This is a nice, casual Mexican taqueria in downtown Waukegan, a short walk from the Metra station. Â I showed up here after the lunch rush and had the place entirely to myself.
I enjoyed the "Jerry's Special" combo of 3 barbacoa tacos, a large amount of rice with refritos beans and a giant glass of Pepsi, for a total of ten bucks plus change and tip. Â The tacos were double corn tortillas holding a goodly amount of beef, with onions, cilantro and a slice of avocado on each. Â Three squeeze tubes of salsa were available: green, red and "the really hot one." Â Oddly, this is one of the few Mexican style restaurants that doesn't provide free chips and salsa, unless that was an oversight. Â
All in all, my lunch was tasty and inexpensive, though nothing all that out-of-the-ordinary. Â Everything was good but not exceptionally so. Â The lone waitress/hostess was terrific: she was very helpful and friendly, yet she stayed out of the way while I was dining, which I appreciated. Â We shared a nice conversation about a tragic Connecticut school shooting that was happening right at that moment, and if I lived in Waukegan I'd probably become a regular here just to hang out with the staff.
When you exit the restaurant, walk north a block and stop to admire the statue of Waukegan's favorite son, entertainer Jack Benny.
I can't agree that this is a "great" place or the "ultimate taco", like some of the others here, but the food and service was good and I went away happy and well fed for a reasonable price.
I had a chicken burrito with rice and beans - the burrito was well stuffed with chicken and very tasty. The salsas were good and the chips were fine.
But there was nothing exceptional about the place. Â If you're in the area and you're looking for a clean place, with good food and very reasonable prices, Jerry's is fine. Â If you're looking for the best cheap Mexican food in Northeastern Illinois, this probably isn't the place, although I don't know another to recommend.
I am really kicking myself for not trying Jerry's Specialty aka barbacoa steak tacos from their lunch special. Hmph! However, their regular carne asada tacos were fantastic too. Lunchtime friend really liked her veg burrito.
If you're on the hunt for the ultimate taco in Waukegan, Jerry's is a great place to check out.
I feel compelled to write a review of this place since I had searched for it on Yelp under all sorts of possible guidelines, only to NOT find it! What the heck??
Jerry's Tacos is less than a block away from the Genesee Theater and offers great priced, great tasting authentic food in a pleasant atmosphere. I don't live in Waukegan, so I am  not a "regular" but I do go to shows at the theater and this our "regular" place to go for dinner before the show(s).
We stumbled onto Jerry's the night of Brian Reagan's show at the Genesee while we were doing a quick inventory for a suitable place to take our kids to eat that was within walking distance. There was a man on the sidewalk passing out flyers to get people through the door - interesting. So, we decided to give it a whirl.
The atmosphere then (in November 2011) was not much to appreciate; a bit on the dark side, a bit on the cold side and...empty. But, we only had an hour and we needed to eat dinner so we stayed.
The food was good. Although some was better than others; my fajitas were lacking any real meat content, the pieces were sliced to slivers, and weren't sizzling but my son's burrito was fabulous and my husband's tacos were good. The service was great and friendly. We were a bit surprised that there weren't more people eating there!
So we went back last night before the Ron White show (are you seeing a pattern?) and it was like a different place! It was packed, with a line waiting for a table by the time we left. Just amazing! The food was great and came very quickly. My cheese enchiladas with green sauce were fantastic and my husband had the fish tacos and said that they were delicious also. We took my parents this time and they were happy with the choice also.
My only complaint is that there weren't any "Lenten specials" on a Friday night during the Lenten season - and only two seafood options on their limited menu. There is only so much cheese you can eat in one meal, and shrimp is such an easy option. Maybe an idea for next year?
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