Having lived about two blocks away from Big Star for most of my Chicago life, I have to say that Taco Diablo is sooooo much better than that overhyped place. Â The only gripe is that they don't take reservations, so on weekend nights be prepared to wait 30 minutes or longer for a table. Â But on weekdays, you can easily snag a table, especially if the weather is bad. Â I especially love their tortas, which I think are better than Frontera's. Â The bread is perfect, the meat well seasoned and tender. Â I've had their tacos before, and they were good, but not spectacular (I think it's something about the meat to other fillings ratio). Â
Did I also mention free chips and salsa? Â The green one is particularly spectacular for a non-spicy-food-eating person like me.
Excellent find in Evanston! Found this spot on my Yelp app, as usual. We were just off the plane from our two-week trip to Asia and were dying for some Tex/Mex and just American food in general. So in we wandered for a late lunch/early dinner on a Saturday.
We were promptly greated and seated at booth along the wall and served homemade chips with two different salsas. These house salsas were actually spicy too - bonus! Love the atmosphere. Cool style this place has going on. Unique drink list - lots of specialty margaritas and imported Mexican beers. I tried the Spicy Margarita - very very good. Like a traditional but with just a hint of kick. Loved it!
On to the food.....
We each got the 3 taco plate - choose from at least 10 taco choices. Unique garnishes, flavors go very well together. I can't even remember which tacos we had but every single thing we ate was so fresh and delicious, I'm sure it doesn't matter which you get. Soooo good! The taco samplers come with two sides also. We both got beans and rice which were yummy too. All in all this was a ton of food for 2 people. We left stuffed and would definitely eat here again if we find ourselves in Evanston.
I love Big Star. I really do. Prime location, cheap drinks, and great tacos; what more could you ask for? With that said, Taco Diablo is a supernova in comparison and that's on my momma.
Better ingredients and they definitely don't skimp on the fillings. These tacos are stuffed! I highly recommend the duck tenders and the catfish tacos as they were the most outstanding in my meal. Their bartender was great in helping me choose the best according to my tastes and even whipped me up a nice gin drink that kicked my ass! Awesome service all around.
My only gripe with this place is that it's located in Evanston and I rarely venture to that area. However, knowing this spot is there I will definitely make sure to stop in if I find myself anywhere near Davis Street!
Lunchtime special - three tacos plus sides of black beans. They're small soft open-faced tacos and I ordered the spicy shrimp, catfish and potato. Believe it or not the potato was my favorite among the three. The nacho chips were crispy with no residual oil on them. For post meal coffee I was surprised and delighted that it was served in a French press and so rich that I convinced myself it was delicious Mexican coffee which you rarely get in restaurants.
Review Source:I was initially pretty excited about coming here. The yelp reviews looked good, and the south in me was aching for some good Mexican food. So when my friends made plans to try this place, I hopped on board.
First off, entering the restaurant for the first time, we were impressed at the ambience and decor. Service however, was poor right off the bat. We loitered around the door for maybe a couple minutes, as there was no hostess standing there and it didn't seem like the kind of place where you seated yourself. After we got tired of standing, my friend got the attention of the bartender, who flagged down the hostess who was busy having a conversation with another server... classy.
The food is reasonably priced for the portions. All the items sounded pretty nice, and I ended up doing the 3 taco combo: duck & pork chorizo & egg, spicy shrimp, and the crispy almond duck tenders. The duck/chorizo/egg was kind of a homogenous mixture of I-have-no-idea-what meat. I'm not really sure where the egg was. Hopefully you'll have better luck finding it than we did. Crispy almond duck tenders were crispy, if you like your food beyond deep fried. The tenders had the consistency of chicken fried steak and didn't really taste like duck. Actually, neither one of my duck tacos tasted like duck. Maybe it's the fancy new word for chicken? Spicy shrimp was not bad though. Good sauce. Everything lacked a little salt.
The 3-taco combo comes with a side of rice and beans which weren't bad. There was also a side of pickled jalapenos and tomatos that were tasty and a nice addition to the tacos. The server forgot to get a plate of sides for my friend the first time around. Another note, they don't seem to have a dress code for the wait staff here, so if you need something, your best bet is to flag down the guy in the A&F graphic tee or maybe the girl in what seemed to be her boyfriend's hoodie. Also they spend a lot of time talking to each other with their backs to you. Other than being a little unprofessional, they were prompt about chips and water and very friendly.
One of the big reasons that I'm never coming back is how uncomfortable I felt after eating the food. I felt exceedingly bloated and greasy for the next few hours, a sentiment shared by me and two of my co-diners.
So if you a) have low expectations for Mexican food, b) have a strong stomach, then this might be the place for you! Unfortunately, it's not the place for me.
THE BEST TACOS IN ALL OF CHICAGOLAND!! Each of the four tacos felt like the final four contestants of Top Chef All Stars battling for their name to be featured in Food & Wine Magazine. I'll name them in order from least favorite to most favorite. BTW don't get me wrong, I loved them all. All of them had a saucy topping that complimented each taco individually to give each bite it's own little party in your mouth. 3) Duck & chorizo & egg - I was hesitant because i personally do not like duck anything, but it looked interesting. To my surprise, it was tasteful, but i could still taste the duck. The chorizo and the egg saved it for me though. 2) Spicy shrimp - I'm sure a lot of people will disagree with me, but this one hit 2nd place for me. This was the best shrimp taco I've ever had in Chicagoland. They're not skimpy with the shrimp either. There was a piece in every bite. Other places i would get 3 small pieces in the whole taco. 1) Tied with Machaca & the Potato Taco. I think it's called machaca or something like that lol. It was braised beef. And the potato taco.. Speechless!
My gf is a sucker for nachos and it was awesome. I had a couple of bites myself. The bowl was huge enough for two people. Really good, but i was saving myself for the tacos.
She had the house Margarita and i had the pomegranate Margarita. We've had better somewhere else.
The biggest downfall to this place was how cold it was. It was warmer outside than it was inside. We felt like Eskimos without our polar bear jackets, as if snow-apocalypse hit us again.
Other than that, I'll definitely be back!
I have been here several times and everything has been great, from the service to the food. I really love the taco plates! The shrimp is my favorite, and unexpectedly the potato is uniquely different. The other members of our party enjoyed the crispy duck tender tacos as well. everything was fresh and flavorful. Give it a try, nice bar selection as well...
Review Source:When it comes to tacos, I'm a Taco Bell kind of guy; not in that I like meat that comes out of a caulking gun, but more in the sense that I only get cheese and lettuce on my tacos. Even when I go to Chipotle, it's strictly cheese and lettuce; I'm a "plain-eater" as my friends would say. So needless to say when my wife suggested "Taco Diablo" I wasn't too thrilled after looking at the menu.
The restaurant has a smaller menu which consists of a few full plate dinners, a few sides, a couple salads, and then a bunch of tacos; none of which were "carne asada w/ just cheese and lettuce". We made a deal that if we got to go out for pizza later in the week, I'd suck it up and give Taco Diablo a shot.
The restaurant itself is very cool. The atmosphere is perfect, the artwork is interesting and the layout was nice, but on the smaller side. For a party of 3 at 7PM on a Friday night we waited for maybe 20 minutes, but once we sat down there were definitely a lot more people waiting than when we first arrived. The 20 minutes passed quickly as we sucked down delicious margaritas from the cute bartender.
With strong margaritas flowing and not a "Taco Bell-style" taco in sight, I decided to lower my inhibitions (with obvious help from the alcohol) and go a little outside of my comfort zone. Most of the time when I say I don't like something it's because I've never tried it; some food scares me. My wife eats pretty much anything so I've definitely experienced more since we started dating than I had growing up, but I know I don't like peppers, so I steered away from those. My love for carne asada lead me to order one of those as well as the pork carnitas tacos. My wife had one of the shrimp guys and something else, and our friend had the crunchy chicken, carne asada and something else I can't remember.
I was pleasantly surprised with my choice. Both the carnitas and the carne asada tacos were delicious and everyone else seemed to enjoy their food as well. I've never been to "Big Star" in Chicago, but my buddy kind of compared it to that, although not quite as good. I would say they were definitely better than Taco Bell, and the house margarita was strong as well as delicious. So if you're looking for a taco place that's a little better than Taco Bell or Chipotle I definitely suggest checking out Taco Diabo, just be prepared to wait a little bit if the restaurant is busy, as it is a smaller place.
Don't come here after 9p - on multiple occasions we've come in at 9:35p for the 9:30p taco and drink special only to be told the kitchen is closed. Also they don't have set hours, so they close whenever they want. Â Would give a better rating if they were more consistent, the atmosphere is nice and food decent and pretty much the only Mexican place in Evanston.
Review Source:We had a nice time and some good food last night at TD.  Our waiter was very attentive and friendly, so off to a good start. Love it that they have a Michelada beer option on the menu for 25¢, haven't seen that before. The large salad was fresh and delicious, the tortilla soup tasty and the tacos good.  I liked the shrimp very much, not so much the duck/chorizo, but the veggie and beef got good reviews. The potted rice and black bean accompaniment was good. Delicious flan, too. Another plus, the food (except for chips) is not salty tasting!  I like the casual atmosphere, too.
Review Source:I am so very happy that this restaurant is open and nearby. The tacos are awesome (think street tacos with elegance). They have tortas and plate entrees, sour lime agua fresca and margaritas. I also love the dia de los muertos decor.
Reasons that it's not got five stars? There is almost always a wait for dinner (anywhere from 15 mins to 1+ hours) without the possibility of reservations, and the guacamole could use some garlic.
So really, it's a 4.5. I'm just bitter it isn't easier for me to eat there more often.
Top notch, hole-in-the-wall taco joint!
I came here with a couple of friends after hearing great things about their shrimp tacos. It was about 9pm when we got there. Ample parking - so that was a good thing. First impression after walking in was that it was a bit small and looked even smaller with all the people waiting for a table. But that visual made me hopeful. We waited at the bar and were offered chips and the usual red and green sauces. Nice snack to have while sipping on an agave wheat beer that was very light and refreshing.
A little bit long of a wait, but I didn't mind. I decided that starting off with 3 tacos would be good, and I'd order more if I was still hungry. Those things were ready within minutes of ordering. I had one shrimp taco, one with duck tenders, and the last with pork and egg (and duck? and chorizo?) I should check the menu. ALL. WERE. DELICIOUS. The slaw dressing in the shrimp taco and duck tender taco was a perfect compliment to the two very different tacos. I fell in love and had my usual "omg. wow. this is soooo good" comment. 3 was enough, but I definitely could have had more. I resisted. [Still January, guys. Gotta stick with those New Year's resolutions for at least 1 more week.]
What I loved most - second to the Shrimp tacos - was the great service. We finished the night by having really tasty rumchata drinks with the awesome bartenders, all while belting out to Hey Ya! I'd like to go back and try the rest of the taco selection...and sing with the bartenders.
This place gives Big Star (in Wicker Park) a run for their money. The tacos are not only authentic and creative, but they are very reasonable for the price. The tacos are filling and 3 was more than enough for me.
I tried...
1) Duck Tenders - this was my favorite, a 6/5. They were perfectly crispy and there was a sweet sauce that balanced the flavors beautifully.
2) Carne Asada - Really tender meat, still juicy (which is hard to accomplish when it's cut into small pieces). This really hit the spot and it felt a lot more authentic than any normal "mexican" joint.
3) Spicy Shrimp - Good pieces of shrimp cooked to perfection, and it came with a sweeter aioli, which was enjoyable.
The tacos come with rice and beans, served family style, if everyone gets the tacos. Otherwise, it's individual portions.
All in all, I think it's a great place to start off the night. And the staff is incredibly friendly!
My wife and I went to Taco Diablo last night for the first time. Â Being Saturday, the restaurant was crowded. Â However, the woman in charge of taking names was pleasant and efficient and quickly found us a place at the bar to wait for our table. Â Â My wife had a three taco combination (shrimp, veggie, catfish) and pronounced it excellent. Â I had the camarones del diablo, said on the menu to be "spicy." Â "Fiery" was more like it; they were barely edible without seriously diluting the chili. Â Even on a terribly busy night, service did not suffer; we were well attended to. Â We will go back, but not for the camarones. Â This is a welcome addition to Evanston's burgeoning dining scene.
Review Source:My parents and I went to try this new place on a Thursday night and we got a table right away and loved it! The Margaritas are fun and the carne asada torta was delicious. The tacos were not as exciting. The interior is really fun but there are not many tables. I believe it's owned by the same folks who own Lulu's.
We decided to go back on a Saturday night at 6pm and waited for almost 1 hour for a table for 4 when the hostess quoted me 30 minutes. They are a new restaurant but clearly not prepared for how busy they will now get that people know the food is good.
The service and food were both good, but the highlight of this place is the atmosphere... exposed brick with interesting art on the walls that blends in with the overall 'modern mexican fusion' theme. Â Definitely a place I'd go back to for dinner or drinks.
Free chips and salsa - that's always a plus. Â I thought the tacos were great. Â Tortillas were corn (not flour as another reviewer mentioned, so they must have changed that). Â The 3-taco 'special' was a good amount of food for me, with an app.
Only things I would have changed: guacamole had black pepper in it, which I didn't care for. Â I still ate it, but I don't think black pepper belongs in guac... the garlic, lime, onion, and salt should stand out, rather than pepper... Â also I agree with another reviewer that my house margaritas were a bit too sour/acidic. Â I know that's the margarita's middle name... but I would make a micro-adjustment to that. Â If I'm paying $8 for a house margarita, it needs to be spot on.
All in all, I'd recommend this place. Â Overall very good.
Let it be known that this IS the best mexican restaurant in Evanston. That being said, Evanston has a dearth of good mexican restaurants, and Taco Daiblo does little to improve on that condition. I work in Evanston, and eat lunch out frequently at many local establishments. When this place opened I went in and was pleasantly surprised by the cool vibe of the place. High ceilings and moody lighting with funky mexican-pop-culture decor is appealing. The food is good, but not great. The seasoning of their food is all wrong, and for a cuisine like Mexican, which is emblematic of bold seasoning, this is a problem. Guac lacks salt. As does most of their food. which is a shame, since the meats served here are well prepared otherwise. On one occasion my dining companion ordered queso fundido. The queso was fine, but it was delivered with flour tortillas. My companion wanted corn tortillas, and being mexican herself, was somewhat surprised to see flour tortillas being served at all. At least they could offer the diner the option of either flour or corn at the time of ordering. She asked them to swap the tortillas out for corn ones, which the server did with pleasure, but it seemed like a waste to toss out the flour ones. The enchiladas I ordered were very good, and unlike the rest of their food, well seasoned. On other occasions Ive ordered their  3-taco deal, which is OK, although regardless of what filling I got in my taco, they all managed to taste the same, more-or-less. The Chilaquiles are quite good, although I was disappointed when they removed beef cheeks from the menu and substituted machaca. All this was enough for me to plan an after-work drinking/eating meet up at this place with about 18 co-workers on my birthday. I thought my friends would appreciate the place as I did, and continue to patronize it, helping it grow. Its nice to have a successful business around town, considering the number of empty storefronts here these days. I went in to the place and let the servers know that we would have a large group coming in. They immediately began putting together several tables in the space near the windows, which worked out OK once everyone showed up. After some time though some people began to peel off and our party dwindled to maybe 10 people, leaving several unoccupied seats at the table. Meanwhile, people were trickling in and the place was short on space to seat everyone. At this point, the manager(?) came over to us and told us that we could either move to the bar (where there was NO space) or leave. I found this incredibly rude, considering we were there spending a lot of money on food and drink. At this point we all looked at each other and decided settle up our accounts, and leave. Ill put up with a lot of mistakes but rude service from a manager is not acceptable.
Review Source:Why one star for a place with cool decor and very, very good food and drinks? Craptastic and rude service is the answer.
When a party of 18 books a table, orders several hundred dollars in alcohol and food and is asked to "MOVE OR LEAVE" after 2 hours so the restaurant can make room for other patrons, it's a tad bit dickish.
If it was last minute, then the place should say "Sorry, we can't accommodate."
But to essentially kick out half of the party comes across as crass.
Will I eat there again, maybe when I get over being treated like a dollar sign.
The best Mexican food we've had in IL. We started with the duck chorizo - not something I would normally order but my husband loves duck, one bite and I was so glad we ordered it. So tasty. Â I had a pomegranate margarita that was to die for. I ordered the 3 tacos plate, my choices- carne asada, potato and the catfish. All stellar. My husband ordered the carne asada in mole. huge plate, said it was tasty. We selected the pinto beans with bacon as one of the sides, yummy!
Atmosphere was bustling, seemed to be the place to be. So excited to find good Mexican in town!
No better Mexican place in Evanston!!
Fantastic food, drinks and service. For the night, my wife and I tried the fundido, char chicken with mole, assortment of tacos (duck, potatoes and crispy chicken) and for drinks, the capirinha and the spicy margherita. Every single dish was absolutely fantastic. For me, the highlights were the fundido and margherita, those are must gets with future visits. Â
The only downside is the place isn't big, so if its a weekend night, you may need to wait 20-30 minutes.
Love the cool environment with very fun cheeky Mexican inspired art and unusual twists on Mexican food. Â
Try the Carne Asada with dark coffee rub char-grilled with robust Cascabel mole, pickled onion, guajillo mashed potato. Â It's a the best thing on the menu we've had. Â Feeling like a twist on the usual tacos? Â Try the duck or mashed potato tacos. Â The mole chicken thighs were disappointing- the meat was a bit dry - seemed like they weren't cooked in the mole, just topped with the sauce. Â Standard items like beans chips and guacamole were good. Â
I tried their spicy margarita that was supposed to be a sweet, tart and spicy drink but compared to others I've had it wasn't well balanced.
It's on my list as a great place to go - would be a cool happy hour hangout too. Â Just needs a bit work on some items - the ideas are great but execution is a bit short. Â Get a great chef to perfect the recipes and it will be on the top of my list.
Also bummed it's not open on Sunday's for lunch.
This place has been totally transformed since its days as Bill's Blues. Let's start with the aesthetics; this is a beautiful restaurant. You get what you expect: this is modern mexican cuisine and the decor is very new school.
Service was wonderful when I went, but I also went months after they opened. Chips and salsa were good, but the salsa fresca that came with the meal was the star of the show as far as salsa is concerned. I had the three taco platter with two of the duck + pork chorizo tacos as well as the chicken thigh with mole. My friend had one of each duck taco (the other being the crispy almond duck tenders) and the carnitas. I will say from what I've experienced and what I've heard from others the crispy almond duck and chicken thigh mole are the way to go with the tacos. Be careful with the lime wedges, a lot of the flavors they use are fairly subtle and a little too much lime is going to overpower. The plate also came with rice and beans (choice of black or charro). Just excellent, beautifully presented and served.
Will definitely be returning sometime soon, need to continue to work my way through the menu.
We gave them another shot.
Had a nice meal, tried more tacos and the hidden gem the mole chicken thighs.
Service was good, timely, and the food came out hot.
Seems they got over their growing pains.
Our server was even training another server, and it didn't negatively impact the meal.
Glad you guys got it together.
I love tacos. They are my #2 favorite food group (after noodles). So, I am ECSTATIC to report that there is finally somewhere in Evanston where you can get delicious tacos, and around the corner from me. Happy times!
Every time I go, I order the 3 taco plate. Priced at around $10, and served with rice, beans (veggie black beans or pinto beans with bacon), and escabeche vegetables, this is a terrific amount of food and really won't break the bank. I'm throwing Taco Diablo into a regular lunch and dinner spot.
My favorite? The spicy grilled shrimp taco. They're still tweaking the menu a little - so last week, I ate a crunchy chicken taco (DELICIOUS!) and today, I had a crunchy duck tender taco (delicious, but please bring the crunchy chicken back!). Honestly, you can't go wrong. The shredded beef cheeks braised with mole, the mahi mahi, the duck chorizo and egg, the chicken thigh... they are all delicious. Right now, I'm sitting here thinking: "I didn't order the mahi mahi for lunch today. Would it be crazy if I went back for lunch tomorrow? And on Wednesday? And maybe for the rest of the week too?"
They do have other items on the menu. I've been ogling the stews for a while, but haven't broken free of the draw of tacos just yet. If you're looking for some lighter fare, the house salad with fresh orange and honey dressing is perfect.
And you mustn't forget drinks! I love the house margarita, but if you're looking for something with a slight twist, try the one made with mezcal - it has this really great smoke flavor to it.
Complimentary chips and 2 salsas (one green, one red) are great. The artwork in this place is just awesome. Servers are friendly and I really love the bus staff! I hope the feeling is mutual, because they'll be seeing a lot of me. Welcome to Evanston, Taco Diablo!
Note: the storefront is really nondescript - TB is in the old Bill's Blues space, across the street from Tom Thumb and next to the bicycle shop - look for the small sign in the bottom window.
Three of us had drinks, chips & salsa, and some light food (taco) here last night. First, The margaritas were very good, or so I was told. My wife had their house marg and our friend had the pomegranate. I stuck with beer, Bells on tap for $5 and then switched to Tecate ($2.50).
The chips were great! Two kinds of salsa: one was a tomatillo - the milder of the two, and the other was a chill/tomato blend that had a nice bite to it. As the night went one I had to try a taco. I order a singular spicy shrimp (under $4). The taco itself was smaller than I wanted but was very good. A nice blend of flavor.
I would recommend going here for drinks or dinner (based on the taco) It is a little hard to find because there is not sign out front BUT just look for the red door with a Tecate neon sign.
I went there for a quick dinner (about 45 min to spare, only) and tried the three tacos deal: carne asada, carnitas and tilapia. They came fast and were very tasty, especially the tilapia taco. The black beans were tasty although I am not a fan of having corn in the beans. The chips and salsa were good and fresh.
I will be back to try some drinks and more of the menu.
Went back with some coworkers two days ago for lunch. It was less busy, and the service was a little better.
Most of us joined the table a few minutes late to some coworkers who were already having a drink. We all ordered the same thing and when they came out, our coworkers who got there first were jealous they didn't get any limes but everyone else ordering in the second round did. I guess the attention to detail still isn't there.
We were never asked if we wanted glasses of water or if we wanted another beer (none of us did), but the bussers were quick to dispense more chips.
The food remains very good. :)
Stopped by Taco Diablo when we'd heard through the grapevine that they'd finally opened. It's on an odd stretch of Davis St that needs a little fun and cool. (But a quick round the corner from the movies!)
We weren't ravenous so we only had the taco special: three tacos mix and match. All were delish, but especially the spicy shrimp and carne asada.
We'll be back with either a bigger group or emptier tummies.
P.S. previous comments dissed on the service. Our waiter couldn't have been nicer and was very professional for such a casual place.
Stopped in to check out the new place and we were not disappointed. Â Our waitress told us that the have only been open for a week, but you wouldn't of known it. Â She was very helpful with the menu and knowledgeable about the many tequllia's they have and recommended a awesomely smokie tasting El Jimador Margarita that was heavenly after a hot day.
Food came out in a timely manner and my tacos were fantastic!! Â I read that the owner was going for the authentic feel from their other location (Lulu's) staff members "Staff Meals"....well, it worked. Â Decent portion sizes, just the right amount of heat, and great flavors with each bite. Â (would of liked cloth napkins but hey, not game breaker by any means)
The decor is just great! Â I caught myself just looking around at the exposed brick, wall hangings, light fixtures and the struts up in the wood ceiling...VERY interesting.
You gotta go and check this place out, it really is good!!
Keep it up guys...we'll definitively be back.
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