert, but I know today wasn’t a good day in...

People dine out for different reasons, and my top three are as follows:

Service – I want to be served; otherwise, I’ll stay home and cook for myself. Experience – The excitement of visiting a place that’s trending. Taste – To try something different from what I typically make at home. Service is the most important factor for me, and unfortunately, this place was disappointing. I am basing this review on the server we had, but from what I observed, the waitstaff doesn’t visit the tables often enough, at least not to keep up with drink refills. The restaurant is small, with maybe 15 tables, and that evening only 6 tables were being served. There were 4-5 waiters.

Experience – I have to say, the food was decent, though definitely overpriced for what it was.

For the Botanas portion of the menu, we ordered the Tostadas de Ceviche de Camaron. The ceviche portion on each tostada was very small—you could clearly see that each tostada was barely filled. At $20, it wasn’t worth the price.

I ordered the Tlayuda de Arrachera for $28. I expected it to be packed with meat for that price, but I was disappointed. They placed only small, random pieces of arrachera on the dish—I'd estimate there was less than ¼ pound of it. I do not recommend it; it's far too expensive for what you get.

One person ordered the Enchiladas de Pollo for $26, which was also overpriced. However, it was the best dish of the meal. The mole was exceptional—one of the best I’ve ever tasted at a restaurant. It’s served on a skillet, which helps it stay warm until the end.

Another person ordered the Chuletas de Puerco for $27. While it was also pricey for the amount of food, the dish was flavorful, and the Oaxaca cheese added a nice touch. However, none of us could taste or find any chorizo.

Finally, the last person ordered Arrachera Tacos for $20. The price wasn’t the issue—many taco places now charge $4-$5 per taco. What stood out, though, was that the four tacos had more meat than the $28 Tlayuda, though the meats didn’t seem to be the same. We’re unsure whether the tacos were actually made with arrachera.

Overall, this place didn’t stand out. It feels like another trendy spot that’s getting attention due to social media, but it doesn’t offer anything...

I hate being nickel and dimed! I also hate it when people who interact with the public don’t speak English. I also hate the 3 percent surcharge for credit cards! I was not offered chips and salsa. They wanted my drink order though! The drinks were loaded with ice to water it down but it was hard to get ice for the water. Had to ask several times. We ordered guacamole and chips. It came with 4 chips?!?! Really?? To get chips you had to pay $5!! The appetizers came at the same time as dinner. I asked the woman where the mole sauce was and no speak English. The tamales were wrapped in placemat sized plantain leaves. They never offered to remove the leaves from the table ( of which there were 4) but they were always trying to grab my drink and meal away from me. At least they were loud and clear on the surcharge. The place was loud and dreary inside but too hot to eat out. Won’t bother to go back. There are plenty of other places. They have responded to my review and - The Waitress was proficient in English. You just assumed I meant her. There were several other people who waited on us. You did not bring chips until I asked. We were drinking and I like to eat something to get something in my stomach so I don’t get tipsy. By the time the guacamole came ( with 4 chips) we had almost finished the chips I had to ask for. It is rather silly to penalize people because 1- the guacamole says it comes with chips and it should 2- you make more profit on alcohol than chips so logically, you would want people to drink. Yes, the surcharge is listed on the menu. That doesn’t mean that I still feel nickel and dimed. Yes, the tamales are wrapped in leaves. My point is that the staff should have been as eager to grab those off the table instead of grabbing my drink I wasn’t done with, my ice I wasn’t done with, or the guacamole I...