THE BEST Mexican food in the downtown area. Â Go there for a deeelicious lunch. Â I love the super taco. Â It's this delicious concoction that has your choice of meat, beans, lettuce, tomato, cheese, avocado and sour cream. Â YUUUUUMMY! Â Oh, the other menu items are good too. Â I just love the super tacos. Â They also sell the old school Coca Cola Classic in bottles. Â I wish this place was open later.
Review Source:This was my first attempt on finding a nice taco fix for me in the city. I'm just so lucky to find my favorite tacos on the first try. Thank you, all yelpers who review this place. A solid 5 star for me.
It is an "order at the counter" place. Â Someone asks you if you want to eat in or carry out. Once you confirm you will eat in, they set up a table for you so you have a table to sit to enjoy chips and then someone brings the food to you. I like it as you don't need to leave you stuff at the table to get food.
The cashier was super friendly. He made sure I ordered exactly I wanted to order. It was pleasant comparing to other order at the counter place where you have to know exactly what you want or you are rushed.
I ordered three different tacos: Fish, Chili Rellno, and Al Pastor. I also ordered the Horchata.
The al pastor was flavorful and moist. Meat was tender with nice bit sweetness. Just a little bit salty for me but totally went well with my Horchata. Chili Rellno was a neat rectangle with the light breading outside and hot cheesy chili inside. Hot cheese  and delicious. Not messy sauce all over which was a big plus for me. Then my favorite fish taco. Let me tell you this. It is NOT easy to find a place which has fish taco on the menu. It is even harder to find a place which do the fish taco without breading or frying up the whole filet. La Cocina's fish taco is exactly what I like the most: none-breading diced fish grilled to perfection with veggies. I loved fresh fish and fresh veggies which are very simple and tasted awesome. I don't care if I need to walk extra 4 or 5 more blocks. La Cocina got me on their Tacos.
I was beyond disappointed at the quality of food I received. My boyfriend and I are both Mexican so.. we have had numerous types of Mexican cuisine. This place was by far the worst. I ordered a veggie enchilada and a chorizo enchilada. The chorizo  tasted terrible, it was burned and greasy. The tortillas in general were greasy. The rice was flavorless, the beans were dry. The prices were terribly high for the quality we received. The man that took our orders seemed irritated and rude. The grill is positioned next to piles of trash.
The only impressive thing was the artwork.
Good Place for quick Mexican Fix in The Loop. Â I liked the "Semi" Table Service where they actually bring you chips/salsa and they bring your food out to you! Â First off, it's pretty damn cheap for being in Loop/ Secondly, they get the food out FAST!! I don't even think I had my coat off before my tacos arrived. Â Tacos were great with the Al Pastor being the standout/ Also liked the Green Salsa. Â Owner is cool and at register and the place gets super busy at lunch hour! GTFJD
Review Source:We've all heard and have tasted multiple times Mexican dishes like Enchiladas. I ordered an enchilada and it JUST TASTED GOOD! It was genuinely delicious! Again I have to express my wonder whenever I come across food items with names are almost common day speech that turn out to be as delicious as my enchilada at La Cocina.
Its good that I know that I don't always need something that will blow my mind, something out of the extraordinary. I think all of us from time to time fall into the trap of ever wanting more and something new. But it doesn't have to be that way, does it...La Cocina?
I'm a Huge fan - go for lunch a couple times a month. Â They know my order when I walk in. Â Tacos are always yummy, as are the enchiladas. Â Their ground beef is so savory - like nowhere else I've had it. Â Their pastor and steak are also worthy options. Â Everything I have ordered there is fresh and flavorful. Â Walk past the craptastic Chipotle on the corner and come taste something real - promise you'll forget all about those uniform chewy pieces of meat and chicken.
Review Source:I don't get some of these haters - this place is pretty damn good - maybe not as good as chipotle, but also not overloaded with salt either so it's definitely a better option health-wise
the fish tacos are fantastic - as one reviewer mentioned: it's just fish and pico de gallo and a tortilla - what's weird is that reviewer made that seem like a bad thing when in fact, it's actually pretty much the text book definition of a taco
as another reviewer mentioned, you'll probably get too much food for one reasonable person to eat - I get the tacos and skip the beans and rice - 3 tacos is more than enough for one person
Delicious mom&pop-style Mexican food for a great price - a fantastic option in the Loop. Love the tacos and burritos, with chicken and al pastor. Â And I can never pass up a delicious horchata or jarritos orange soda!
The place is small but they move people quickly through the line and the cashier is super friendly. Â A bit awkward if you're dining in and have people hovering over you, waiting for their takeout. Â But they're great about seating you quickly if you're dining in.
Most authentic Mexican food on that side of  the Chicago River. The food is just good AND AUTHENTIC, the service is quick, and the prices are outstanding. I will admit in full disclosure that I am responsible for the art work in the place, but since i started  working closer to the joint, i try to make it there at least once a week for my Mexican fix.
Review Source:Get limes with your tacos. For the love of food, get limes. They unlock the mystical mighty morphin' power flavor contained therein.
You simply will not find a tastier, cheaper taco in The Loop. I would even go so far as to dare anyone from Pilsen to throw down the gauntlet and pit their favorite taco place against La Cocina.
This place has a nice contemporary look to it. It seems to be a cross somewhere between artsy and urban/hip. The interior design fit its location well. I seemed to have been there at an off-hour as there was no line, so I can't comment on what it's like when they're busy, but the service seemed prompt enough, and I didn't have to wait long for my food to arrive. YMMV.
I ordered three different tacos and a chicken enchilada suizo.
The al pastor here amazed me the first time I had it and every time since. There's just something about the rush of flavors from this al pastor which I haven't tasted anywhere else. It's meaty and tangy and sweet, but the lime juice matches every sweet note with a much needed foil of sour just as salt brings out the subtle cocoa of chocolate.
The other two were pretty good, too. The steak immediately made me think of grilled meat instead of something heated over on a hot plate. I also enjoyed the flavor of the chorizo and papas which presented me with a mostly potato flavor. When I have that one again, I'll make it a bit spicier
As for the enchilada, it surprised me with its subtleness. It came apart easily and was very soft almost like a crepe. I detected a very subtle, enjoyable sweetness along with a slight mole taste. Overall, I enjoyed it.
Just a final note: tacos for $1.75. You. Cannot. Beat. That.
Absolutely the best place to have real Tacos for lunch in the downtown Chicago area.
I usually order the Taco Dinner which comes with refried beans and rice. Â There's usually a long line to order between 12p and 1:30p, but it tends to move pretty fast. I've never had to wait more than about 10 minutes to grab a table to dine-in.
They also carry the best tasting bottled Coca Cola which is imported from Mexico. Â It does not taste like American Coke, trust me.
I'm feeling completely indifferent to La Cocina. Â Although it wasn't terrible it also just wasn't up to par with what I expect from a place like this.
I was originally going to Taza next door but several of my work friends rave about La Cocina so frequently that I decided to switch it up and give it a try (even though I had tacos for dinner last night too, oy!).
I got three tacos for lunch:
Chille Relleno - I don't even know. Â To me it was just blah. I eat chille rellenos tacos way more than I would like to admit. I love them. Â They are muy delicioso. This one, however, was really boring and probably my least favorite chille relleno taco I've ever had. Â There wasn't enough cheese inside the pepper, the breading to pepper ratio was off (too breaded) and the other toppings on the taco were sparse and didn't add much to the flavor.
Steak Taco - This taco was ok but also pretty boring. Â I really think it's something about the tortillas on all of the tacos, they were really moist, mealy, and falling apart. Â Not good. Â The steak was decent but nothing special and lacking a bit in the flavor department.
Fish Taco - Again, this was probably my least favorite fish taco I've ever had. Â For one thing the only thing that comes on the taco is fish (which is not fried) and pico de gallo. Â It was also lacking in flavor and texture. Â With the fish not being fried and the questionable texture of the tortilla this taco was pretty much a pile of mush.
Overall my experience was lacking in ... well I guess just lacking in everything that keeps you going back to restaurants. Â I went during the noon lunch rush and had to wait about 10-15 minutes for three tacos while being crammed into a small corner between the cash register and a table of people dining in. Â It didn't help that I had way too many layers of clothes on and was sweating like a beast (or like myself inside of a Catholic church). It was awkward to say the least. The only way I would ever go back here is if my coworkers were having lunch and I wanted to break with them. Â Even then, I wouldn't want to come hungry.
I give this 5 stars for 3 main reasons:
1) the guy behind the counter with the sparrow tattoo on his arm...he is nice, recognizes me and is speedy-I work in a new company so I only come here 1-2x a month now but he still remembers what I order Â
2) Imported Mexican Coke, it's like crack in a bottle for me...so good-
3) Chips and salsa on the table, these are great when you are starving and you need something stat-
I order the Flautas everytime, I don't know why but that is what I tried the first time and I just keep ordering them-
This location is small and in the winter time it's pretty darn cold in there-I used to wear my coat there b/c when the door opens you are screwed-They get you seated really fast and make you feel good by actually treating you nice-I just went to the one on Clark and I didn't care for that one b/c I missed the people from the other one-And the one on Franklin has cool art and music playing-
Is it bad that I've had lunch from this place 3 days in a row?
The prices are just too reasonable to pass up trying everything on the menu. Â Favorites are the pork tamales and the steak taco salad. Â God I could eat 10 of them and die happy in a food coma. Â Kudos to them for not gauging customers for an extra buck or two for steak. Â The horchata is also deliciously spiced and very sweet. Â They have mexican tropical sodas in exotic flavors made without that high fructose crap.
Service is quick, efficient, and warm. Â Tip: get there before noon to beat the rush.
Lately, I've been on a Mexican tear. I've told my friends that I may or may not eat more Mexican-inspired dishes than 80% of the city's Mexican population* (data being researched to verify validity). Regardless of my location, I want fast, friendly, cheap. If you can meet these specifications you will go far with me.
I inserted La Cocina into the regular rotation a few weeks ago. I determined in my first visit they meet the requirements. This place is always packed with a few people waiting around for takeout and every seat crammed. Unless you're some super trendy bar/restaurant, the only way you're getting patrons on this level is if you're worth the wait in my eyes.
I've had a few dishes here so far. They aren't revolutionizing the industry with their menu but the main dishes I've had are a great value. I tend to roll with pork taco dinner and appreciate the more authentic taco approach. Â Not sure how the other locations fare but I've become a fan of this one.
Very fast, very friendly, very inexpensive.
Usually, in a place like this, I'd order the torta, but I was with co-workers & didn't want to have that messy, awkward face I get when I try to eat a torta politely (reason: there's no such thing as eating a torta politely). So I ordered the taco salad.
Yum.
I don't know what it is about that taco salad, but I can't leave the restaurant without annihilating it, shell & all. & the imported Coke in a bottle (a glass bottle! yay!) is fab.
I will go & have gone back.
Damn my lunch was good!
I had the steak taco dinner, and it was fabulous. Â The steak was absolutely delicious. Â The rice and beans were some of the best I've ever had. Â (Which really surprised and impressed me). Â It was a lot of food for $6.20 plus tax. Â The chips and salsa for the table were really outstanding as well!
Everyone was friendly, and the food came out really quickly!
I was completely blown away by how good everything I ate was. Â I will absolutely be back!
Holy tamale!
Our offices just moved to this area and my colleague and I decided to check it out. Well, so did a good number of folks from my office... I was overwhelmed by the menu - you can either order an individual item (ex. taco) or the platter (3 tacos and rice and beans). After further debate, I went with the Tamale platter. The food came out super speedy and I was in and back at my desk in 45 minutes.
My platter and a diet coke ran me $8.25. Considering the flavor and volume of food - a good deal.
I'm really looking forward to going back and trying a taco or flauta or some other delicious Mexican dish.
A major win for my new office location!
I work within 300 feet of La Cocina. It's the only taqueria in the Loop I know about - Chipotle sells Mexican food but is not like a taqueria. It's the only place one can get a *real* Mexican burrito. La Cocina also has a full menu - tortas, sopes, enchiladas, tostadas, quesadillas, flautas, gorditas, tacos, etc...
I am only reviewing the steak burrito from La Cocina, but the tortas and tostadas I've had were excellent.
Cleanliness and Sanitation - La Cocina rates highly on this front. Although you cannot see the entire grill from the cash register, what you can see seems in line with what I know from working in food service.
Grilling - La Cocina doesn't grill the tortilla, but this category doesn't decrease the points in a review.
Meat vs. Vegetables - A good ratio. More tomatoes would be good. La Cocina uses bagged, crispy lettuce that's flavorless - it might as well not be in here. I prefer fresh lettuce. La Cocina does an excellent job seasoning the meat. Sometimes really salty, but ALWAYS tasty.
Price - Under $7 with tax. I wish restaurants in the Loop didn't have that added 1 percentage point to support the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (it subsidizes the cost of operating Navy Pier and McCormick Place). See the State of Illinois, Department of Revenue's website for more information.
Fresh and light mexican food, with all the flavor... Yes, I said light and mexican food in the same sentence. Â They pack in the fresh lettuce that makes the burritos taste garden fresh, but it's not at the expense of other ingredients, you still get all the tomato, sour cream, beans, meat etc.
I also like the breakfast torta... mmm, fluffy bread.
I've been grabbing lunch here once month for maybe 2 years. I always get cheese quesadillas ($8.03 w/ tax) with green sauce and it's been as solidly yummy and consistent as the first time I've ordered. It can be somewhat difficult to get a table around noon, but if you do, look forward to 'free' chips and salsa and light table service.
Also, they import Coca-Cola in glass bottles from Mexico with real sugar -- a yummy treat.
I used to go all the way to the other location on Wells so I was super excited when they finally opened a location less than a block away from my work. Â It starts getting super crowded (with lines out the door) a little before noon but the line moves pretty quickly. Â Might be kind of hard to find a table but may be worth the effort because they give you free chips and salsa when you dine in. Â The prices are fairly decent: Â about 1.50 a taco; $7 for a 3 taco dinner that comes with rice and beans). Â
BUT the food is sometimes really hit or miss. Â Some days the carne asada is so juicy and tender that i wonder why i only got two tacos instead of three; other days I question what the hard pieces of unchewable meat in the taco could be. Â The size of the taco is unbelievably small....some of my tacos have had literally 5-7 pieces of meat. Â The chorizo is okay but not really as flavorful as I would have liked. Â The sopes and tamales are pretty good so I would definitely recommend getting those. Â
Overall a decent place to go if you happen to get sick of Chipotle. Â Dont expect outstanding authentic mexican food but its good for a cheap, quick meal.
My review can only be on the taco dinner (which i order EVERY SINGLE TIME), which is 3 tacos (steak please) with everything and a side of rice and beans. Â i've tried a few other items in the past (i've been going to this place for a few years from working in downtown) like tortas.. tequitos... but i always go back to the taco dinner and now i simply just stick with it. Â the taco dinner is fantastic! fresh authentic steak tacos with flavor (no cheese or sour cream here, just the meat, onions and cilantro), although by habit i still add in my own touch of salt, which goes so well the green salsa. Â i'm not a big fan of beans at all but i will eat them with my rice at la cocina. Â the taco dinner is perfect (truthfully a bit much to consume it all for lunch but we'll ignore that fact).
an added plus is that they serve horchatas and coke in a glass bottle! i simply just rotate between these 2 beverages everytime i go.
this place gets packed at the lunch hour but the line goes quick. Â if you dine in, you get free chips and salsa while you wait for your food...delicious and all for under $10!
I'm a big fan of the al pastor tacos, but think the enchiladas leave much to be desired.
A solid option for lunch since I work a couple blocks away.
My biggest beef with this place is the terrible techno music they insist on blasting. Â On several occasions I've walked in, heard the crazy loud music and walked right back out.
This is a nice trendy little place that was kind of tucked away and unknown to me all the years I had class down in that area. I'm glad I found it eventually (or rather, that my boyfriend did.)
The tacos are nice and fresh...well, everything tastes fresh. The refried beans are as good as I'd expect them to be, and the rice is usually good, but sometimes a little flavorless.
I must say, so far my favorite thing is the chicken torta. Amazing flavors. Just good comfort food.
Not good. Â As far as Mexican goes it's more authentic than Chipotle or Taco Bell but compared to 'real' Mexican it is way, way off-base. Â Meat is salted too much and their beans and rice are simply not good. Â If you can't do good beans and rice, you just don't care. Â Also not appreciative of the fact they utterly smoke out the parking garage cooking their food at 6:30 in the morning - that smell does not leave your clothes all day.
If you want decent semi-authentic Mexican, go to Taco Fresco.
I am officially an addict now! I have been here two consecutive days.
I went yesterday because I lost a bet to someone and this is what he requested, so I thought I would kill two birds with one stone and get myself something as well. I got the chicken burrito again and justlike the last time, the ass of the burrito fell apart and I had a mess on my hands and my desk. It was delicious though.
This place has the old glass coke bottles when you were a kid. Come on 80's babies, you know what I'm talking about. Pretty nice pics on the wall to the left gives you something to look at while you're waiting in line.
Today I skated over at 11:55 to try to beat the rush and walked into a long line. They guy at the register again had the line moving swiftly. I decided to order the taco dinner which comes with three tacos (your choice of meat(chicken for me), lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro and cheese), rice and beans. I not a big bean fan so I got the double rice. That was some of the best lunch I had in a long time. At press time (right now), I can still taste the savory chicken in my mouth and am now depressed because my meal has been devoured.
I plan on trying the enchiladas next time
Every day, around 12:20, one of my coworkers will walk around and ask the others "Wanna eat?" Â Well, she was out sick today, so our grumbling stomachs (and a day entirely in the office) finally told us we had to get out and get something. Â Cuz we wanted to eat.
We've been wanting to try this place for awhile, but it's usually packed. Â For good reason, I discovered.
The food is freakin' fantastic. Â Fresh, fast and hot. Â Sopes? Â Oh. My. Word. Â Fantastically seasoned meat, plentiful toppings of cheese, sour cream, lettuce and tomato all atop of that cornmeal base. Â So good.
Burritos? Â Huge and yummy. Â Get the dinner platter and you won't need dinner. Â Seriously, I was still when I got home tonight and I am NEVER that full from lunch. Â Free chips and salsa? Â Yes please!
We'll be back for sure. Â Next time she asks us, "Wanna eat?" we'll have to say, "Only if we can go to La Cocina...and you will wait and like it." Â Service is very friendly, too.
Mmmmm...sopes! Â I will see you soon!
This place rules. After eating at all 3 Loop locations this comes second to the Jackson location.
The food is all essentially the same at all three locations, but the guy at the register here is super nice, friendly, and keeps the line moving fast. He even yells at the d-bags who grab empty seats before their party has ordered when the restaurant is packed. What the hell, there are 10 people who are in front of you in line who will get their food first but don't have someone to "save" a spot. What a dick move.
I like their salsas for the complimentary chips they give you but please- do something about the crappy pour spouts. Spills all over the side of the bottle and onto the table and makes me feel "special."
Had lunch here today for the second time. Â First time was just okay; I ordered a super taco and a tamale. Â Tamale was really dry, super taco was super bland. Â
Today's experience, while more crowded, was better. Â I ordered the torta milanesa (breaded steak) and it was very good, with a nice balance of steak and toppings and airy Mexican bread. Â All over it.
I wish it were open later but maybe closing earlier keeps it from turning into bad late night food.
It's a decent Mexican place that you must eat fast from if you get it to go so it does not leak through the brown bag. Â That could annoy but putting off eating this food shouldn't be something that's done.
To the person who said it's not greasy...what type of Mexican food are you eating?
This is good, authentic and not terribly greasy Mexican food. Everything that I have tried here I have been satisfied. Â I used to go to the location on Wells under the tracks, but have found that it is busy no matter what time you go. Â This location seems to be a little roomier and not as crazy during lunch time. Â
You get a lot of food for a very reasonable price, and then when you're done eating you want to take a nap for the rest of the day---this is a good thing!
La Cocina was an extremely welcome surprise here in the loop. Â I am very excited to know it's here and feel like giving it five stars out of extreme happiness.
I had a large horchata and 3 tacos al pastor ("pork tacos" on the menu).
Moved from South Texas years ago but have been unable to shake my addiction to Mexican food, I was very excited to move to Chicago (supposedly a Mexican paradise inside a yankee haven) for its culinary treats. Â Unfortunately, I moved to the Loop and haven't been able to get out to neighborhoods known for their Mexican food as often as I'd hoped.
Yea, along comes salvation in the form of La Cocina. Â I wasn't really planning on losing weight this summer anyway.
Oh yeah, and that (substantial!) meal was a little over $5, which I paid with my credit card. Â Rock on La Cocina. Â Please open something closer to the lake, however. Â And please put tripas on the menu. Â Chilaquiles are terrific and all (no Migas?) but Tripas would make y'all kings of the loop's cooking. Â That and late-night delivery. Â Yum!
Today I picked up lunch from here for the first time and as a very picky eater I decided to play it safe and sampled a chicken taco, ground beef taco, and pork tamale.
All three of them were awesome. Â I was especially intrigued by the tamale. Â The outer corn covering is almost like a fluffy cornbread molded around the shredded pork. Â Very tasty, indeed.
I'll be giving my Burrito Beach frequent diner card to a coworker, as I won't be needing it anymore.
UPDATE 4/14/2010:
Sorry to say that there seems to be new people running this place. Â My old favorite super-fast order taker has moved on to the Wells location. Â Today it took 15 minutes to get through the line and get my food when it used to take 5-6 minutes, tops. Â I can't spend all that time in line for lunch. Â Head over to the Wells location!
I stumbled upon this place when I was debating whether or not I wanted another meal at Chipotle's across the street. Â They have gorditas, sopes, tamales, and horchata!!! Â I've never been to the other locations, but their steak gordita with copious amounts of red and green sauce is so very tasty. Â The horchata was very yummy too (at $1.35 for large), cold, and no ice (whenever I get it anywhere else its 75% ice). Â
Next time I think I will get a torta with jarritos.
That address is approximate, by the way, as I don't remember seeing a number on the door....
But for the important bits now :) Â A co-worker and I would get take-out every once in a while at La Cocina on Wells. Â It was a bit of a hike, so we didn't do it too often. Â Much to our wondrous delight, we discovered one day that a La Cocina was going to open up about a block from our office! Â It's open now, and it's very good. Â At the Wells location, I only ever got tacos, and the tacos at the Franklin location are essentially identical and of the same quality - very good.
The killer thing to order, here, in my opinion is the chilaquiles. Â Three eggs mixed with crunchy corn tortilla chips, a very, very liberal amount of their green or red sauce (my fav is the red), a dab of sour cream, rice and beans and some chihauhau cheese over it all...outstanding!! Â It's truly enough food for two meals - and even though it's a classic Mexican breakfast dish, they serve it all day. Â Even better, I can have chilaquiles for LUNCH!! Â Woo hoo!! Â You have to be disciplined to make it last for two meals, though, because it's difficult to stop eating it once you've started...but force yourself to save some as leftovers. Â It's even better as leftovers.
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