El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant
Guatemalan restaurant · Albany Park ·

El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant

Guatemalan restaurant · Albany Park ·

Authentic Guatemalan food: pupusas, tamales, pepian, and more.

El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant by null

Information

3445 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60625 Get directions

$10–20

Reserve a table
Order delivery
See Menu
Restroom
Popular for lunch
Popular for dinner
Cozy
Good for groups

Information

Static Map

3445 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60625 Get directions

+1 773 942 6120
elquetzalchicago.com
@elquetzal3445

$10–20 · Menu

Reserve a table

Features

•Restroom
•Accepts reservations
•Popular for lunch
•Popular for dinner
•Cozy
•Good for groups
•Good for solo dining
•Vegetarian options

Last updated

Dec 29, 2025

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The Best Restaurants and Bars in Albany Park | Eater Chicago

"This restaurant, formerly known as Las Palmas, serves tacos and classic Mexican entrees, but the real reason to stop by is the chance to try Guatemalan specialities like red pepián, a stew thickened with pumpkin seeds, or caldo de gallina criolla, a chicken soup prepared with a freshly-slaughtered free range bird." - Eater Staff

https://chicago.eater.com/maps/albany-park-best-bar-restaurants-neighborhood-guides
El Quetzal Guatemalan Restaurant

Julie R.

Google
Great food and service. We were kind of in a hurry but everything was ready quick and delicious. Had pupusas, empanadas, garnachas, and a margarita. Will definitely come back to try more.

Kathy J.

Google
Went on a whim, and a great choice was made! The food was delicious! Our waitress was busy, but she did an awesome job. I also enjoyed the music.

Evelyn R

Google
Loved this place food was amazing did not disappoint! Food was a 10/10 loved it very fresh! Service here was ok the place is small but there is enough room parking is on the street the chips and salsa was very delicious bathroom here was clean servers were very efficient and attentive definitely recommend this place we drove 45 minutes and it was worth it!

El L.

Google
First time coming here, and im very disappointed. Servers took forever to take my order, the food took almost an hour and 15 mins, and did not taste good, no flavor, and it was dry. The server never came to pick up dirty plates on the table when more plates coming up. Never brought forks, spoons and water. Alot of things were missing. We call the server couple times and never show up until the very late at the end. Definitely not coming back. My family was not satisfied.

Evelyn M.

Google
Ambience was casual & family friendly with cumbias & marimba playing in the background. Service was very warm & friendly. Tried the beef Garnachas & the chicken tamale, they were really good. The salsa was a little spicy but tasted very good with the chips. They had so much to choose from!

Rowshon J.

Google
Had a really nice time here and ate some great food. The tortillas can fresh and stayed hot for a long time. We did have a bit of a language barrier as the host/waiter didn’t understand too much English but we made do with our broken Spanish. Their beans are super rich and somewhat sweet and I would recommend trying them just for the beans alone. Their guacamole (completely different from typical guac I have had previously) and homemade salsa were incredibly delicious and quite flavorful. The fried chicken I had was incredibly crispy and seasoned well - tastes great dipped in their homemade salsa. There is also an automatic 15% gratuity added onto parties of 5+ although that is on the lower end of established gratuity I’ve seen in a majority of restaurants.

Ingrid S.

Google
Excellent service, food flavor was authentic Guatemalan. I had a Carne Adobada and was a month watering flavor. Hand made tortillas. I had also empanadas, atol de elote on that I have to say I didn't like that much. But other than that I love it. Prices ok

Sara M.

Google
I recently visited this restaurant and, unfortunately, my experience was quite disappointing. The fries were soggy and were basically just refried with extra oil when I asked for a remake. The chicken I was served had some undercooked parts, which was quite concerning. On top of that, the service was not up to par; the server was dismissive and had a bit of a rude attitude. To top it off, even after I requested to remove the charge for the unsatisfactory meal, it was still billed to my card. Overall, I was really let down by the experience and hope they can improve in the future.

Edgar M.

Yelp
Well I went there the first time and I tried the Churrasco and it was real good and they give you a lot of meat plus Russian salad. Guatemalan sausage. Black beans. Guacamole.. fresh tortillas and it was real good .. plus we find our friend Norma that works there and has been working in Guatemalan restaurants for a long time.. I recommend this place. Unfortunately we moving out of Chicago and its gonna be to far to travel here..
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Lulu R.

Yelp
The food is good everyone. Seriously very unexpected but a welcomed surprise. I've been gatekeeping because I know for a fact, that once this place blows up, I'm gonna be waiting 30 minutes just to get a spot to dine in. What should you get? All of it. We highly suggest the bean and cheese and the cheese and chicharron pupusa. The soups here are absolutely divine. Our favorite is the El guatamalco, it has a piece of meat, sausage, veggie salad, beans, guacamole and rice. The service is amazing, seriously I am so appreciative of all their hard work. Try it and I promise you, you will be a repeat customer.
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Michelle G.

Yelp
I had been curious about this place for a while and finally tried it with a friend. I got the chicken garnachas and another stew-y meat dish whose name I remembered. The food was good and enjoyable but didn't particularly blow me away (I can't even remember the main dish I got unfortunately). Overall, a solid, cozy restaurant worth checking out in the area.
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Hugo D.

Yelp
La comida tiene sabor, el "atol" de maiz fue mas un atol de maicena que de maiz, y el servicio fue malo la mesera fue muy grosera.
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Lakshmi K.

Yelp
We picked to go to El Quetzal restaurant yesterday because of their artistic sign board and inviting exteriors. Our overall experience matched our expectations. We were made to feel comfortable right away with tortilla chips and salsa. Horchata has a mild and distinct peanut flavor which was a plus and the virgin Micheladas were fun. Appetizers, Garnachas chicken were delicious and the Shrimp Aguachiles surprised us with jumbo shrimps laced with red onions in green lime tart sauce. Main entree Chiles Rellenos is served with rice, bean sauce, veg salad and soft hand made tortillas. Hilachas, beef with potatoes is the non spicy option and Revolcado is a dish for more adventures at heart. Tacos are stuffed like never seen before! It was a very satisfying and fulfilling dinner. I will encourage everyone to go ahead and give them a try.
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Elsa G.

Yelp
It's a cute little place that you will easily pass up. The decor is colorful and the staff is extremely friendly. Defiantly lost of regulars. The food tastes like a home cooked meal at someone's home. The pupusas with frijoles and queso is so good! I also tried the hilachas. Meat was very tender. I saw several people ordered caldos/soups which I plan to try when the weather is chilly.
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Josseline A.

Yelp
Soy de Guatemala y esta comida me encanto! La carne asada estaba muy rica tenía muy buen sabor y cada comida fuerte trae tortillas frescas. El ambiente está bien la masera fue muy buena gente.

Kittykitty C.

Yelp
My wife and I live in Long Island New York. I've been here my entire life. My parents are from Peru and my wife is from Guatemala. As a Perúvian I can say I have many restaurants to choose from. But unfortunately my wife does not. Back in New York their Isn't any Guatemalan restaurants that I could recommend. We're visiting Chicago for the first time and happen to stumble upon this restaurant by chance. Guatemalan food has a lot to offer. Unfortunately there aren't many places to represent the food/cuisine well. For me a restaurant needs to be kept clean, the servers need to be polite & efficient. And of course the food needs to be well prepared. This place met most of the requisites and more. The young lady attending us was polite and attentive. The place is kept clean and it had good music (typical Guatemalan Marimba music) giving it a good ambience. The food was pleasantly tasty and plenty of it. As an appetizer we had a Pork Tamal each. For a main course my wife had Chiles Rellenos. I had a Steak with Onions which came with a tasty Guatemalan red sauce. Both dishes came with Rice and Refried Beans as well as an order of complimentary "Home made" tortillas. The tortillas were not the typical Mexican type tortillas that you find in many restaurants, meaning the thin bland tasty ones. They are substantially thicker, slightly smaller and have a robust taste to them. I accompanied my dinner with a typical Guatemalan fruit drink, tamarind juice. My wife had a well prepared glass of Horchata. Both drinks were not overly sweetened. For dessert we shared Rellenitos which is a dessert typically not found in restaurants. It consists of beans in paste form and a plantain based dough, deep fried and Lightly drizzled with sugar. At the end of our dinner we asked to speak to the cook. Two are pleasant surprise, a young lady emerged. She was the owner and the cook. We complemented her cooking and her restaurant. She was very appreciative and well mannered. Definitely won't be the last time we come here. I highly recommend this restaurant.
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Michelle I.

Yelp
This place was really good different style but delicious very small family owned street parking as for recommendations so you order the correct items BYOB but only for beer drinks they have cocktails
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Araceli C.

Yelp
my friend invite me to this place antojitos from Guatemala Really good I try the garnachas pupusa whit curtido , corn tamales and coffee really good they also have mexican dishes on the menu I be back soon again

Steven S.

Yelp
Went in today 10/14 and something was not right. Didn't get the warm greeting I always get. The younger waitress failed to greet us, failed to take our complete order, came back with multiple questions, did not provide water, and seemed very upset that she had to take our order in the first place. Sorry to have inconvenienced you! Very bad attitude. My wife ordered a steak pupusa and it was very bland. Waited a while for my desayuno quetzal, which is strange because that never happens. My food came to the table while my wife was halfway done with her plate. Once the plate got to the table I noticed that the plantains were missing. Called the waitress again and she gave me a nasty attitude like I was the one that was wrong. Paid my bill and left.. didn't get a thank you or a come back soon. Not sure what was up today, but wasn't the experience that I usually have. Makes me second guess if I should go back.

Jonathan G.

Yelp
Got the pupusas, theyre good not the best Ive had their salsa is kind of bland, the food taste frozen or fridged definitely not fresh
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Millie R.

Yelp
Their food is amazing! Everything was so fresh and delicious. Homemade tortillas! Only 1 server the night we went but the food was definitely worth the wait. It's also BYOB. Will definitely be back.
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Andryn G.

Yelp
Comer esta comida me recuerda a mi país muy recomendable y con el mismo sabor de siempre que rico
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Dulce W.

Yelp
I ordered for carryout the chuchitos (pork corn tamale) and the pepian (chicken stew with Guatemalan seasonings) and both were very good. While we were waiting there with masks on, the employee was very kind to offer us a taste of their warm drink of champorado, called atol de etole (corn). I very much enjoyed that light porridge of a corn porridge. She also encouraged us to try the atol de platano (plantain). What a great comfort food treat! That was very thoughtful and welcoming service for carryout. We'll be returning for more. Their web site is just on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/El-Quetzal-Restaurant-113126063871132
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Geralyn A.

Yelp
Guatemalan, small, Mom and Pop family business. I don't have much experience with Guatemalan food but I liked the flavors and the hand made tortillas. I recommend coming to try it.

Natali G.

Yelp
best food ever as you can see.... ate the whole plate. as i'm typing i am licking the leftover sauce one fork dip at a time savoring the taste. I am putting it into a cup and drinking it as we speak. Compliments to the chef. Reminds me of great grandma's house. would recommend 10/10 if you're looking for homemade authentic Salvadoran/Guatemala food. Oh it's giving, i think it was a slay, purrrrrr
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Matt G.

Yelp
Very authentic home cooking, tasty and freshly made. Many signature Guatemalan dishes, we enjoyed the hilachas and pepian. Chips were fresh and the salsas were tasty. Excellent waitstaff that were patient and friendly, we really enjoyed the dine-in experience here. Highly recommended for the delicious food and cozy atmosphere!

Mario M.

Yelp
To the point. I had the guatemalan enchiladas, they were solid. Pupusas were great. Hilachas were good. Definitely will come back. Service is good. Eat there and you will have no regrets.

Allan B.

Yelp
Good home cooked food , like right down to the tortillas . So good will recommend . I'll be back .

Gustavo L.

Yelp
The good is really good and is worth it and my family like it a lot and is so calm in there

Cr S.

Yelp
Guatemalan style food tastes good but so over priced. Me my wife and our son would've legit paid less at Cooper's hawk and we have. Nothing wrong with the food just not worth it.

Josue M.

Yelp
It's small place but Everithing was good this food bringing old memories from my home town
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Helen M.

Yelp
The food was excellent! We had a superb coktel de camaron, pepian (chicken stew), corn tamal, camarones al mojo de ajo, and a complementary serving of rellenitos de platano con frijoles (and were they delicious). Some of the freshest, best tasting food we've had in ages. Will definitely be going back.