If you are looking for authentic Mexican food and great service --this is the place to go!! Â I have eaten at Taco Real for over 30 years. Â The food is consistently good and the friendly wait staff have been there for years. Â If is very comfortable and relaxing place to go with friends and family. Â I love the pork dinners--burritos,tostados and tacos. Â The pork is tender and tasty. On weekends try the flautas!! Â I have celebrated many birthdays and other important events there without complaint
Review Source:It looks legit. Â It's owned by Mexicans, Mexicans work here, blah blah. Â Everyone in the area is obsessed with it. Â I'm not going to knock it-- I came here for, like, my tenth birthday I think. Â And it was always a special occasion when we came here when I was a kid.
But in reality, Â yeah, the salsa is CLEARLY canned. Â The chips are NOT homemade. Â Immediately, those two factors-- the first things you are presented with --turn me off. Â
I would be lying, however, if I said that I didn't absolutely LOVE their tostadas or the fresh queso they serve you with sliced jalepenos. Â Their margaritas will knock you off your feet.... but yet they don't even have horchata. Â
So I have mixed feelings.  My non-Mexican friends love it.  I go with them, and I indulge in the tostadas.  My Mexican friends, though, opt for the supermarket place across the street (Super Avenida, I think it's called?) where the salsa is never the same, because they make it fresh daily with whatever they have on hand, and the gorditas will give you an ataque del corazón.
AND... if nachos are what you're looking for, you have to go to Adrian's in East Chicago. Â No excuses.
Having been a customer of this restaurant for over 30 years, I believe El Taco Real has the most authentic country Mexican food anyplace in the United States. Â Love their potatoes in their beef tacos (Grandma's recipe) along with their enchiladas and the nachitos. Raymundo Garcia is a gracious host. Karen always brings a delightful smile to the dining experience as well. This family owned and operated restaurant epitomizes the "Buy Local" attitude and deserves the support of all within Northwest Indiana.
Review Source:Been coming here for years and have had the chance to watch it change with the times. Raymundo Garcia started this place in 1974 with his dad - and continues on today; you'll often see him (6'2" or so and with a ponytail) seating customers and working the crowd. Now to the food - excellent and authentic Mexican food ... just like mom would make. We especially like the queso fundido and the nachitos with pork - two appetizers that please. Whether you like tostadas or tacos or burritos, ETR will satisfy your desire for Mexican food - and they'll do it fast. The margaritas are very nice - but the prices have risen while the portions have declined ... surely a sign of the times and success. People beat a path to ETR's door from Illinois and Indiana - so you know the food is good. The owner has resisted going for the franchise play - and we are glad. He has done a wonderful job keeping up the quality and service at the original - and it is worth the drive. By the way - the chips are very nice ... the salsa is pretty much spicy tomato sauce ... get the pico de gallo which really adds to the tastebud party. They also have a little queso fresco cheese and jalapeno pepper dish that adds a nice counterpoint to the pico de gallo. Get it all. While the neighborhood seems a bit cheesy, it is safe by the restaurant. Don't be afraid to bring the kids.
Review Source:I understand that some the reviews are not in favor of this restaurant. I recently went back to this restaurant a few weeks ago and have to say, yes, it has changed. The portions are smaller but I noticed the flavor was still there. The chips and salsa(?) they give you are ok. The burritos were still tasty but a lot smaller in size. Â When I visited this restaurant last time, I was dating my wife and she had a taste for a burrito. Â I asked why her mother couldn't make it and she informed me that she doesn't make them as well as Taco Real. BTW, my wife is a mexican. I also noticed that they have newer cooks so I'm thinking the original cooks are either retired or passed on. We're talking 20 year lag here between visits. But over all I still would recommend this restaurant to anyone that has a taste for mexican food.
Review Source:Love-love-love the fajitas from El Taco Real. Â The queso fundido is also quite tasty, and comes with a choice of flour tortillas or chips. Â The place is very family-oriented, so the noise level can vary. Â The area is slightly dodgy as noted by other reviewers, but really not too bad. Â I usually opt for carry-out, but have had good service on the few dine-in occasions.
Just one caveat: Â CALL AHEAD to see if they are open. Â The website lists the normal hours, but not exceptions (such as 'closed for Father's Day'). Â We arrived to find three cars in the parking lot, all looking for alternative options since the closure wasn't listed online.
I went back recently and had chile relleno, one of them stuffed with beef. Â I prefer the traditional cheese stuffed pepper, but the beef one was still decent. Â This place is still a favorite for Mexican in the area, and more of a traditional full service restaurant with its own bar area, etc.
Review Source:I agree with the posters who claim this place is seriously overrated. Service has always been good and the place appears clean, but I'm not a fan of the tomato sauce served with chips. This is a good indication of the level of blandness found in the remainder of their menu items. Example: The chicken tacos are quite literally shredded chicken in a taco shell. Period. No spice and definitely no flavor. Not ever having been "south of the border" I have always wondered if this is a true representation of authentic Mexican style cooking.
Review Source:I grew up eating at El Taco Real. Â The red sauce with the chips is fantastic and warm. Â The queso fundido is my standard that all others try to meet. Â The pork is fantastic - I've never eaten pork this great (or even the same style) in any Mexican Restaurant. Â I now live in California but when I visit family in the midwest I make sure to always eat at El Taco Real. Â The waitresses are like family, some have been working there for more than 20 years! Â Go, order anything with pork filling and ENJOY!
Review Source:ETR is ok. It's not great and I don't think it's worth the hype. I think some of you have been living in NW Indiana for too long.
I've been there 3 times, the last time was in Sept. 2011 on my way back from South Bend and it was pouring outside. Wanting to get off the highway and get something to eat, I decided to stop in at ETR. As many have mentioned, this is not the best part of town. Also, the establishment is cheesy looking, but I think it's fairly clean.
The chips and salsa they give you is embarrassing. The salsa looks like crappy tomato juice with no flavor whatsover. The food is decent. The queso appetizers are deadly, but some of the food is so bland and has stuff from a can used in it. I can make that myself at home. There's also some interesting people watching...
Although it's a decent restaurant, I give it three stars.
Being from California, I've seen this type of restaurant far too many times. Â For me, the sit down Mexican place just doesn't seem to work or make sense. Â The food is very typical. Â Every dish comes with some main item and rice and beans. Â There's absolutely nothing unique about this restaurant and it's quite similar to many of the chain sit down Mexican places we have out here. Â I'd much rather go to a hole in the wall joint that serves cheaper, much better, and more authentic Mexican food.
Fajitas are serious business!
This place is excellent. Â We stop here for lunch - food is well priced and service is quick. Â The queso is awesome - great to share. Â The salsa wasn't as hot as I like it, but it actually had FLAVOR (take note, bland chains). Â As I said, the fajitas are huge and tasty. Â I have also had the carne asada (very good) and mole (meh good). Â My only gripe? A dirty, sticky table.
I was a little wary about going to eat lunch in Hammond. There isn't much around there beyond industrial facilities, fireworks shops and fast-food joints. However, the family was meeting in northwest Indiana, so we had to make do with the limited options.
There certainly were not as many vegan options at El Taco Real (only one that I could tell) as are typically found at Mexican restaurants within the city of Chicago. They didn't joke about the veggie-only fajitas being enough for more than one person. I ended up with enough leftovers for about two more meals. There was a huge skillet of green peppers and onions, a plate of rice, lettuce, tomatoes and a lemon wedge, the tortillas and a bowl of beans. The refried beans have lard, but the whole beans don't. The restaurant made the substitution for me.
Interesting little snack served with the chips before we ordered: Granny Smith apple, jicama and cucumbers in lemon juice.
Random decor: There are wooden parrots and other tropical birds hanging from the ceiling about every foot.
This place was great! Â We were a little leery because the area was kind of near an industrial part of town, but the community where the restaurant is was fine. Â
The wait was sort of long. Â We went on a Friday around 5:30/6:00 and there was probably about a 20 minute wait. Â There were a bunch of tables open, but the tables were for a group of 6 to 8 people, and it was only 2. Â They finally sat us at a large table.
The food here was fantastic. Â We usually don't order appetizers, but we got the chorizo and bean one. Â It was awesome. Â I'm still craving it. Â For the main course, I ordered a chicken dish with mole. Â This was also great. Â The rice was really good, but the beans were OK. Â I would rather have had refried. Â Nonetheless, it was very good.
I'd recommend going there and trying it, even though it may be out of the way. Â It's someplace where I know we'll be back!
I'm a HUGE fan of Mexican food. Â It used to be my favorite, but I just cannot seem to find a good "authentic" restaurant to save my life since moving back to NW Indiana.
My cousin said she used to love this place, and I vaguely remember being here years ago. Â I decided to give another try.
I thought the chips and salsa were pretty good. Â Not spicy like I like, but at least the salsa had some flavor.
I had the combo dish where you got a taco, enchilada and tostada with rice and beans. Â Gotta say, it was better than I anticipated. Â The beans tasted as they were made with lard, and the pork meat on the taco and tostada were very tasty. Â It's their signature pork mixture, so if you get undecided on which you should get, I'd ask for this. Â
This place has been around for a LONG time, so they know what they are doing.
The atmosphere of this place hasn't changed, and I like that it has kept it because it makes me nostalgic for something that reminds me of home.
The tortilla chips and salsas--good.
The guacamole and queso fundido--good.
The margaritas--good.
The food in general is good too...but by no means is it thee best Mexican restaurant in the region. Sometimes the little taco places that are little holes in the wall could definitely give this place a run for its money on its tacos and gorditas. By no means does this place give competition to any of the taco places in the city. Sometimes it's better to trek on over into the city and hit up the more flavorful Mexican restaurants or taco stands where you will get a lot more Mexican sabor for your money....it will definitely be worth it.
Why have I stayed away from Taco Real for so long?  I love the atmosphere - hasn't changed it 30 years!  Fake parrots, chili pepper lights, the same plants just bigger and the best not changed  - the waitresses.  Raquel is still my favorite and even though I haven't been there in at least 10 years, she remembers me.
I love the carne asada, queso fundido and quacomole. Â The margharitas are okay - I've had better. Â
Is the food the best? Â Nope - good, but not the best. Wait staff is the best. Â And you just can't beat the ambiance.
Um! Yeeeeeik. I came here with a friend for her birthday and I feel bad because she looked it up on Yelp first. The service was spot on. The chips probably came out of a bag. The lemonade was too watered down. Then I ordered a beef burrito suizo with no beans. My friend had the tamales. I got a burro that looked like it got run over on the highway and covered it with old cheese. It was way to salty and what was suppose to be beef looked like spam. Other than that it didn't have any flavor. The tamales were o.k. She also had the flauta that was as hard as a rock. Really! There is nothing that would bring me back to this place. Did I mention that I was choking in the non-smoking section. I couldn't breath. I will keep my business in Illinois until Indiana get's a clue!
Review Source:I have eaten quite a few tacos and assorted other Mexican fare and have to say that El Taco doesn't do it for me.
My favorite part of this place is their pico/cheese/pickled jalapeno starter trio. Â They do a decent Enchilada plate, but like all of their dishes that I've had, the flavors are pretty bland. Â
Their regular salsa appears to be Hunts tomato sauce fresh from the can. Â The margarita's are overly-sweet and a color of lime green that certainly doesn't appear in nature. Â You get a lot of food, but none of it does anything interesting, and definitely lacks the depth of flavor that I'd like.
Finally, all of the employees are very nice and I have never had a bad experience with the level of service here.
I guess I just don't understand the infatuation with this place. Â It's probably nostalgia for youth gone by more than really good food.
My dinner here didn't begin well. Â We arrived about five-fifteen and found a line of people waiting to be seated. Â Who eats that early? Â Well apparently the people of Hammond do, and they all wanted Mexican food tonight. Â Finally someone came by to take our names, and Dawn and I went in search of the bathroom. Â It was easy to find because the whole bar area had that really unpleasant bathroom deodorizer smell, and the latch on my door didn't lock properly so that someone half walked in on me while I was busy. Â There also was apparently a near riot of young children in the bathroom while we were in our stalls, to the point where I was about to yell "Will you please curb your children?" when they left.
Well finally we got seated, and ordered margaritas and an order of frijoles borrachos. Â That the salsa tasted like a roasted tomato sauce didn't bode well, but then we got the pico de gallo, cheese and jalapenos that is served only when you ask for it, and that was pretty darn good. Â The frijoles were wonderful! Â I'd never had anything quite like that, and I would love to have a place nearbly where I could get it again. Â Since I don't, I'll probably end up trying to find a good recipe for same.
Jim, who loves huevos had the carne con chile especial, and Dawn and I both had the pozole.  I tried the pork from Jim's plate and it was delicious, but it didn't come close to the awesomeness of the pozole, which had all these wonderful flavors and textures and even a combination of heat and cold going on with the shredded cabbage, radish onion and lemon wedges to add to the hot soup  And believe me when I tell you that for most people the half order is more than sufficient!  I'm a good eater and I couldn't finish even the half order.
The margaritas were very nice. Â Nothing really special, but quite good. Â And the service was friendly and accommodating. Â Seriously, I don't think you can go wrong in this place if you truly enjoy Mexican or Tex-Mex food.
The food quality is better when you go during the week, when it's less crowded. Â I've been eating at El Taco for 10 years or so and it's just a great place to eat at with friends. Â I love any of the chicken dishes -- the tacos and flautas are my favorite. Â
My friends love the pork tacos and pork tostadas and everyone loves the queso fundido (I hate onions, so it's just not for me) -- so those come highly recommended as well.
If you only have chips and salsa when you sit down, ask for the cheese (w/ Jalapeño) and pico de gallo.  The salsa tastes like tomatoes with just a little spice -- completely Americanized, but I still like it. Â
The best advice I can give is to skip anything with beef.
Every person has their standard of ethnic cuisine that they hold up through their lives. Â El Taco Real is my mexican food standard, although I live out on the East Coast now. Â I've never quite found anything that good, and I certainly took it for granted while I lived in NWI.
My favorite to get are their quesadillas (made with uber-melty chihuahua cheese) with shredded chicken, and a hearty side of rice. Â Not to mention a hefty strawberry margarita! Â It's enough to render me delirious with happiness - it's warm and familiar. Â I swear the restaurant hasn't changed since I visited as a child, and that's part of its appeal. Â I have so many good memories here, and it just adds to the atmosphere. Â
It's absolutely fantastic... it's almost a staple of every visit home that I make. Â It's comfort food in Mexican form - full of spices, cheeses, and deliciousness. Â Not to mention I could probably eat a vat of their rice in one sitting!
LOVE El Taco Real!!! Get the Pollo Diablo...wicked recipe! Oh, wait...try their Posole on Fridays and Saturdays. It's listed as an appetizer but, trust me, it's a meal. And VERY authentic.
If you live in Chicago it's well worth the 20-30 minute drive down the Indiana Toll Road to Calumet Ave. Then about a couple miles south to Hoffman and turn left.
They do, indeed, put the FUN in FUNDIDO! (Yes, I did it!)
But seriously... their taquitos are to freakin' die for. Â Amazing.
Cons:
-In the middle of nowhere.
-Long(ish) waits
Pros:
-From food to drinks to service, this place ROCKS out Mexican food.
Dare I say... the best Mexican food in Northwest Indiana?
I realize I'm bucking the trend of high praise, but hear me out.
Having been raised in Northwest Indiana,, I've frequented ETR over the years. Â They've been fairly consistent with their food, their service and their atmosphere. Â
I must have been missing that particular something that makes people rave, b/c I tend to find that although the dishes have a little heavier, comfort-food quality to it, I'd have to say that the flavors lean toward the blander side of Mexican dishes. Â I've been to places around the entire Chicagoland area and in the Southwest that serve food that has a little more zing, a little more life, and that's without using peppers. Â
For the market of NW Indiana, they rate near the top: I'd go to them before any of the other local and national chain restaurants any day (in fact, I would insist.) Â I just can't say that against the larger market of the entire Chicagoland area that they would be my first choice.
If you happen to be in NW Indiana and you have a hankering for Mexican, by all means go; but if your final destination lies in Illinois, there are many more options worth choosing from.
Pork tacos. Â The pork tacos can make drool and my stomach rumble.
Here are some examples of my dedication to El Taco Real:
When I lived abroad, fellow expatriates would reminisce about their pets or their Mother's homemade lasagna. Â Not me. Â I turned misty eyed over the thought of El Taco Real's pork tacos. Â
In fact, the day that I landed from 12+ months of living in Boston, I had my friends drive me directly to El Taco from the airport. Â No stopping at home to fresh up or a quick visit with the family. Â I just wanted authentic delicious Mexican food known as El Taco Real.
My final story of El Taco Real. Â I had moved from the most southern neighborhood of Chicago (Hegewisch) to the most northern (Rogers Park) for college. Â It was a cold Friday evening and I needed to study all weekend. Â I knew that there was only one thing that could sustain me. Â El Taco Real. Â So I got into my car, and drove 50 minutes there, picked up an order to go that could feed a family of 5 (or me for the entire weekend), Â and drove straight back to my god awful on campus apartment. Â When my roommate attempted to eat one of the pork tacos, I told her that she could if she was willing to drive all the way back to replace it.
This place seriously has to be the worst mexican restaurant in the area. Its WAY overhyped. Recently I had a friend who ordered from there and purchased some beef tacos for me. The "beef" was ground beef not even real steak. I can go to the mexican restaurant across the street and get REAL beef tacos for a cheaper price. Also it seems like they use the same ingredients for their pork mix as for their beef one. I think the sad part is that they actually do have mexican cooks but it seems that the recipes have not changed since this place has opened. If you want authentic mexican food avoid this place please. DON'T believe the hype.
Review Source:You know a place is good when in gathers 15 reviews and is located in "The Region."
Maybe people are somewhat biased because it's hard to find a restaurant in the area that doesn't have a drive-thru or serve loaf of meat, so getting an authentic meal made to order is somewhat out of the norm and people love it.
Well I think people love it because it's damn good. I freaking love the carne asada here, the chips and and two types of salsa you get are always fresh and they most certainly are not dingy on portions. When my Grandpa needs a doggy bag, you know you they give you some generous servings.
The wait can take awhile, but sit back, have a drink and you won't regret coming here.
Great mexican food! Â Their salsa is thin, warm and just the right amount of heat. Â Pico de gallo is perfect. Â Guacamole is creamy and chunky. Â Their fajitas for 2 leaves 2 more servings to take home. Â Great flavor. Â Their queso fundido is a must! Â Â
This place is always packed and there is a good reason for it. Â Reasonable prices - 8 people
4 appetizers
Side of guac, 2 sides of pico, endless chips and salsa
6 dinners
4 sodas
2 margaritas
1 beer
4 deserts = $120.00
I seriously think that the only reason people are giving this place such high reviews is because it is *THE* original Mexican  restaurant in Northwest Indiana. So all these white people in the area have been coming here for 30 years so they think it's all that and a bag of tortilla chips.
It is good, but I can't say that it's the best. It's average, if anything. If you can think of a typical Mexican restaurant with tacos, burritos, and the usual on the menu, then this is it. Â Maybe the only difference is the whopper prices this place throws at ya. Seriously, $9 for 2 average tacos?
It's a popular restaurant, sure, but sometimes I can't tell whether I'm reacting to my own sense of nostalgia for the place or to the food itself. Â The last time I went, I found the food saltier than I remembered, but even so it's still one of the best Mexican restaurants in the area. Â Be prepared for a wait if you go during the height of the lunch or dinner hour. Â And remember that it isn't open on Mondays.
Review Source:I've been going to El Taco Real since I moved to NW Indiana--in other words, years and years. I love the sopes--try the bean version, the guacamole, the nacho appetizer, and my parents get the fajitas every time they go. It's never a disappointment, and the margaritas are a perfect complement to the spicy food. YUM!
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