The Best Mexican Restaurants in Chicago (2026)

We read 400 reviews across 40 Mexican businesses in Chicago to tell traditional cooking from competent Tex-Mex. With addresses and what customers actually say.

The short answer

If you only read one paragraph: for mole, Yvolina's Tamales; for cochinita, Mis Moles Restaurant.

How we put this list together

We did not sort by stars. We took the 40 Mexican businesses we have mapped in Chicago, read 400 Google reviews on September 9, 2026, and looked for four specific things in the text: several different customers describing traditional cooking, mentions of a neighborhood or family-run place, regional dishes named outright, and handmade tortillas or nixtamalized masa.

Then we adjusted the rating: a 5.0 with twelve reviews is not the same as a 4.6 with three thousand. And we subtracted points for Tex-Mex markers - legitimate cooking, but not what you came here for.

To be clear: this is not a verdict on who cooks best. It is what the reviews said on one specific day.

Yvolina's Tamales

814 W 18th St. Rated 4.6 from 600 Google reviews.

4 of the 10 reviews we read mention traditional cooking, family ownership or handmade tortillas; and customers name specific dishes: mole, tamales.

Mis Moles Restaurant

3661 N Elston Ave. Rated 4.6 from 502 Google reviews.

4 of the 10 reviews we read mention traditional cooking, family ownership or handmade tortillas; and customers name specific dishes: mole, cochinita, mariscos.

La Casa de Samuel

2834 W Cermak Rd. Rated 4.2 from 2,286 Google reviews.

7 of the 10 reviews we read mention traditional cooking, family ownership or handmade tortillas; and customers name specific dishes: mole.

Birrieria Zaragoza

4852 S Pulaski Rd. Rated 4.7 from 896 Google reviews.

2 of the 10 reviews we read mention traditional cooking, family ownership or handmade tortillas; and customers name specific dishes: birria.

Taqueria El Milagro

1923 S Blue Island Ave. Rated 4.6 from 3,084 Google reviews.

2 of the 10 reviews we read mention traditional cooking, family ownership or handmade tortillas; and customers name specific dishes: mole.

Canton Regio

1510 W 18th St. Rated 4.4 from 3,845 Google reviews.

4 of the 10 reviews we read mention traditional cooking, family ownership or handmade tortillas; and customers name specific dishes: arrachera.

Chilam Balam

3023 N Broadway St. Rated 4.5 from 781 Google reviews.

2 of the 10 reviews we read mention traditional cooking, family ownership or handmade tortillas; and customers name specific dishes: mole.

Nuevo Leon

1101 W 18th St. Rated 4.6 from 997 Google reviews.

2 of the 10 reviews we read mention traditional cooking, family ownership or handmade tortillas; and customers name specific dishes: pan dulce.

Big Star

1531 N Damen Ave. Rated 4.4 from 4,457 Google reviews.

2 of the 10 reviews we read mention traditional cooking, family ownership or handmade tortillas.

L'Patron Tacos

2825 W Diversey Ave. Rated 4.4 from 2,294 Google reviews.

customers name specific dishes: al pastor.

Where to buy the ingredients

If you want to cook it at home, we have 23 Mexican grocery stores mapped in Chicago. For what you cannot find there, see our guides to Mexican ingredients at Walmart and dried chiles in US supermarkets, both with real prices.

Frequently asked questions

How many Mexican places are there in Chicago?

We have 40 mapped, 10 of which are covered here. The full list, with addresses and hours, is in our Chicago directory.

How often is this updated?

Ratings and review counts are from September 9, 2026. Businesses close and change hands: if you find something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.