Reviews of XOCO (Restaurant)

Heather Carper

The young lady behind the counter was helpful and friendly. She was patient while we pondered over our decision. The tacos were delicious. The juice that was recommended to us was ice cold and refreshing. Would definitely recommend.

Hilman Suradja

Amazing Mexican food in Chicago. Try the carnitas soup. It was so refreshing with very clean yet flavorful broth. Great for cold weather. The churros is so delicious no wonder it is famous.

Kiran Govani

Great good. The salad was perfect portion with crispy grilled chicken

Tiffany Lam

Short rib tacos were so flavorful and the portions are generous. The short ribs are so tender i still want more! The churros were pretty sweet, so much so that when i drank my iced mint tasted bitter lol. I recommend trying the all dressed guac as well if you have the appetite

Chris Totzke

Always a great spot for a quick Tex mex dish with a twist. I think it’s moderately priced for what you get. My done-in experience was good, but would just rather get it to go and not deal with the process.

Jorge Monroy

Awesome food. Mexican with a little bit of a twist. The fully clothed guacamole changed my life. The only downside is that they have bar style seatimg instead of tables, but I loved it anyway.

Aaron Clewell

Fast and delicious. The rare quick service restaurant that succeeds in making you feel welcome.

Sergio Moraes

Great comfort food and nice, refreshing drinks.

Blaise Younce

Brought my sister here for her birthday, and apart from the slightly confusing seating arrangements (you wait in line until a place is ready and then order) the food was amazing! I wish they had one of these everywhere. Food is locally sourced and freshly prepared, I had the short rib tacos which were 4 for $12, and they were fantastic! Drinks were good, only two options. A paloma and a margarita, but both were delicious! No beer for us, but some Mexican specialties were available.

Armin Broubakarian

The tortas (they are all goooooooood) are out of this world. I would also recommend trying the vegetable soup. The staff is super friendly and the atmosphere is really good.

Mike Hurley

Perhaps my favorite place for lunch downtown. Best hot chocolate ever with the fresh cocoa and chilles. Unrivaled.

Andrew Nguyen

Churros are overpriced and don't live up to the hype. The sandwiches are worth the price, though.

Gerardo huerta

Short ribs tacos delicious, small place but very well organized, hostess always smiling

Fred Goldstein

Tasty traditional Mexican foods with a twist. Very high quality ingredients.

Carol Thompson

Great fresh Mexican food. And good drinks. They even have a happy hour.

Rob Hernandez

Oh my! The food is like your in Mexico!(Well the Mexico I remember) Very good! We had the carnitas tacos and the short rib tacos!

Eduardo Prats

Has been our favorite Mexican place for many years. The best chicken milanesa torta in the United States and their tacos are absolutely fantastic. Hands down best Mexican food place in Chicago. Love it!!!!

AJ Johri

Great food and drinks. Seating n customer service is Ok

Ryan Ouderkirk

XOCO is a classic pricey Mexican food spot in the heart of Chicago. Honestly didn't really enjoy the fast food vibe and sit down restaurant prices, but the food is pretty good. Fun to try, but wouldn't make my go to Mexican spot.

Ben Husmann

A gem. For 20% more than fast casual chain food you can have a culinary experience that you'll be reflecting on fir the rest of the day. Used to be this place was too crowded to reliably have a work day lunch, not anymore. It's still usually busy but there's no wait. Highly recommend!!!!

cheree angus

This was my first time to Xoco. We ordered the Pepito torta and the Friday special, Shrimp torta....with Churro's of course!!! The food was AMAZING. I was not expecting such great flavors for a takeout type of place. The head Chef, Kris, was SUPER friendly and very accommodating. We had to catch a plane and asked for silverware. He gave us actual silverware....not plastic!!! What a GREAT place. Everyone was super friendly....will be back soon!!!! Thanks Kris!!!

Min Kim

Great Tacos. Awesome vibe.

Chris Maertz

Although it is a little confusing how to order and where to sit in this small, corner restaurant, it is entirely worth it! The food is fresh and delicious. I highly recommend the soups and the loaded guacamole. But, you really can't go wrong with anything. Rick Bayless (founder of Frontera Grill next door) is a genius and his dishes are so very good.

Kiersten Sattler

My boyfriend and I went here for lunch on a Friday. We really liked the set up of how they took orders (counter service), but still had a process to ensure patrons were seated. It was efficient! We split an appetizer and tacos. I’m from California so a bit particular about Mexican food. I would say the tacos were solid, but not great. One thing I would change is how all taco orders come in fours. I would rather them be in twos so you can mix and match if you would like, and four is a bit much for lunch. I haven’t been here for dinner, but would recommend it be added to the work lunch rotation if you work nearby.

Kathie Mason

So much flavor! Good service and not too much of a wait for Friday night

Ashruf Saadeddin

Seemed a little disorganized when I entered. It's counter service, but I had to wait at the door for someone to tell me what table number I should give at the counter. Everything else went much smoother. Ordered the churros, a bit too hard, so they were just okay. Restaurant is in a good area with many bustling options for food. I'd probably give this place another chance to wow me, but for now it was just okay.

Jon Nasella

Had the baja chicken torta and it was very good but kinda small for the price.

srinivas aripirala

Really nice Mexican sandwich place. Also love their chicken tortilla soup. Just amazing.

Arturo Campuzano

Great food and nice service

Rafael Morataya

This restaurant has elevated every Mexican dish on the menu; very delicious food, definitely a place to return.

Antonio Reyes

Great taste but it's a Mexican restaurant in downtown Chicago so the sizes are shrunk down to help with their profits....that being said the fos is delicious and their customer service is on point.

Cesar Ruano

Great food!! Great service a must go to place if visiting Chicago!!

SJ

Freshly prepared food with locally grown foods. Very tasty too.

Kyle Zofinski

Definitely have to go for the churros at the very least. Everything looked absolutely delicious! I went for lunch with a friend and I got the short rib tacos. They were tasty and plentiful. Little pricy but it's river north so that's normal. The normal churros were warm and almost melted in your mouth. I got the chocolate dipping sauce but it wasnt your typical chocolate. Little more bitter with almost a mocha taste. Worked perfectly with the churros!

Rich Hill

Food was great that I could eat being gluten free, this place was one of my need to go places after learning that Rick Bayless owned it

Adam Gerstner

Yum! You can't go wrong here... But get the cubano and the churro with chocolate. You won't regret it.

Tina Figueroa

I’ve been here three times now and I’ve always had an awesome meal! I like the format of service here; you order your food at the counter and then get a number fast food style. The food is far better than fast food though! Their churros are awesome and I recommend this place to anyone looking for quick and delicious food!

Mari M

The service, food, and place was great in general. The food that I ordered was really good, along with the options on what to eat. The only thing that wasn't really good was the kind of loud music. Other than that really fast seating. 5/5

Eric Gross

I love the food here, especially breakfast, but I hate the seating. My family of 4 had to sit facing a wall on barstools last time I went. Not comfortable and difficult to talk to each other. Everything else about the place is awesome, I just wish the layout wasn't so weird.

Er

The food is amazing. The sauces are perfection.

Tony Morris

Delicious tacos and churros. Soft serve ice cream was amazing.

Camille Reinhold

Excellent Mexican food; very fresh, high-quality food and authentic culturally. Love it. Magnifico!

Juan Gonzalez

Worst Pozole I have ever tasted in my life.If I could give it negative stars I would. The broth was diluted, no flavor, only had hominy no meat. It was overwhelmingly salty. Gave us 1/4 of lime. Terrible

Bill

The food was very good. However, one of our sandwiches came out looking very plain, and I thought maybe it was someone else's order. The server insisted that it was the one we had ordered, the Saturday social. I showed him all the toppings that were listed on the menu for that sandwich, and he grudgingly took it away. He came back a few minutes later having thrown on some avocado pieces and said something like, "Now it has avocados on it." I can't blame the restaurant for this next thing, but people walking by the outdoor seating on the sidewalk kept trying to eat our chips.

ANDRES MONTOYA

Incredible place. The food is perfect. The atmosphere and staff ate excellent. You can't go wrong here.

Larry Brooke

Fantastic food quality for the price. Very unique dishes in a good way and almost gourmet. Hip with lively music, outdoor seating available, and some drink selections of Mexico brands.

Nicole du Maine

This was some of the best Mexican food I've ever had in my life. It was completely unexpected too. We went on a whim from a suggestion from a friend. It definitely did not disappoint. The things the chef is able to do with vegetables, it's crazy. And I am the furthest thing from a vegetarian. We had a churros for dessert, pistachio glazed and regular with soft serve. They aren't pictures unfortunately, but they were absolutely incredible. You have to go here, you have to try it all. And luckily the prices so affordable you'll be able to do just that.

Giovanni De Vita

Great food and you can tell from a mile away because the place is usually packed, which is the only downside. They have a wide variety of traditional Mexican food with unique twists. Highly recommend if passing by.

Jason Darby

This place blows me away every time I'm here. The flavors are out of this world. Pick anything on the menu...can't go wrong.

Robert Pisciotti

Stopped here for a late dinner, the food was very good and the entire group were very happy with the quality and price of the menu. The staff was very friendly and accommodating our group 7.

Tricia Lunski

We had a frustrating experience. My son ordered shrimp cocktail and the woman said are you sure you only want that? And he confirmed yes. We notice 3 times she forgot our other child’s order, but we caught that one. So we all get our food and no shrimp. So we ask, it was never ordered so the woman comes out to get our credit card and we ask for our desserts at that time, she says yes, no problem. So shrimp comes out but no dessert. We ask again, she never put the order in. So we wait even longer. Then my husband says to the host. We have been waiting for an hour and 15 minutes for dessert and finally it arrives. Food was good but service was not having a good night.

Samuel Waggoner

I had no idea what to expect walking in. Apparently you are supposed to get a table number before you order, but you can also order first and they will assign you a table. The menu is extensive, and there are options for everyone! I saw families with small kids, business people and friends meeting for a drink when I arrived. I ordered too much for one person - short rib tacos (4 per order!), chips and guac, a Paloma (tequila and grapefruit), and a pistachio churro. I ended up taking half the tacos and churro to go. The Paloma was small, but that’s expected now for a drink unfortunately. Everything tasted and looked excellent, no issues to be found!

Mark Supanich

The seafood cocktail rojo had plenty of shrimp and scallops but the sauce was flavorless. We were excited to try the Saturday goat barbacoa torta, but the goat was flavorless. Sad face.

John Sanchez

Authentic Mexican food. Fast, friendly service. Be sure to get the Churros!

Charlie Gordon

I don’t know you pronounce “XOCO” but I do know how to pronounce “delicious”. Authentic Mexican cuisine meets Soviet politics with this classy little joint. Just don’t order chips if you sit outside, people will try and snatch them away!

Rosana Vemmer

Always a fan of Xoco. Since their opening always great food.

matthew han

It was good... but I don’t really get the hype yet. Carried out, they got my order wrong and took 20 more minutes than the estimated time to get my food to me. I’ll try again sometime when I dine in, but otherwise I kinda regret coming here.

Richard Vogt

The black bean with carnita caldo was fantastic as well as their hot chocolate. My kids got the Ahogada and the Chicken Tinga tacos and they loved them...home made tortillas, and wonderful toppings on the tacos.

Chris Crowley

Delicious food and drinks. Aztec hot chocolate pictured. It's a little confusing for people when you enter. You stand in line for the cashier and the host will ask you if you plan to sit down to eat. If you do, he'll give you a number for the seating position. The cashier will ask for that. After you take your seat, you can order additional drinks and desserts... So don't get back in line or worry about dessert unless you are in a rush. Everything is well prepared, but, it's "fast food". If you want a restaurant dining experience, go to Frontera or Topolobampo. I'll usually pick Topolobampo or Xoco depending on my mood and amount of time I want to spend eating.

Amal Hussain

The pozole and Baja chicken sandwich are excellent. Churros are a must-try! So so delicious when they're hot!!

Nimesh G

This place is awesome, good food friendly service. Be patient and they will find you a place to seat.

David Hong

Incredible restaurant experience. It's just classy enough that you can come and not feel like it's a sit down restaurant but fancy enough that it's not Chipotle. Food is pretty good. I love their outdoor seating.

Stephen Huber

Fantastic food at a decent price, with great happy hour specials. The guacamole is fantastic, and every sandwich I’ve ordered has been delicious

Aaron Wagner

The hot chocolate and churros were really good. The other breakfast items we had were good but nothing to write home about.

Jessica Vanahill

Atmosphere is a bit much and food is decent.

Stephen M

Saw Rick Bayless in XOCO sampling things with one spoon. When you sample an item please get a new spoon. He tasted multiple things to make sure it tasted right. That is a good chef. However don't put your same tasting spoon in another area. I like this place come here a lot

Stephanie Pitts

mexican food, yeah, very delicious. I love this place, great food & service. Really nothing but enjoyable experiences here, I'll be back. This place has a cool design. Mood here reminds me of Colorado Springs area.

Duane Markley

A great place n friendly staff n fast service . Tacos at happy hour are really worth it .

rogelio vazquez

great food, but poor logistics. the hostess had no idea they had my order ready. she even asked me and still they could not locate my order, I spent about 30 minutes waiting for an order that was ready, they knew the order had been sitting there and decided it was ok to serve it like that. thank you for wasting my time and for the mollete ice cream bar...

Julio Alvarez Sr.

Saturday special Chilaquiles and the scramble eggs bowl with chorizo was delicioso!!!

Matt Rebmann

Wednesday torta special - wood-roasted suckling pig sandwich with achiote, black beans, pickled onion and habanero - was excellent. And don't forget the bean-to-cup chocolate, aztec-style. Delish!

Katherine Schell

Love their chips, guacamole, habanero sauce. The Crispy Chicken is the perfect compliment to many of the salads. The Xoco is my favorite. We love to squeeze lime on our chips there. The staff is very friendly and you can get in and out of here very quickly during the week.

Alex Kemper

Always a delicious meal. I recommend going on a nice day and sitting outside.

Hazim Jokhadar

Amazing! Really cool place, great ambiance, and beyond than tasty food. I tried the Pepito sandwich. Highly recommended. Will definitely come back for more.

Mona Oommen

Our favorite place to take visitors and our favorite place when we're craving delicious authentic Mexican (healthy) food. Space is tight so don't go if you have more than 4 people. You will have to share tables if it's just 1 or 2 people. The food is absolutely worth standing in line for and you know Rick Bayless is a good employer because his employees are happy people!

Natalie Pao

It's decent Mexican food. I didn't find anything particularly amazing, though ti was all fine. The seasonal salad at the time was octopus salad. They were heavy handed with the dressing, which made it very sour. The short rib tacos are good too. Overall, was not too impressed.

Ian CransonsKnees

Visited Xoco as we were stopping in the Aloft hotel a block along and had seen the place reviewed by Action Bronson. Enjoyed French toast for breakfast with a side of bacon and coffee. Toast had an almost custard like texture which was unexpected but made a nice change. To be honest a single side of bacon would be enough for two people. Very reasonably priced, spotlessly clean. Would recommend a visit.

Chris Brickey

We found this place after a horrible experience down the street at barrio. The food was way cheaper and the service was amazing. We had a one year old with us and they were very accommodating. They searched all over for a high chair and got us 1 as we sat down. We then needed to feed our daughter an avocado and they brought us a very fresh sliced 1 for her to eat. We will definitely go back next time we are in Chicago and I highly recommend

Dheeraj Narla

I really liked the ambiance & outdoor seating however the food tasted sour. I had Baja Chicken Sandwich with Chips & Salsa. Their green & red sauces were also sour, not my palate. Few people may like it but for me it was OK.

david kutcipal

Went there for breakfast. I hand their version of avocado toast which was excellent. My son tried the French toast with bacon which he loved. Will definitely be going back.

Matthew Allison

Very good food but a bit pricey

Chui Ming Tang

Came here to grab a quick lunch and was not disappointed! The moment you enter, you are greeted and given a table number to mention with your order so they know where to bring your food. Service was great - the hostess even let my friend join me at the front of the line when he arrived late, so we could place our order together. We chose to sit outside in the “patio seating” which is very comfy on a nice day. Despite how busy the restaurant was, our food came out quick. We had the pork arabe torta, grilled sweet corn calda (soup), chocolate cafe con leche and then a hazelnut glazed churro to go. I loved the torta! The pork is soft and right amount of patty and the sauce has a nice kick. The bread is crunchy and satisfying. Good portion size. The sweet corn calda was also tasty. Would have been nice with a side of bread or something to help fill up. The chocolate cafe con leche tastes more strongly of coffee than chocolate but has a chocolate aftertaste. I actually really like it because it’s not too sweet. Finally, we had the glazed churro, which must be made fresh because it took some time to come out. It tastes good but down side the glaze is not dried so it would be messy to eat with your hands.

Jenny Felix

terrible place. bread damn near ripped my gum open and it looked expired. 0/10 do not recommend

Brian Kononchuk

Soups were so flavorful. Churros are beautifully done and light. Highly recommend them

amy mc

We got Huevos Rancheros and a Breakfast Taco and a Classic Chocolate. Fast service, fresh ingredients. Open air kitchen let’s you know how clean this place is. We went at 9:30 on a Saturday morning and there was no wait. Friendly staff. Cheap too - our bill was just over $20

Kaelin Kane

Delicious food, delicious chocolate and super friendly staff.

A D

Chicken tinga was good, quantity was less though; could do with 1-2 more tacos. Churros were good, especially the thick creamy sauce. Liked the side salad, would have been helped by a bit of cheese though.

Mark Lewis

The food was good, not great. But the service was terrible. You have to order dessert with the meal, but they served one of our entrees, then the dessert, and the second ten minutes later.

Shaley Sogan

Good quality food and margaritas were awesome

Sarah

Such fresh mexican food. Great for a summer day. Love the tortas and guacamole!

Juan Cepero

Food was great, period. Don't think any further and definitely give this place a try. I came for the first time with a friend and the food was full of spices and flavors. It was all delicious and we left feeling great!

Omar Reyez

I went there and waited 20 minutes just to get my dish, the restaurant was empty-ish but anyway after a long wait, I tried the torta ahogada, it had nothing to do with a real torta ahogada, pork meat is not supposed to shred, it has to be covered in salsa, it goes with lime spiced onions at least and hey one last thing, when I ordered I said not mild but very spicy/hot whatever, after the 20 minute wait they brought it and the sauce was just plain tomato sauce then I asked one of the servers hey I asked the torta to be very spicy can you get me hot sauce, he brought a little container with a red sauce, again very different from what it's supposed to be and of course not spicy at all as I finished it al. Very disappointed, definitely the restaurant should change the name of the dish or do it right, it looked and tasted like a one youtube-based dish at best.

James Hall

Great food, great prices, but drink sizes were all too small.

Kinjal Shah

The food was decent and the churros were excellent. My only complaint is that two people received and finished their food before the third meal, which was soup, came out. The third person was done eating before the last meal, also soup, was delivered to us. We asked the server twice to tell us what was going on, but received no explanation. The manager apologized after we complained.

Andrew Levine

First time back at Xoco and it remains delicious. They serve tacos full time now which is a life changer for me. Hand made tortillas make all the difference (of course the filling was perfect as well). The line is a bit goofy though. I'm assuming it's a table management issue to keep it moving so slowly but it kinda harshed the vibe to wait so long to order. Unclear if the cashier is always also the bartender or if they were short staffed. But the flawless tacos make it all worth it.

Ed Baker

Food was great despite being packed in around lunch time (understandable)

Jeffrey Byron

Awesome staff, well organized, clean, delicious food! Dining there or on the go! Loved the artwork that adorns the walls.

Sravya Mummaneni

There are places you go just for food and this is one of those places. Service is bad and all over the place. We ordered chips, coffee and some food. My coffee came cold and chips came 20 minutes later after multiple requests since we saw people who were seated after us get their orders. The ordering system is so bad. Food was ok.Dont think I'll ever go back.