Chapala Restaurant

Hubby and I were deciding where to have dinner. I was craving Mexican food and lamenting the fact that Waukegan doesn't have any Mexican restaurants I'm highly fond of. So we decided to try the first Mexican restaurant we came across and give it a shot!

We were on Grand Ave and tried at the Chapala. At first glance it's an unassuming place - big for the 7 people that were there. Murals on the wall of a fishing expedition of some sort and the other wall had pictures of kids (possibly related to the owners?). There was camera equipment in the back of the the restaurant so I'm not sure if they have some side business going with that... anyway... who knows.

On to the food. I tend to rate my Mexican restaurants by the chips and salsa they serve. If the chips are good and the salsa is rockin' I start feeling good right away.  We had 3 salsas to choose from. One was your basic tomatillo sauce; the other was a red salsa; and the last one was a salsa made from blackened chile de arbol. All the salsas were tasty and spicy! Very good. They weren't runny/watery. Good consistency. The chips were also crisp and warm.

I wasn't super hungry so I ordered a basic Taco el Pastor dinner for $7.99. My husband had the Tampiqueña (carne asada and enchilada).  The dishes came out fairly quickly and they did a great job with presentation. Everything was set nicely on the plate. I was taken aback at the size of the tacos. They were tiny. But they were tasty! Had I known they had the $1 tacos I would have ordered 3-4 of them and skipped on the rice and beans. But I wasn't aware of the $1 deal (maybe it doesn't apply on Saturdays). Like I said, the tacos were good and so was the rice, as well as the beans.

My husband liked his carne asada. It was cooked just right. Not gummy or tough. It was well-seasoned and it was a nice size. It also came with the enchilada, which he didn't finish cause he forgot to ask them not to add the powdered cheese. I took a bite of it and it was good. A bit small, but, again, tasty. He said the rice needed some more cooking time. i thought it only needed a bit of salt.

The servers, which seemed to be the owners, were very gracious and attentive. They were also the cooks! :) Everything seemed like "home". The salsas tasted like my parent's, the meat was cooked like dad cooks his, and the beans tasted fresh.

We will definitely come back, as we were excited to find a good Mexican restaurant in Waukegan! I know people have their favorites in the area, but I'm quite particular about Mexican food so I don't frequent some of the local establishments.

Will recommend to family and friends!

great place to come eat 1$ dollar tacos.I don't know about the rest of the menu, but Im addicted to their tacos and salsa.me and my dorky friend approve of their delisciousness :p