El Paisa Alegre #2 El Original

Carnitas El Paisa Alegre is a great Mexican restaurant for dine-in, breakfast or catering. The carnitas are incredibly tender, flavorful, and cooked to perfection — you can taste the care in every bite. Whether you’re dining in for breakfast or ordering for a catered event, the food is consistently delicious and generously portioned. The customer service truly stands out: warm, welcoming, and genuinely friendly. You can tell this is a proud, family-owned business that values its community and customers. If you’re looking for authentic carnitas, great breakfast options, and reliable catering with amazing service, this place is a must-visit. Highly recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I just had brunch at Carnitas #2 in Prospect Heights, and WOW—the food was absolutely delicious! I ordered the Chilaquiles with three over-medium eggs and skirt steak, and it was so much food that I had to bring half home (which I’m already excited to enjoy later). The sauce was absolute perfection—so flavorful that I didn’t even want to add the extra spicy sauces they offered. My waitress, Julie, was outstanding—truly as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. She was kind, attentive, and so helpful. The entire staff made me feel genuinely welcome. As a Houston Texan spending time here in Chicago, it was such a joy to experience that warm, home-style hospitality. The atmosphere was inviting, the people were wonderful, and the food was perfect. This is definitely the kind of place you want to stop into after church for brunch, or honestly, for lunch, dinner, or breakfast any day. I’ll absolutely be returning. ✨ Highly recommend—check this place out! ✨

The food here is flavorful and absolutely delicious! If you’ve tried their Carnitas, Chicharrón and/or Barbacoa you’ll love their new breakfast menu!! Here are some of the plates we tried from their breakfast menu and it hit the spot 10/10 🔥 The atmosphere is super friendly and I will definitely be coming back for more!

Waitresses were nice and efficient as well as the kitchen staff. In town from Michigan on our 7 year anniversary and they gave us a complimentary dessert. Only mentioned it to our Waitress once and the whole staff showed appreciation. The food was top notch, the flavors are delicious and genuine recipes so if you had a bad experience here i blame you lol. All in all an awesome experience and staff, cant wait to come back rather it be enjoying Illinois or passing through from Wisconsin 🤗🤗🤗😊😊😊😊😊😊

1st time we were so excited to try this place . 3 pm place was empty so we expected great hot food and service . Well we got good service but our tacos were already cooked waiting for a buyer they were dry burned and cold . we were so disappointed. We don’t return food. And won’t return they only get us one time . DISAPPOINTED.

The team is always nice, very welcoming especially Yuliana. Place is busy always which is a good sign. Service orientated always trying their best to welcome you the moment you walk in and feel appreciated. The El Pastor and Carnitas are up there with the best I have had in a long, long time.

The people's is very friendly!!place is super clean.

I've been driving past this place for almost a year now. I finally stopped in and ordered 3 chicken tacos. They were delicious 😋 Luis was very friendly. I will return.

I just had brunch at Carnitas #2 in Prospect Heights, and WOW--the food was absolutely delicious! I ordered the Chilaquiles with three over-medium eggs and skirt steak, and it was so much food that I had to bring half home (which I'm already excited to enjoy later). The sauce was absolute perfection--so flavorful that I didn't even want to add the extra spicy sauces they offered. My waitress, Julie, was outstanding--truly as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. She was kind, attentive, and so helpful. The entire staff made me feel genuinely welcome. As a Houston Texan spending time here in Chicago, it was such a joy to experience that warm, home-style hospitality. The atmosphere was inviting, the people were wonderful, and the food was perfect. This is definitely the kind of place you want to stop into after church for brunch, or honestly, for lunch, dinner, or breakfast any day. I'll absolutely be returning. Highly recommend--check this place out!

I so regret not visiting this restaurant sooner!!! Great breakfast options. Chilaquiles - 100% best in the area Birria - 100% Staff so attentive and ready to serve! Keep up the good work!!

CARNITAS! CARNITAS! CARNITAS! Amazing!! Traditional and incredible! Leave with a pound or two with tortillas and the homemade salsas are sensational! (First time doing breakfast it was insanely good) Have you ever been to a place that focuses its culinary skill on providing fresh, delicious, traditional carnitas? Well, El Paise Alegre is exactly that kind of gem. The hand cooked CARNITAS ARE THE STAR OF THE SHOW! perfectly tender, juicy, and full of flavor, with just the right balance of crispy edges and melt-in-your-mouth bites. You can tell everything is prepared with care and tradition in mind. Pair it with fresh tortillas, salsa that packs a punch, and classic sides, and you'll feel like you've discovered the real deal. Beyond the food, the atmosphere is warm and welcoming, making it a great spot for both casual meals and family gatherings. The service is friendly, attentive, and genuinely eager to make sure you enjoy every bite. If you're looking for authentic carnitas done right, El Paise Alegre is a must-visit. It's the kind of place that doesn't just serve food it serves tradition, flavor, and a memorable experience.

Didn't get a picture, but this place is very good and authentic Mexican food! I called to order, and they couldn't really understand me as they all spoke Spanish, but I was able to get my order in once the phone was passed to someone that spoke English. I picked up and they were very nice. I got 3 taco dinners and total was about $53. Kind of steep but we were satisfied. I also got an horchata, which tasted delicious, but needed to be strained because I think cinnamon sticks were blended in. If you are picking up, be careful, as their parking lot has a few big potholes!

Was hoping for a better experience. Food was great, but not at all for what we ended up paying. Highly overpriced, everything you see in the photo costed us $66.10! Ordering was very hard, no English knowledge to understand what you want to order, luckily my party was bilingual or we would have needed google translate to order anything. We asked had to ask 4 times for chips & salsa as well. Overall experience, it was way too overpriced, & hard to order anything if you don't speak Spanish.

Tacos are good, but getting rather expensive. They are really plain and rather dry.

First time here, took myself out to lunch for my birthday. Got the taco dinner with asada, carnitas, and al pastor. Tacos were generously filled and well-prepared. The al pastor had the smokey flavor that I don't prefer, personally, but it was good quality meat and well-made, just not my preference. I always like to try al pastor in places to see how it compares to my favorite, La Chaparrita in Little Village. Carnitas were moist and had a good balance of meat and fat. Asada was good- moist, good flavor. Average rice & beans. Standard horchata. The complimentary salsa and chips were served warm. Salsa wasn't spicy, but had a rich tomato flavor and I think there were chunks of carnitas, which definitely added to the richness!

Always amazing, authentic food and service. I haven't had a bad thing on this menu yet. I'm coming here for over 10 years. Definitely recommend.

Horrible service- took 30 mins for toco Tuesday . Empty restaurant. Lady's on the phone talking or talking to each other while my order was ready.

Best Carnitas and salsa in town! Carlos and his family are legendary! Also don't miss out and order tacos campechanos ! Thank me later!

Was my first time there, my friend recommended the carnitas and i must said the carnitas were really good. Terrible service though, will i come back no

Bold flavors abound here. Get anything with carnitas, it's seasoned spectacularly. Fresh ingredients, generous portions, friendly service. Highly recommend!

Food is very good, service is not They charge a 15% gratuity straight without notice and the server ask if you want to add a tip when they charge already but be careful because the 15% charge is of party of 4 or more.

We came in family of 3. We sat down ordered drinks waited 10 minutes for them. We got chips and salsa after 15-20 minutes after being seated. Waited 30 minutes for simple food 3 tacos and 2 soups. We noticed other people that came in within 2 minutes got drinks and there chips and salsa and this was a family of 8, all of them got there food within 10 minutes. The server added 15% of tip and said that after a family of 4 15% has to be included but we were only 3. We talked to the manager and got our gratuity back. I don't recommend this place at all for service. Food was amazing tho!

The reason for three stars is solemnly on the quality of the food, which is AMAZING. The waitress was RIDICULOUSLY uneducated and had no idea how to do her job. We ordered the most amazing meat by the pounds however, the waitress was unable to explain to us that it was an additional $7 per pound of meat if we ate within the establishment. I was shocked to see an $80 bill for 1.5 lbs of meat. I would go back only for take out, service is a -1! In addition to this, the waiter started screaming at us and at the owner saying that there are cameras and that we could rewind them and see that she told us. We all had an absolutely delicious meal, but a terrible experience with the waiting staff.

I literally had the weirdest experience ever in this place. Felt like I was in the twilight zone!! Sat down with my family of 5 and was asked "drink?". 3 Jaritos and a coke... not rocket science right??? Total look of confusion.. did not speak English or Spanish. then we order food.. 3 steak taco dinners... easy... NOPE?? I then order a burrito... NOPE no burrito tortillas.. got up and left. Will never go back or recommend.

Very tasty and abundant portions. Tried the carnitas, al pastor and cecina tacos. Carnitas looked delectable but were probably the least flavorful of the trio. The cecina was well seasoned and served with a smear of beans and caramelized onions. The al pastor was something else. Can something have too much flavor? Wow! The meat was smoky, slightly charred and served with nice chunks of equally charred pineapple. So good! Probably the most different and best I've had in the area. Beans were a bit salty. Overall the food was great and I can't wait to come back and try some of the other varied offerings.

It was Día de la Independencia and we were craving some Mexican food. The staff helped service us right away and the food was delicious. Ordered the chicken tacos. The Ambiance and atmosphere was a bit quiet, as we came in towards the end of the day, but overall we enjoyed our food and will return in the future.

Food was amazing! Everything was fresh and the portions were large. The owner came out of the kitchen to introduce himself. We were impressed and we will definitely go back!

Food was amazing and came out quick. Although there was a slight language barrier between the "cashier" and my group, she was extremely friendly and pointed out all of the "best" items on the menu. Would definitely recommend, I will be going back!!

Worst service ever. Did not let us know that they charge to eat there. They overcharged us for a pound of Carnitas. When I went in to go ask, the guy looked at me and said uhh ohhh ! which means this is not the first time this has happened. Do not recommend whatsoever. If I can give negative stars, I would.

First time here, ordered the steak burrito. Time was 5:48 so everything should be good. The meat was greasy, the rice was dry and there really was no flavor to it. Hardly any lettuce or tomatoes. To be honest taco bell would have been much better.

My husband and I drive by El Paisa Alegre II every time I pick him up from the Prospect Heights train station. We finally stopped by one evening and were pleasantly surprised. The prices are very reasonable, the portions are HUGE and the food is wonderful! We had three beers and two dishes with leftovers for dinner the next evening and spent less than $30! I loved the authentic hot sauces, the friendly staff and the variety of customers that came into the establishment while we were dining. One thing to remember when you order is how big everything is. I ordered a quesadilla with spicy pork and fresh avocado and it came as three huge wedges...it was like one and a half. My husband's burrito was the size of a football! Splitting a dish is definitely possible.

Wow! Definitely above my expectations! Food is great, especially the chips and salsa (easiest way to predict the quality of the food). The salsa is warm with chunks of carnitas - pure goodness. We ordered a platter of carnitas and a platter of beef barbacoa, both of which were tender and delicious. We could have easily ordered one platter for the two of us with the size of their portions. I'll be there soon to try out the rest of the menu!

Listen, I grew up in LA and was surrounded by the Mexican culture and food and it takes a lot for me to be impressed. And this place damn nailed it, great food and portion. And their hot sauce? hot damn man, they are awesome. Although I haven't tried anything other than the carnitas, I can and will tell you that this place has one of the best carnitas in Chicagoland. And probably my top 3 ever. Seasoned perfect with all the different organs(unless you want to go lean meat only) and option of being fine or rough chopped. Toss that bad boy on some warm tortillas and their hot green chili sauce. Man, you got some food that will put you in a coma real quick. And the portions? They are crazy generous. We are probably looking at least a pound of meat. Added with rice and beans? Man, you are in for some great food coma later. A must place to visit.

Definitely more on the authentic side but the meat falls a little flat. Tried the carnitas tacos with braised pork skin and pork ribs. The pork was a little dry and both the skin and ribs were underseasoned. Even with salsa, the flavor was still lacking. Corn tortilla were dry. Also has the quesadilla con carne with asada meat and corn tortilla. The tortilla was grilled but got really dry. Again the asada was underseasoned. Chips were super greasy. It did have a nice crunchy texture and came with a pork dip. The pork in this dish was seasoned very well. This was actually the best part of the meal. Overall the food was decent but could raise the bar if the meat was seasoned better. You do get a lot of food and the price is good. Service was mediocre.

We stopped in on the way home from hockey, lured in by good Yelp reviews. This place totally delivers, theres a whole roast pig right when you walk in the front door. we ordered carne asada, surita (mix) and ribs in burritos. they were huge and the sauces were fantastic. They served salsa with pulled pork in it for an appetizer. They did a brisk take out business,While we were there-- we even took home a pound of the chicharrones.

Stopped in from the train station for a bite to eat, first time visitor and on a complete whim to try something new. Boy are we glad we did. In the wintertime it can get pretty cold in the dining area, but they have some hot sauce for that ;) Tip - portions are monstrous so know that going in. My wife and I could have easily split what we each ordered. In fact, half the food went home with us as leftovers. She ordered the quesadilla and I ordered the burrito. Both with pastor. They were both really good. My burrito was the size of a football, in the infamous words of the 75th, "It was YYUUGGEE!" Minus the beers we ordered, our food ran us $20. VERY reasonable, you get a lot of bang for your buck here. If you are not into big sizes, I would advise to order the tacos, they are much more manageable in terms of size. They are not open late, in fact, all the signs in the window are homemade and they recently adjusted their hours. We will be back.

This is my favorite place for tacos in the suburbs as well as my husband's. We frequent this place so often, that we may get it as often as once a week. They do close on random days occasionally, so it's nice to call ahead of time to make sure they're open before you head over. My go-to's are the cecina and the carnitas. The cabeza de res is very fatty and rich, which is a nice once in a while treat for me. Al pastor is not bad as well. Highly recommend this place!

I had a steak burrito with no beans! This burrito was good and I will definitely return. My reason for 4 starts as opposed to 5 is because of the price. It was $15, ridiculous! They considered the burrito to be a whole meal, which it is very big and fulfilling. I really don't believe it's worth $15. #monalisaapproval.

Same owner as Tacqueria in wheeling. Has alcohol and dine in . Really nice family owned. Great food. They serve chips and salsa .

The servers here are very nice, no doubt. It was the first day for my waitress, but what she lacked in knowledge, she made up for in attitude and effort. Pork is definitely a mainstay here. When I walked in I was greeted by the remains of a pig under a heat lamp. Perhaps that's a delicacy for some; it made me reconsider vegetarianism. Once seated my waitress brought these really thick corn tortilla chips and, the best part of the meal, four types of salsa: two mild, two hot. As others have said, this is a very traditional spot; when they say hot, they aren't kidding. I told the waitress I wanted a chicken dish with vegetables. She suggested the chicken salad. It was a sautéed piece of chicken cut in strips sitting atop a tasteless bed of iceberg lettuce with a few slices of tomatoes, avocados and a large chunks of white onion. No dressing served, only a few pieces of lime. The chicken was tolerable and the avocado fresh, that's the most I can say. The refried beans were nasty. They tasted like pork and were dried out. I took one bite and almost lost it. I can't remember the last time I didn't clean my plate. Much as I like the staff, I don't think I'll be returning any time soon.

Place is ass. Tacos are better at Taco Bell. For real and I hate Taco Bell. $14.99 for 2 taco dinner. Rip off. They love lettuce and tomato on the tacos here.

If you're looking for quantity over quality this might be your place. I had a steak burrito, diet coke and a horchata. The good news: The burrito was huge. Can feed 2 people with this thing. I The horchata may have been one of the best I ever had. The staff was very friendly. The bad news: The burrito had more rice than the Rice A Roni factory in San Francisco. All filler. The meet was chopped so much that it looked like ground beef. The burrito was $10 by itself. So a rice filled burrito with remnants of steak, a can of coke and a horchata cost $17. If you're on a budget and don't mind sharing a below average meal, this can feed 2 Not worth it, really.

Food is so good! Must try! Tables were spaced out, can take out. Service was great! Definitely will try again, food will not disappoint. Great portions for price.

I love the place, food is amazing,and for hangovers I recommend menudo and the consome. My favorite is the goat soup. (consome de chivo)

Exquisite food is like you are tasting food from Mexico everyday the dishes are traditionally Mexican real food so if you're looking for a place authentic Mexican food this is the only one in northwest suburbs

I had really high hopes for this place going in but I had a very strange experience. Today, I went in to order food to-go around 2-3pm. There was no wait and a lady came up to me to take my order. The display menu signs weren't on for some reason and there was no other menu in sight. The lady asked what I wanted even though I didn't have a menu to order from. I then told her it was my first time there and she gave me a menu to look at which was not easily accessible. She then gave me time to look at it and then I ordered. (Later when I was paying for my order, another new customer had come in to order for to-go and the employee asked him what he wanted to order without presenting a menu to him either. I don't know what the deal is with not having a presentable menu in the front of the restaurant.) I ordered one lengua taco and three steak tacos, all with additional cheese for an extra $0.39. The original taco prices were crossed out and raised to be at $2.99 each. I ordered an horchata as well. The bill came out to be $17.99! I was not expecting four tacos and an horchata to come out to be that much money. The horchata was $3 and only came in a medium size cup. That's too expensive in my opinion. Here's where I was most disappointed: I got home and opened my tacos to find that none of them included cilantro and onion. I thought this was the default topping. Why didn't I have any on any of my tacos? This was a huge disappointment and I'm still not sure why it wasn't included. The positives about this place was that they gave me a generous amount of limes, four selections of salsa, and included a lot of meat in each taco. The wait for my order was very short too. However I'm just not sure if I want to return to pay this much money for tacos and horchata. I wish this place had met my expectations since I don't live too far from here.

Saw this place and stopped in. Fresh food and the portions are big. Great service and fast. Will be coming back with a bigger appetite. Order the carnita plate and asada taco and cecina taco. Also order the guacamole with chips. Very simple place and plenty of room for big groups.

I'm going keep my review simple and to the point on this gem of a place. First, the food is stellar. Second, the service is courteous, generous, and kind. Third, the ambiance and environment is family style, wonderfully authentic, and warmly inviting. Owner Ariana is doing all she needs to keep such a great authentic Mexican restaurant busy, as it is even in a snowstorm! In short, you have to visit!

Their food is delicious. Try the taco dorado! I tried also burrito, which had lot of meat, you can feed two with it. Also tried menudo, was good too, little too much chile colorado to my taste but that doesnt make it bad. Service was great, is a good value. Will come back.

I believe this is a family owned restaurant. The staff here is always welcoming and light hearted, just adding to the experience. El Paisa Alegre has Most authentic Mexican food in the area. Everything is homemade on the spot, and there salsa is addicting. If you still have room from the big portions, make sure to grab a churro on the way out!

Bit of a dive atmosphere which I love, clean. Attentive andfriendly staff. Great tacos! Some of the best I have ever had. Definitely will come back to try others

The food here is great. I love Mexican food, so I come here often. It's my favorite place for Mexican: simple and delicious. I've tried the lamb, carnitas, lengua and carne asada. The carnitas is so good, so I definitely recommend trying that. This place has the most tender lengua I've ever eaten though, so that's also worth trying if you're into that. The burritos are huge. The tacos are great, and the salsas range in spiciness depending on what you want. I usually ask for the regular salsa verde and the avocado one which is a lot spicier.

The waitresses are rude there. I was waiting at the register for 20 min to pick up my food the waitress saw me there and nobody asked me if I needed help or something

Discovered by accident. Wow! Serious non american mexican food. I ordered lamb birria taco & goat barbacoa taco & beef barbacoa taco - all terrific. When assembling tacos, cook took off cover from chafing tray and I was staring at a smoked cow head! Salsas had a good punch. They gave me some sample tastes of the carnitas and chicharrón - both outstanding. Staff was friendly and proud of their product. I have a couple of complaints, however. They have no horchata. I love horchata, but I didn't mind saving the calories. They offer sopes, but I thought they were expensive. I would have ordered a huarache, but I was grabbing and going. This will become a frequent haunt for me. I'm looking forward to next time.

What a great find! My husband and I were driving around trying to find a new place to try and are so glad we came across El Paisa Alegre. The staff were so nice and friendly and the food was awesome! We ordered a plate of carnitas, half lean meat/half mixed, that came with tortillas, onion, cilantro, and limes. So good! Just simple food made super well! Another added surprise was homemade chips and a chicharron salsa. Delicious! Will definitely go back!

This brotha sista dual owned establishment (Carlos & Arianna) is the highlight of my day as I walk into a showcase full of pork, prepared every which way. From Lechon to full-bodied tortas spanning the width of your chest plate, El Paisa Allegre II is the stuff that inspires the Rick Bayless types, but drawing actual Chicano & Chicana carnivores thru their doors.

Great place, great food. Always friendly. The variety of carnitas are a standout, as is the asada.