This place definitely has the potential of becoming a 4 or even 5 star restaurant if they iron out a few kinks. Â I hope someone from management reads some of the suggestions in others' posts, as well as mine. Â Let me begin:
AMBIANCE
The restaurant is on the smaller side, but I loved the atmosphere, especially the warm color scheme. Â We had to wait a bit, but were fortunate enough to snag two seats by the bar while we waited around 45 minutes on a Friday night.
DRINKS
I enjoyed the El Diablo Margarita, which was tangy, sweet and had a nice essence of orange. Â My husband tried both the Victoria and Negro Modelo beer on tap. Â He liked both, but preferred the former, as the amber colored beer was lighter and refreshing.
FOOD
We enjoyed the complimentary salsas - a very mild green salsa, a peanut infused one and a roasted tomato one. Â The complimentary cup of soup was also enjoyed and appreciated.
I found it extremely helpful and I appreciated being able to taste samples of the different moles, because I was having a hard time choosing one. Â It takes the fear out of ordering something you may not like. Â If you like mole, you must try them here - they are delicious! Â The moles all have several ingredients, but can be distinguished by one ingredient that really creates the flavor: Â peanut, chocolate, coconut, etc. Â The Xico and Ranchero were the standard tasting ones, but the Cacahuate (peanut), Pistacio (Chef's special) and Coco (coconut) were really different and great! Â We absolutely both loved the Coco one the best.
Now...everything so far was shaping up to be a great dinner experience until we received our entrees. Â Since we loved the coco mole the best, I ordered the Mojarra (tilapia) with it and my husband ordered the Puntas de Cerdo (pork). Â Now, this coco mole is so good, it could cover up almost anything, but my fish still tasted fishy - as in not fresh. Â This is not okay. Â My husband's pork was dry - way too dry for a $20 pork dish. Again, the mole made it edible, but we were both disappointed. Â It was busy tonight, so we didn't want to send it back. Â
Management, if you are reading this, please know that you absolutely have to get the main dish right. Â Fresh fish and tender, juicy pork would have made this reviewer extremely happy. Â
SERVICE
We had a nice server - thank you Adan for your service, especially with the mole samples.
OVERALL
I liked this place, but I'm hoping they will see the helpful suggestions and work on the flaws. Â If they were addressed, we would happily return frequently.
If you would have asked me 3-4 weeks ago about Mago I would have given it an enthusiastic thumbs up. I was actually quite ready to update my review to a 4-star rating as I often craved their carne asada...in a really aggressive way. However, over the past few weeks, my weekly craving has subsided. The reason behind the drop off? The carne asada beef. I have beef with the beef.
The carne asada meal is $19. That's not a cheap take out for just one person. However, said meal comes with a nice portion of mashed potatoes, delicious mole tamale, black beans and free chips and salsa. And then there's the previously succulent carne asada, which used to melt in my mouth. However, as mentioned, the prior three times I've ordered it the meat is much thicker and tougher than usual. That carne asada I used to salivate over is a distant memory.
Perhaps they changed supplies? Perhaps they changed their beef? Either way, I'm saddened. And while Mago has a deep menu with plenty of tasty items, I'm mourning the loss of a carne asada of the past.
Came here for my sister's birthday get together with friends. There were some highs and lows to this place. My sister made a reservation for a large party and we called ahead to say we were running a few minutes behind. They said they could hold it for a little bit longer.
When we got there they would not seat us until the whole party was there. We had about 2/3rds of the group there and we still had to wait another half hour until our stragglers came. Then on top of that when we were all there we had to wait another 10 minutes to get seated.
It's all about the entrees here. The food is really good. The guacamole though they tout the freshness since it's made to table order was really kind of bland. Their tomatillo sauce for their chips is the best, but fear not they come with 2 other sauce options which was fun. They also have various types of moles which was pretty neat. I decided to go for a coconut type of mole with my salmon and it was delicious. Of course a lot of filled up on the chips so it was hard to finish the massive sized entrees.
Our waiter was really nice so despite some of the other misses we came away quite stuffed.
This is the best mexican restaurant in Arlington Heights.  The food is fantastic with excellent flavors.  Great margaritas.  I highly recommend the queso de habra with chorizo (gotta love fried cheese), enchiladas, burritos & tacos.  The tacos offer a variety of options and you can mix and match 3 of them.  If you have any room after eating I recommend the Nevado de Toluca (chocolate molten cake with  chipotle ice cream) - it is defintely worth the 20 minute wait!
I would give it 5 stars except the service is not up to a 5 star level. Â It is good service, just not great. Â They also have a very small outside dining area when the weather gets nice.
The drinks at the bar were great. Â But when I went back for dinner I left a little disappointed. Â When I asked for a drink recommendation the waiter suggested an off the menu "skinny" margarita (excuse me? Do you think I'm fat?) which started my evening off on a weird note. Â Then his recommendation on a mole not being spicy ended up being way too spicy for me. Â I left 75% of it uneaten and wasn't even asked how the food was. Â We had to ask for more drink refills, to see a dessert menu (DON'T get dessert! Â The fried ice cream tasted like it had been fried the night before and put in the fridge - slightly soggy and lacking an edge), and finally flag him down to get the check. Â
The prices were what you would expect at a Mexican place in the city, so I was really disappointed when the food and service didn't meet those expectations. Â Skip Mago and go down the street to Salsa 17.
I love Mago. The downtown Arlington Heights area is hopping and the atmosphere is fun. The food is great! As of recently, I have to eat gluten free and there are so many options. There are gluten free options noted on the menu and they are very considerate of my food allergies when I ask questions. Before I was gluten free, I had the enchiladas mole- which were AMAZING. I miss them so much! Now I eat tacos and they are just as impressive. The tinga, shrimp and pork tacos are delish! Love the shrimp ceviche and salsas as well. My husband has also always loved  his meals- with only one disappointing dish- the beef empanadas. Will be returning time and time again.
Review Source:I went to MAGO for the first time last week with my boyfriend and cousin for dinner.
I had been wanting to visit for a long time and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.
They have a great menu complete with all the specialties you'd expected at a cantina style restaurant, and they offer a few unexpected ways to spice up your meal. They will cater to gluten friendly folks, by offering corn tortillas and the vegitarians in your life have a lot of options available to them as well.
We all stuck with non alcoholic drinks for the evening, but I'll be sure to update about the cocktail situation with my next review!
We had guacamole as an appetizer and it was great! It's made table side by a lovely woman and you can add about 8 or 10 different things into it. But remember the little orange peppers are habaneros! Muy Caliente! We skipped those though! Â It was wonderful with lime and cilantro garlic and jalapenos, but have someone with muscles lift the dish!
My cousin and I both got tacos, Â we tried the shrimp and the poblano, they were excellent! My boyfriend got chicken enchiladas, that were also amazing!
I loved that when you decide to get tacos (3 for 10) you can mix and match which ones you want from a list of about 8 options. Portions are good, but know that rice and beans are extra.
We didn't try desserts, but I'll see about giving those a whirl during my next visit also.
One disclaimer, everything we tried has a good amount of spice, so keep that in mind. I am a big fan of spice, so that was fine with me.
Overall the food, service and decor were all factors that would make me want to come back. It's a great place for date night, a night out with the girls, or even a business dinner. Definitely try MAGO if you're looking for an original cantina style restaurant!
I've been here twice so far and both times I've left very full and very happy. I need to remember to not eat so much of the chips and salsa in the beginning because I've been so stuffed it was hard to finish my meal when it came. The salsa verde (green) very very good. The first time I ordered the steak fajitas and they were excellent. My wife had the mole sauce and said it was great . They have so many options on the mole sauce, I can not remember which one she tried. The second time back, we both ordered tacos. My wife had the chicken tinga and pork. The tinga's were really good. I had 2 of the steak tacos and 1 chorizo. Next time I will go running in the morning and get the chorizo tacos. They were out of this world. They came with a spicy red sauce and fried potato strings, sounds weird, but it really works. I did try the beef empanada and they weren't anything to write home about. That was the only downfall of the meal. Everything else was delicious and the wait staff was very nice and fast. We will definitely be back, and hopefully I can save room for desert but I doubt it.
Review Source:My all time favorite mexican restaurant! I always get the Salsa Verde Enchiladas. They are amazing!! And the portions are so generous, I always have leftovers for lunch the next day! Also, I love the guacamole! It's fresh and very tasty! Definitely order it spicy! If you are in the area, go to Mago to get some mexican food. You will not be disappointed!
Review Source:My friends and I met here on a Wednesday night, and I am glad we made reservations! Â They were very busy--every table was taken and it was loud in there. Â Ummmm....maybe a little too loud.
Our group of four drank 2 drinks each, two appetizers and a meal each, and it came to $125. Â Not too bad for good food and good drinks.
The taco salad I ordered was really good, as was the steak burrito my husband had. Â The appetizer nachos were AMAZING, but DO NOT order the calamari. Â It's really strange, I never actually tasted calamari, and it came on a bed of lettuce (a whole salad, really) that had nothing to do with the calamari and overtook the appetizer. Â I don't know what all of that was about.
Other than the calamari, my one complaint would be about how LOUD it is in there. Â Mariachi bands are nice. Â Hearing my friends is even better. Â I.Could.Not.Hear.The.Person.Next.To.Me. Â Didn't make for a very fun experience when we were there to catch up with friends! Â It was so loud that the waiter was standing next to us and asked if we were ready for dessert. Â We thought he was asking if we were ready for the check. Â So when he came by with the dessert menu, all of us were really confused.
I think we will be back, but it's not a "must-do". Â There are way better places to try. Â Oh and a side note, they have a sign on the door that says they no longer accept <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> certificates due to a dispute with the company, so keep that in mind if you have one!
But get the nachos--YUM :)
um. YUM.
Never have I been a fan of mole sauce...until I came here. Â Such a variety of Mole...and they will actually let you sample them. Â Ranchero was my favorite but that coconut Mole was pretty damn outstanding.
Great list of cocktails..margarita was pretty great..
I decided to have the burrito bowl to be healthy and asked to add the mole sauce to it.
holy crap not what i was expecting..it was 10x better...ok prob not the healthiest but my goodness the flavor was amazing
everyone at my table truly enjoyed their meals as well
big fan of this place...
One of my favorite restaurants! The staff is so friendly and treat us like family. Â We come in about once a month and they always give us a taste of something new to try. Â A great rum is the Zaya -- try it in a drink you won't be disappointed. Â There are many veggie friendly options on the menu, but they also are accomodating to me making my own creations. Â Table-side guacamole...well-mixed drinks...and a neighborhood spot in downtown Arlington Heights add something special to Mago. Â They also have Salsa dancing on Thursdays, which is a nice treat for suburbanites. Â Love, love, love. :-)
Review Source:Love the owners, love the location, love the decore. BUT, the big but, is that I have yet to have a GREAT server, the staff is not happy, they mess up orders, and the food comes out cold. Â Maybe they need more food runners, or busboys, better training, I have no clue, but opening next to Salsa 21 was not a very cleaver idea. Â I strongly dislike Javiers across the tracks, but at least the service is somewhat better. Â I am just giving the honest truth. Â I want this place to make it, I really do, but I feel like the management needs to step up their game and be more proactive. Â I know a lot of people who have the same complaints. Â Plus, my mother snagged a groupon (we had already been here a bunch of times beforehand) and the look on the servers face was disgust. Â So unprofessional and he played the blame game the whole night for every one of his mistakes.
Review Source:Ok, I live in Arlington Heights and have been here 3 times now, with similar results every time. I love mexican food and always go here hoping it will be great, since it's such a hotspot in the area. If i rated Mago on just the food, I would give it 4 stars. The empanadas and guacamole are exceptional. But here are the problems i've had with the place:
1. The waitstaff. Every time i've been there my waiter or waitress has been less than great. They are either socially awkward, not very informative, or like last time just disappear for 15 minutes at a time.
2. Bartender. On busy nights they should probably have 2. Since they make you tab out before sitting at you table, I spent 15 minutes just trying to pay my tab.
3. Pricey drinks. I'm a bartender, so when i watched the guy make my 8 dollar, small margarita, he poured 95% full of a mix, then poured I would guess was a half ounce to an ounce on top, i was less than impressed.
4. The Hostess. The second time I was here, I came with a group of 4 and they said there was a 45 minute wait. After an hour, I went up to check on the time and they said "soon". after an hour and a half I went up there they said they skipped me by accident, and said it would still be "soon". I then received a dirty look for saying it was a little ridiculous.
So, maybe it's just my experience, I WANT to like this place, but constantly I am disappointed.
Hmmmm surprised this place got 4 stars. It's not bad, but it's definitely not great. We arrived a few minutes early and were greeted by a very friendly staff. We waited in the bar area and were immediately served 3salsas and chips. The salsas were mediocre at best. Nothing exciting. The chips were meh.
We ordered the shrimp fajitas, which were very good. Â The rice and black beans were pretty good. Â The fish tacos were BAD. VERY BAD! The not fresh fish was covered in a super mayo, soggy slaw. YUCK!
The waiter did not write down our order and our plantains never came. Would I go again? Probably not.
I really liked this place a lot. I got my food for take-out so I can't comment on the dining in experience although the place looks nice.
I'm a big fan of tacos, and I loved that they had so many different combinations. I thought the food was great! They also have a tres leches cake which I thought was super delicious! I'd totally come back here if I actually lived in Arlington Heights.
The rest of their menu options sounded really good as well. Would definitely recommend this place!
Over-priced and underserved.
I set aside a bunch of green-backs to try this overly-starred local joint. My kid had been bugging me for Mexican (Taco Bell) and I won't go there... so I looked for a local Taco Hell substitute... with that said, I've been to fine Mexican restaurants... this one leaves mucho to be desired.
On a weekday lunch with my niños we chose dees place. We heard they made the guacamole at your table... not so... we heard the service was outstanding... meh
The guac was delish... my kids scarfed it and the chips down. The rest of the food was "ok"
When I ordered some tacos for my boy, they didn't have tacos... Ok... this is a "FANCY" mexican joint. We made it work...
Then the waiter, after I ordered, came back and asked me if I'd like to try the soup as he lays it in front of me- tortillia soup- I said, sure! Thinking it was complementary... it was ok... it wasn't free... ffff... they charged me for it...
The waiter then just sat by the kitchen and talked to his buddy never checking on us or refiling our water... until a group of regular ladies came in and he swooned them.
I loved everything about my experience here! My friend and I came here on a whim. We were in the mood to find something we both had never tried before and found it on Yelp - and now here I am yelping about it.
We came here on a Thursday night, so it wasn't too busy and we were seated right away. We were immediately greeted with a bowl of chips upon sitting down. These chips were accompanied by three different kinds of salsa. The Green One is my favorite! Lime and Cilantro with a kick! The Red One is a bit spicier, but smokey and also really good.
My friend and I shared a Raspberry frozen margarita, which was delightfully scrumptious. I ordered Beef Fajitas, "Mago Style." Which came with black beans, rice, sour cream & Guac. The fajitas came out in this really cool volcanic rock textured bowl that sizzled and popped and had all of the fixins laying over the edge. The meat, green peppers, onions and cheese were all amazing! These were the best fajitas I have ever had!
My friend ordered a giant burrito that he said was pretty darn good. I was surprised he was able to finish the whole thing!
We shared a chocolate Flan for dessert that was on their specialty menu. IT WAS DELICIOUS!
I will be back for some custom made-at-the-table guacamole next time!
Mago has consistently been a real stand-out in Arlington Heights. Their house-made salsas start things really well. Â Seriously - I've never gone out of my way to note a place's salsa before; Mago is special. Â
Moving on, their moles are really good (try them all) - some of the best I've had in Illinois (short of some of Rick Bayless' and a handful of random Mexican joints in the city). Â Beyond all that, service has been consistently nice and timely, so there's a lot to like.
Living in downtown Arlington Heights, you have a lot of options for food. That being said, MAGO was by far my favorite venue to go to in the area. Â This place is a true GEM in the middle of the suburbs!
The food is simply outstanding. The dishes are full of flavor and spices. If you go for lunch, try their Jibarito torta - such a treat and not offered at dinner! Â Their tacos are amazing - my fave trio was Carne Asada (for steak lovers, complete with chihuahua cheese), Hongos (for veggie lovers), and my fave Cochinita Pibil (serious flavor overload!!). Cannot go wrong with the chicken tamales either.
Dining here is an experience- you start off the meal with chips and a trio of salsas (the middle one has peanuts!) and a complimentary bowl of delicious chicken tortilla soup. Â Please do not disregard the drink menu either! Though all the featured drinks (margaritas and sangrias) are delicious, make sure to inquire about "Eddie's special". Each week, this mixologist creates some special concoction for all you drink explorers out there. Final note on the drinks- this is one of the few restaurants that I knew of that had good cachaca - perfect for caipirinhas!
The service at MAGO is fabulous- the wait staff is attentive and knowledgeable, not to mention friendly! They hardly ever forget a face and treat you like family.
Last but not least, be sure to stop by Thursday night because they host a SALSA dancing night with Dora Baroti and Studio ViVa! The kitchen is open till late and soulful music fills the restaurant. Â Class starts at 8:30pm and open social dancing afterwards!
This was my favorite venue (in case you can't tell) and having recently moved out of state, it's a place I miss dearly! GO CHECK IT OUT- you won't regret it!!!
We visit often for many reasons. Â The chips rock and are gluten free. Â Not often to get freshly made chip that are gluten free...so we appreciate the dedicated fryer.
Table side guacamole is terrific. Â I am a fan of the veggie fajitas and the enchiladas. Â
The flavors are very interesting. Â Love the moles and plantains.
.This is not your normal Mexican restaurant, so it s important you approach it tat way. Â If you want traditional Mexican food, I suggest Javier's, which is also tasty, just traditional.
We go weekly.
After having gone to Mago three times now, I will keep this short.
It's worth going to at least once. Â It's worth going to twice if you like guacamole. Â And if you like a certain type of mexican food, you probably would want to go back.
Me, I'm not a big fan. Â The food is good enough, but its just not my style of mexican joint. Â I prefer the one off family run places in a run down strip mall. Â Mago is aiming to be a little higher class with a little fancier accouterment.
MJ
Definetly a place I will go back to.
I don't hand out 5 stars lightly but our dinner here hit all the notes and I can't think of anything I didn't like or wasn't impressed with to some extent.
My friend and I came here on Wednesday when we were just cruising around trying to figure out what we wanted and this place caught our attention so we decided why not, afterall we both enjoy Mexican/Latin food.
It is a little on the pricier end but if your in the mood for a step up from the typical fast food Mexican and would like something a little different that you wouldn't normally expect, this should serve that purpose.
I really enjoyed the tableside guac, a definet improvement from the guac we got at Adobe Gilas in Rosemont. the salsa trio was unique and pleasing as well. The soup was the only thing that was kind of average for me but thats not to say it was bad, just kind of meh after everything else I've eaten.
I got the Carne Asada and my friend had the fajitas. My carne was perfectly cooked, super tasty, and in my belly faster than you can say, "Get in......." It also came with a side of mashed potatoes that was topped with a super flavorful sauce that I whole heartily loved and I'm one of "those people" who says they dont' like mashed potatoes.
Now I just got to get the bf here.
I came here for lunch last spring. Â I liked it, so we tried to make reservations for the night before I was leaving town and they couldn't accommodate us...truly disappointing, but oh well I did get to eat here once.
The salsas were amazing. Â I especially liked the peanut salsa - so unique. Â My enchiladas were perfect and the sauce was exquisite. Â I really wish I could have come here for my farewell dinner...so make reservations in advance or you will be disappointed.
The table made guacamole was average but they have a lot of ingredients you can add. My husband is a picky eater so I won't hold that against them. It would have been better spicier.
I had one of the specials, Camarones Manchamanteles, which was shrimp in the special mole sauce of the day. It was served with coconut rice. A few plantains on the side would have been a nice touch. It was good and the medley of flavors in the mole were a compliment to the sweet rice.
The enchiladas were good too and they did accomodate my brother's special request.
This is not a restaurant for a quick meal. Pacing is slower but all of the food arrived very hot.
When I made the reservation on Open Table, it took a while to confirm. By that time we were already on our way to the restaurant. There was no indication that the meal didn't qualify for points until after I returned home and saw their late e-mail. They should specify up front what days / hours do not qualify. We visited on a Sunday evening at 6pm.
I'll start off by saying this place would've easily received 5 stars if it wasn't for one major issue which I will address at the end.
I made reservations for my GF and myself. We arrived in front of Mago right on time but it took 15 minutes to find parking. I called to tell them this and they told me they would do their best to hold my reservations. Ok? We get there, waited a few minutes, not bad at all. Friendly hostess. We sit down, we get our water, chips, and salsa right away. Loved the green, verde salsa and the chips were hot and great. Our waiter, Miguel, very friendly and informative - very good waiter.
Here is where the problem starts: I had a Groupon for this place and you have to tell your waiter about this right away. The Groupon entitled us to a guacamole, 2 margaritas, and 2 entrees - a great value! Before going to this restaurant, I read some reviews and one of them claimed that the guacamole is made table-side... except for Groupon guests. I didn't believe it, but guess what? It happened to us too. We received our guacamole from the kitchen while other tables had a woman going around and making theirs table-side. Really? Way to make us feel like a second-class guests.
Furthermore, the margaritas were watered down. Don't get me wrong, they tasted good, but I didn't taste a hint of alcohol and if you hadn't told me it was a margarita, I would've guessed it was lemonade. The food was very good. My GF had the carne asada and I had the filete churrasco - both were very good.
Finally, the bill came and another issue arose: 18% gratuity was already included. Is that normal? I know that is common when you have 8+ guests, but when you only have 2? I get it, some Groupon/daily deal customers might be "cheap" and not leave much of a tip if they leave one at all, but I was planning on leaving our waiter at least 20% off of the real amount (and still did) but it somewhat felt odd.
Like I said from the beginning, I would've given this place 5 stars if they didn't make us feel like we were being looked down on. And again, the staff we encountered was very friendly and helpful - the issues seem to be fundamental and instilled by management. Unfortunate.
SUPER BUSY! Make sure to call for a reservation. Because it's a busy place it can be a bit loud.
I went here thanks to a Groupon. Never knew such a delicious place existed so near! The Groupon gave me a good chance to try some things. Like their homemade Guacamole! To die for. You can make it as spicy as you want. You need to get this!
You also get some chips and 3 different salsas, it's really tasty too.
The margarita was amazing too. I love those things.
There is a good selection of food to try. It was difficult to pick. I went with a Snapper dish. So yummy. It's not all your typical Mexican dishes (they do have some standards) which was nice.
I loved this place. I can't wait to go back again!
Very good place that can be compared to Fat Rosies and Bien Trucha. Â The fresh guacamole made at the table was a nice feature. Â The salsas were unique. Â They had a verde which was very mild, a peanut based salsa which was different, and a chipotle based salsa which I found to be out of this world.
A great selection of tequilas were featured at the bar.
The main courses were given coudos all the way around as we had eight people in our party. Â The burritos looked incredible. Â I had a taco trio which included a chili rillenos taco that was very good.
The real suprise believe it or not was the coffee. Â Authentic mexican coffee with hints of cinnamon. Â Delicious!
I highly recommend this place. Â A nice place to stop by after losing your butt at the track all day.
Once Mago obtained their liquor license, I bought a Groupon for the restaurant and my husband and I tried it again. Â We were pleasantly surprised. Â The food was great our first time returning (August 2011). Â We have been in to dine at least once a month since that 2nd visit. Â The 5 star rating reflects the fact that it is in the suburbs. Â I might not rate it quite as high in the city, but I would give it at least a 4 if it were in Chicago.
Most everything we have ordered has been delicious. Â The fresh corn tortillas for the tacos are wonderful. Â The salsas and moles are incredible. Â The complimentary tortilla soup is delicious. Â The tasty margaritas actually have alcohol and are not simply watery sweet and sour. Â Love the chocolate bread pudding. Â I think the thing we can say we are not terribly fond of is the chicken flautas appetizer. Â Unfortunately my husband has never received the jalapenos he requests to go with his fajitas despite ordering them.
The hosts are friendly and the waitstaff are great (especially Miguel)!
Our daughters are 12 and 9. Â They love Mago for the steak tacos.
The best Mexican restaurant ever!!! Food was awesome. We had the trio ceviche, the fajitas alla Mago. Let me just say u will never ever taste fajitas that wonderful!! Usually I always need to load up my Mexican food with salsa, hot sauce abd tons of sour cream and guacamole just to give it flavor and sometimes that doesn't help. At Mago, I just used the fajita ingredients and a tortilla!! Yummmmmm. Even the free soup u usually get at Mexican restaurants was awesome. So much flavor.
Also the margaritas are fantastic. We had the La reina it was so good I had two.
The service is also exceptional, very attentive without being annoying.
Can't wait to go back there soon!!!
Again, the best food!!!!!
So, I want to love Mago, but my universal love of this restaurant seems completely dependent on what I order and who serves us.
We made reservations this time and were pleased by how quickly we were able to be seated. Â Being a Friday night, everything took longer. Â Everything. Â Getting menus and drinks took almost 25 minutes. Â We ordered guacamole immediately and it came after another 15 minutes. Â Our server was slow and inattentive, but our server from the previous night (Miguel) was the saving grace of the night. Â He came by our table several times to get us additional drinks and some warmth that was missing from our server. Â
I ordered tacos (two tilapia and one shrimp), which were shockingly flavorless.  My fiancé ordered another mole, which he loved... again.  Their mole seems to be their strength, along with other excessively sauced slabs of meat.  What needs work are their traditional Mexican dishes. Â
We are going to keep coming back to Mago because of Miguel and the intermittently well-chosen dishes. Â Not for the scowling head chef, the lackadaisical non-Miguel service or the tacos, but for the potential this place has.
Let's cut to the chase. The chips with three different salsa / dips are a fabulous way to start out the meal. The peanut sauce might be my favorite, but each has its charm. On my first visit, I had the Mojarra en Mole de Cacahuate - tilapia in a zesty peanut mole, served with poblano mashed potatoes. This was really, really delicious (and spicy)! My fiance had a steak dish (can't remember which one), which had wonderful flavor.
On my second visit, I ordered the Pechuga Azteca. AMAZING CHOICE. Prosciutto-stuffed chicken breast covered in cheese and a rich poblano cream sauce, served with cilantro rice. QUÉ RIDÃCULO. As in, this was ridiculously good. Order it now. I'm probably going to get it the next time I go there, even though I've been wanting to try the rest of the menu.
There are like three other Mexican restaurants within a ten-minute walking distance in downtown Arlington Heights, but when I'm craving fancy Mexican food, Mago somehow makes them all disappear. Mago = Magic!
I was excited to try out Mago, it's nestled inside the performing arts building in downtown Arlington Heights. Very cute area, but I imagine it would be troublesome to find parking around the dinner time rush. Luckily I went during lunch so I didn't have as many issues. I honestly had no expectations at this place, it's a latin restaurant so I will admit i'm not very versed in this cuisine. But do I love trying new stuff! Well we went around 12pm on Saturday and they weren't very busy. The waiter was extremely helpful, patient and friendly. He gets 5 stars for sure!
There is a lot of good sounding stuff on the menu but I settled on something more standard to get a feel for the place. I got some taco trio in which you could mix any type of tacos to total up 3 (very nice!) this was a great way to try out a few different flavors. I will say though that the prices at this place were a little high for my tastes. The tacos were around 12ish dollars and any sides were extra. I thought that would be ok but the serving sizes are actually a little small, like palm sized. Ok so that may be the correct serving size but it would have been nice to see a picture for reference. Besides I like leftovers! Also chips and 3 dipping salsa's are at each table, very good! I like the green one.
The actual meal in my opinion was just ok. I don't think I would order it again. I might try something else on the menu but it's not high on my to do list. I did however like the tortilla soup we got before the meal, that was better than anything else! But for lunch and my small tacos and throw in an iced tea it was about $20 and just ok food. Dinner is even higher so I don't think i'll be returning for that. I gotta say I was a tad bit disappointed. I really wanted to like this place but there was nothing magical about it. Â
So all in all I would try it out if you're curious but don't go in thinking it's life changing. And if you're like me and really enjoy some good cheap greasy eats then this place is probably not for you.
YUM YUM YUM! This place isn't your typical Mexican joint, it's a high class restaurant mixed with your typical mexican joint. I for one am big on food presentation and Mago gets an A+! You start off with their 3 salsa's mmm every one of them is delicious, however I think the green may be my favorite. Tableside guac= yum! and their fajitas, nicely seasoned. For once, I prefer the steak fajitas over the chicken! Their carne asada, delish! Basically one big steak fajita with poblano mashed potatoes mm. No more BYOB at this place (I never was here when it was BYOB thank goodness!), their margaritas holy cow! All fresh squeezed fruit juice, no marg mix here! Dessert = Capirotada, chocolate bread pudding with bananas. Basically, I haven't had ANYTHING here that didn't taste like a party in my mouth.
ALSO, for all you deal seeking money savers out there, they're part of <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FGdine.com&s=07cc2dbe87a5e8d39dd06a351419f7f398d0e96608b9527727e50193391e829c" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://Gdine.com</a>, you reserve and pay online a set price for each person. It automatically adds the tax and gratuity so you know what your bill is and it's paid before you even arrive at the restaurant. (If you're going with a group you can all pay on separate cards) You have a limited menu, but each person is allowed to choose either an appetizer and entree or an entree and dessert. Also, Gdine allows you to see the limited menu before you book so you can make sure there's something on there you like. Visit here, you'll be glad you did. There's also a location in Bolingbrook!
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