Maravillas Restaurant

Had lunch there today after I finished all my chemo/radiation treatments at UofC. The food is ALWAYS FANTASTIC!!! Love the owner/wife team!!! The spray is for owners wife, who said she loved my scent… They were AMAZING ♥️♥️

The vibes are here. The music was good, and they were playing Spanish music. It was Easter and it was not crowded. The steak tacos are good. Also, the Margarita was not bad. I’m coming back.

Food was good. Waiter didn't welcome us 1st timers no conversation whatsoever. There were no other customers in the restaurant when we walked in. The waiter made conversation only after I said it was our 1st time there, I didn't know where the ladies rm was, and that it was my cousin's birthday. I don't think I will be returning. 🤔 😕

Been coming here for a while now.. never disappointed with anything here. Food , Drinks, or service. …My grandbaby’s first restaurant visit

Came here today Saturday 2/3/24 for lunch at around 1pm ish. First they are a cash only business. Second, they add an 18% gratuity to parties of 3 or more. Chips and salsa were always free but now the large chips and salsa was 1.99 (picture attached) 🙄. There had to be about 10 whole chips in the entire "large" basket. I ordered the chicken flautas dinner and paid too much (receipt attached) 🤬. Nothing in the plate had any flavor. The rice and beans were tasteless and the chicken in the flautas was terrible. After getting our food, the staff never came back to see if we needed anything (and we all needed water). I did ask for the check and that took 30 minutes. So terrible service and awful fake Mexican food. 🤢 Won't be going back.

You know how a restaurant’s food and service is trash so you decide to revisit it years later only to find out it’s even worse? Yeah sadly that. I ordered the Birria Tacos. I knew it was bad when the waitress kept calling the Consome “BROTH”! The “Broth” was SO salty I couldn’t dip my tacos. Why is the cilantro and onion in foil on the side. The worst part I was immediately nauseous afterwards. I was in town visiting sad to see many staples have closed it was refreshing to see this place still open and that’s why I stopped in. I regret it!!

The staff here is really friendly and laid-back! There margaritas are reasonably priced and super yummy. Prices for food were okay and the street tacos were delicious. Food came quickly and met our expectations. It's fairly dark inside and not amazing ambiance but meets your needs if you're in the mood for some margs or authentic Mexican fare!

Came at 10pm on a Friday night. We ordered a total of 5 steak tacos for $25.00 and not a one tasted seasoned. The corn shell was the highlight of the meal with jalepeño was the highlight of the salsa. Maybe the drinks are the highlight of the attraction but we didn’t order any due to not realizing it was cash only before coming.

If I could give this place a half star I would. The service (from OUR server) was garbage from the start. While we were seated right away, they never came to take our drink order. After 10 mins, one of us literally had to get up and get someone to serve us...the guy who was at the front came to the table to tale our drink orders and was not happy about it. Ignoring the stank in the air, we ordered our drinks. I got a well lime margarita, someone else a patron margarita and the other person ordered a beer. The lime margarita came out, I took a sip and there was a taste of mold. Wasn't sure if it was the ice, maybe an old premix or the glass but I couldn't do it. The person with the patron margarita said theirs was fine. But I couldn't power through. I asked to exchange it for the Modelo and th le guy froze as if he had never had a drink complaint in the history of their existence. He tried to tell me he would get me the Modelo and zi could keep the margarita...but he was implying I'd still be charged. I said, "I don't want it". He said, "Well that's why I asked if you wanted to get the patron margarita". First why are you going back and forth over a $10.99 margarita. So I has to explain with, "It's not the tequila. The ice tasted like mold and when I sniffed the drink it smelled like urine. I don't want it. I didn't want to get graphic, but...". To which he said, "I'll get you the Modelo, but you can't take it back". ARE YOU KIDDING. If the glass smells like the other drink tastes, I for damn sure am not paying for it. I sniffed the beer mug and it was fine, the Modelo was fine. Only my second time here. Will not be a 3rd. I don't know what his issue was (he seemed like the manager) but I don't care. The other person who would issue our food and drinks was lovely. He needs to find a better establishment to show his talents cuz this place is trash.

Very bad. Was rushing us on service...cash only which is okay but we got charged 12.5% fee from the provided ATM. The elote (see pic) came unmixed and tasted only of mayo. We ordered chips and salsa (not complimentary) and got max 15 chips. The salsa had no flavor and tasted like tomato juice. The horchata was good but came with a hair on the lid...their tacos, however, were pretty good.

The food is ok, service was very slow even though it wasn't crowded, and they really need to update their payment system as they only accept cash.

Was a regular here for most of my college experience. Truly great wait staff and I'd highly recommend the birria taco dinner! Remember to bring cash!

Went to Maravillas for Cinco de Mayo and they were packed but had quick service. I waited for less than 20 minutes to get my take-out order and I think people waiting in line for a sit-down were seated within 20 minutes for dinner. I really enjoyed the crispy Birria seasoned tacos and the consome that came with it and would highly recommend it. Their salsas are very spicy so if you enjoy spice, this is the place to go. Their beef tongue burrito was fun to try but I would try something more meaty (like normal beef/chicken) because the fattiness of the tongue was too much for a big burrito. Everything tasted great to me but I would consider it overpriced.

Food is great. Atmosphere is just OK. Only concern or criticism are they only take cash and a very limited delivery area.On many occasions I don't frequent the business because of those two factors.

Owner is very unprofessional and knew this was bad beans he then offered to give me 5 dollars instead of 4 which is the price of the bean. due to I'm not in area to go back I told him I'll be there Monday for my refund he then tells me to scrape the beans in an separate container and bring back Monday then he'll refund me. i wasn't able to go back to get my refund and don't just want bean without the proper meal they are watery told owner he said he knew but still put on my plate wasn't able to check food until I was done driving

The service and the food are always good. I don't think they're any pricier than any other restaurant but I don't like that they are cash only. They do have an ATM though. The margaritas are good too! There is street parking at a meter, you don't have to pay on Sundays.

Good soup. Quick service. Cash only Maravillas doesn't open until 4 on Sunday now. Been going there since the 80s when they were in Harpee Square.

Food is great, BUT (and it's a big but) they do not give you the correct items. They seem to give you what they want to give you, not what you ordered. Be verrry careful to have them repeat your order back or you're liable to get whatever the Dude on the phone miss-hears, which could include beef when you don't eat red meat, pork when you don't eat pork, etc etc (you get my drift). Nice but that doesn't get you very far when you don't get the correct order

This place is a HARD pass. The food is not good for Mexican. The meat is not satisfying like it should be..I got a burrito, it was 11.00, which is high, but it wasn't good. Waste of time and money. I wouldn't go back. It's cash only for people who want to try it. But soooooo many other places that sell amazing tasting Mexican food and cheaper. Heck some that are more that taste better. I don't recommend. BTW, I work in Pilsen and live 10 minutes from South Chicago. Of you know...you know. This ain't it.

The food is horrible. They gave us a few chips, I had never seen a restaurant skimp on chips and salsa.The service is not great at all, it's like the server was under the influence of something. The place is dark and HOT. They only accept cash, for a restaurant that's weird to me.

The service on Cinco De Mayo was excellent. Busy. Not an empty table in the joint. Pricing was a bit high. There weren't any margarita specials which was wild to me and a taco dinner was $17.50 geez! But the tacos had tons of flavor, the pico was so good and my $12 margarita was stiff. I would come back!

Food is decent, definitely okay for Hyde Park. My issue is the customer service. We asked for mole sauce on the burrito several times and they just would not put it on there. We paid extra for it and all but kept being denied for it to be placed on the burrito. That ruined the vibe and ambiance for us so we unfortunately won't be back. Chicago has a lot of amazing Mexican restaurants so we definitely won't miss this one. If the owner or management is seeing this, just put the mole sauce on the burrito if requested geez.

Online say close at 11pm & I got there at 9:05pm & the man said CLOSED!!!!! Wth never again not even one star "0"

Food was very delicious hot seasoned to perfecto and everything was fabulous I will be back

Yikes, I thought the 'Cash Only' was for carryout. That's new. They have an ATM in the store (how convenient). After placing an order on Sat early evening we stood to wait. There were a few people sitting, seemingly having an ok time, but itt was not their night. A guy in a WHITE sweatshirt (maybe white sweat pants too) walked quickly out, with a waitress calling 'Sir, sir' after him! We got a quick look at him, and we thought he left something behind but clearly it was a dine/dash situation. The manager (?) went out also but it was raining so apparently no dice. We felt bad for THEM, but I hadn't read any reviews of this place in a while. Bad service or food is NO excuse for stealing! No police were called that I could see, or they didn't show up before we left. They claim to have surveillance on the premises, maybe they were going to use that? Anyway we got the chips, guacamole and the Combination dinner: Taco, tostada, tamale, beans and rice. We requested and got a beef taco instead of chicken. Oddly, they ONLY have chicken tamales!! No other meat in the tamales??Ok.. The chips were moist but bland, no salt. The rest of the food was good, not great. I'd go back for carryout if I'm nearby (which we were, going to Walgreens to get a Redbox and wine).

I wish this place asked me if I wanted lettuce or tomato or onion and cilantro. I would have said onion and cilantro. :/ a taco with lettuce and tomato is just said.

I ordered the Steak Enchiladas with mole dinner with a chicken tamale and a small guacamole to go and it was delicious!!!!! It was a little pricey $27 (because of the scarcity of certain items because of COVID 19) and some change to be exact but it was worth it. Next time I will take a picture of the restaurant it was COVID proof honey!! They had a homemade dolly to take your food and everything

I've been going to this restaurant since their Harper street locations - 2006 and before so I've always been a big supporter but as of lately I've been disgusted with the staff and food. The manSteak Fajita who takes pickup orders in person and over the phone is very rude, cuts you off and rushes you off the phone when you're placing your order. Each time I pick up my order there's always a problem specifically there's always items on my order that I repeatedly ask not to be on my order for health reason. When you call back to let them know they messed up the order there's rudeness and the constant rushing off the phone. If your have ALLERGIES please do not order from this place. They do not listen nor respect your health concerns . Also I've watch all the food be prepared in the same places - cross contamination. What has always been a favorite place of mine for many years has now lost a customer

Absolutely a horrible experience. Been coming here for years, even when they were located on Harper. It was terrible and the service to black people is unacceptable and racist. Got my chips and salsa with my daughter, with no plates to be seen. When we asked for something to eat on, he brings NAPKINS. Server kept rushing us and treating us like we were problems. As soon as a white family walks in, guy immediately leaves our table, rushes over, seats them down, gives them chips and salsa with.. guess what.. PLATES. We got up immediately and don't plan on coming back. I've always been respectful to that establishment even though they're overpriced. I've always tipped over 20%. Unacceptable treatment. Don't plan on going back. I'm ok

I love this lil spot. It's super lowkey, I wouldn't really expect much. But the food is always GREAT, drinks are really good and most importantly (for me) the customer service has ALWAYS been nothing but very attentive and welcoming! So much so, I HAD to leave a review

Man the only reason I had a good time here was because of my friends. Ugh... service, food, how are they still open. Have people not had good Mexican food. I mean come on we live in chicago. I will say the quac and salsa were ok (I'm a quac snob) and that is why they didn't just get one star. It took forever for our food, drinks etc. looks like they were understaffed bc the GM was busing tables, bringing out food and seating people. Everything about this place is mediocre; I don't even want to write this review. Find somewhere else in Hyde Park to eat your Mexican cuisine. Or go to Pilsen run far away from here.

Don't eat here if you're black. They told me to seat myself after ignoring me when I came in. I sat in towards the back away from the loud music in order to take a work call was brought food to eat, and then asked to move so they could clean up. They treated me like this because I was a single woman dining alone. Why is your restaurant dirty in an empty section at 4pm on a Saturday? He was rude to a loyal customer, and I will never go back here again, and my entire team will no longer be doing catering orders here. You all can keep your dry tacos, and horrible customer service. Their are better tacos in Chicago, with better service.

Not sure if it was a off night or what. Vegan and vegetarian is two different ways of eating. It's simple: one doesn't do any meat or dairy! How hard is that? Especially if I have asked in English and Español no queso or no creama‍ sigh. Escucha por favor. Got home and cheese was on my darn burrito?! Why?!? Like I didn't want my food cooked correctly.

Came in when the "open" sign was bright as ever, and double checked the sign with the hours to make sure they were open...only to be told they were closed when I walked in...while a group of guys were sitting at the bar. Interesting for so many reasons but I won't be visiting here again.

I will try this place. I leave a five star in advance and see if they live to that expectation.

Okay. Okay. Okay. Based on the reviews you've seen/read on this place you are probably ready to write it of. The saying take everything you hear with a grain of salt is very fitting for Maravillas. I want to believe most of the disparities in the reviews came down to service and not the food. The service I got was pretty great. The waitress gave me some great recommendations and the manager checked in on me multiple times. The food was good enough that I will definitely come back. The one bad thing about this place is some items are definitely overpriced. Taking everything (location, service, and food quality) into consideration I think some of the items should be lowered. Overall good spot. Good food. Good people.

Birria tacos were bomb and came pretty fast. I'd come back it's pretty cheap too. Cash only

This place has good tacos but everything extra is overpriced. If you ask for sour cream you might as well have gone across the street to Walgreens to get a tub for the same cost. The business is now CASH ONLY...not sure why any business would be cash only this day and age except to avoid credit card fees and inconvenience their customers. If i'm a paying customer, I would like to pay with a method that is most convenient for me - not the business. Paying by cc is the most convenient way to accept payment for businesses. What happened to making it easy to buy goods and services and not harder? I was about to walk out and the hostess who took my order made an exception and accepted my cc. It will be quite a while before I return, I tend not to patronize places that I have to remember restrictions and criteria's for ordering before going.

This is arguably the best Mexican restaurant in Hyde Park, Chicago. I came in here with my mother when we both had a craving for some Mexican cuisine. We both love gorditas, while this place doesn't serve them, they have a similar dish called sopes. Once we were seated we were given a basket of tortilla chips and a red and green salsa. Once we ordered our dishes they came out very promptly. We each got a steak and chicken sopes. It comes with lots of toppings -- cheese, sour cream, beans, lettuce, and tomatoes. ( You have to pay 35 cents for onion) In my opinion the steak is more flavorful than chicken, but both are delicious. The staff was overall very friendly. I would definitely come here again. (In fact I came back here two days after my first visit and had just as positive an experience.) This is a great place for authentic Mexican cuisine, that doesn't require Hyde parkers to travel a long distance.

Food here is really amazing. When I come here for lunch the servers makes me feel welcome!

I was so hungry. We all know when your hungry everything tastes good. I was so excited when I heard this was the best taco place in Hyde Park. If this is I'm not interested in eating the worst. We ordered steak and chicken tacos. And it took about 15 minutes for the take out. To start off the food wasnt hot just warm. The soft taco skin was cold , soggy and the taste was very bland. Far from being authentic.The tomatoes were over ripe. The chicken and beef both had no taste. I literally ate half and was done because I couldn't punish myself anymore. They also gave a small bag of chips that were stale and a tomatillo and red tomato salsa with a peppery sauce. It just wasn't good from beginning to end. I dont know how else to explain this experience. It was just bad. Needless to say, I will not be returning.

SO DISAPPOINTED Went to Maravillas for what had become my favorite take out chicken soup ever and my order and service I received today was poor. I received chicken broth with a piece of corn and few pieces of chicken. I called back to tell the restaurant to remake it and they wouldn't. I told them I have never received a batch in this condition and they would not take it back and make me another. I told the person on the phone I would never return. This soup cost $11.47 after tax. So disappointed. There is a piece of a breast and a wing in the cup, no thigh. I will post pictures. Neither one of us will ever return. Buyer beware!

The food is decent but they only take cash... even in the midst of the pandemic. That's a no for me.

Neighborhood spot. I get tacos here weekly. I don't know why the restaurant has only three stars. I do wish they accepted cards for takeout for orders over $15.

I like this place! I liked the old location as well. It's just good basic, cheap Mexican food. I always get the nachos, which are my favorite nachos anywhere! Just chips, refried beans, and cheese. They are perfect. Monday I had the guacamole, and it was fabulous! It was $5, but I think there was $5 worth of avocados in it! It was super fresh, with huge chunks of avocado. I don't know why I haven't ordered that before! I guess because I always get nachos :) I really like the tostadas! I usually order that and split nachos with someone. This time I had a chicken burrito. It was also good!

The food from maravillas kept me alive as I moved into my new place. I love to get the chicken taco special, which is three soft shell chicken tacos with sour cream, lettuce, tomato and a combo of mild salsas, along with refried beans and spanish rice. Sometimes, if the hunger beast in my belly has taken ahold, I will also order cheese quesadillas, extra rice or steak tacos as well. I've also heard from friends with larger appetites than myself will also order their burritos, and the beef burrito from here is said to be 'awesome'. This location is better than the previous in terms of parking (entirely on the street, no lot) and public transportation access, since those taking the Metra or bus can literally see it from the bus/train stops. I imagine that has to be awesome if you have called in an order and are salivating at the mouth. I love the carryout from this place for tacos, quesadillas, spanish rice, etc. I've been going here one way or another since high school when they were in the location that has been demolished...and the food has been consistent. Horchata is available in large or regular size cups and I always get the large as I am BIG on horchata and find it so refreshing. I've never been a fan of the dine-in, because even if there is no one else at the restaurant, service is bad. Whether your $5 margarita that came from a cheap premade mix never shows up, or if you have to ask eight times (yes, eight) for a napkin or a fork...you can guarantee after sitting down to be served you will ask yourself "Why have I done this to myself?" more than once. My average is about six times, and each time I feel like a fool for not just following my gut instinct and ordering take-out. So, as of this review, although $5 margaritas may be tempting, I'd rather spend the cash on a mix myself and enjoy my delicious food at home.

The staff was very friendly, and the chimichanga was very good. One of my favorite places to eat when I'm in town.

The food was pretty good. I got the tostada dinner (chicken, ground beef, and steak) and rice (subbed the beans for more rice). The steak was surprisingly really good and nicely seasoned. The amount of chips that they gave for the chips and salsa was pretty disappointing, especially for me and my three friends. Overall, the service was great. Our waiter gave us a free margarita! Other than the chips, the only other bad thing I have to say is that restaurant is really dark. It's kind of hard to see your own food.

We've been here a dozen times over the last 3-4 years. It's always been kinda sorta okay, like we're in the mood for Mexican but don't want travel to Pilsen. Visit yesterday was definitely a step up. I think they have a new manager or are just giving extra effort. Everything that was 3 stars before is now 4. Looks like they repainted and fixed some things up. Server and host and buslady were great. Solid food. We live 3 blocks away and Maravillas was never near the top of our list of places to go but I expect we'll be going there more often in the future. I don't like to leave reviews without constructive criticism.. the booth cushions need to get sent to booth cushion heaven and replaced. Menus could use a total rethink. $5 for a can of Tecate, albeit with a chilled mug, is kind of pushing it.

Came to dinner with one of my friends here and I was not impressed. The place is old and was just not inviting. The food was just ok. The salsa was spicy which I liked. The service was slow. Took forever to get our drink order and to get it. After we were done eating it was another 30 mins before we got the bill. I don't plan to go back.

No Rating Available for this Zero and Terrible Service and Delivery of Food A simple order of Beef Tacos and One Steak Taco is something this particular restaurant cannot execute. The meat was dry and tasteless ( where is that great seasoning?) the corn tortillas were very dry!! Called Management he really did not care about my order and indicated he will tell the kitchen to do a better job. Wow, the quality of service, food and management makes an Excellent restaurant and this Maravillas Restaurant in Hyde Park is just a waste of time for a visit or ordering online. Do not waste you money

I patronized this place for years at first the tacos were $2.75 now they're 3.99 with another price increase in July. The service is horrible they do not like to correct their mistakes with your food. They are not accommodating at all. I told the server my water was warm she felt the glass to see if I'm lying. I had a take out order they made wrong and I waited 10 minutes on the phone before they say they can refund me tomorrow and I had to have the food(which I am). This is my last time spending a dime with them. They take advantage of being the only "authentic" taco place within 10 miles. I do not recommend anyone to give these people your money

Pros: -Delicious food -Late hours -Cheap prices -Huge portions -Vegetarian friendly -Incredibly warm/hospitable servers -Prompt service -Extensive menu -One of the few places and by far the classiest in Hyde Park to get mexican food Cons: -Food can be on the bland side and may require hot sauce

The food tastes good here... but this business isn't interested in having happy clients. They are CASH ONLY for takeout orders, and they are so completely anal about it, that I watched them refuse a $60 order, because the customer didn't have cash. I'd probably stop here 4 to 5 times a week, but this is 2018, and I don't ever have cash on me... most of us use our phone and leave our credit cards at home. They need to get with the times. (You can use cards for dine-in)

I would give this place 3.5 stars if I could. I dined in and ordered the tostada dinner with two steak tostadas and one ground beef. The portion sizes were sooo huge and definitely worth the $14. The tostadas were so flavorful, however if I go back I'll just get all steak. The steak was tender and not too fatty--- my favorite! The service was also very good and the waiter brought us over a free margarita on the house. My only critique is that the restaurant was VERY dimly lit and I could hardy see my food. Overall, I definitely recommend this restaurant to others!

Dined in with my sister and 2 littles... Great portions for the price... and service was decent this time! Mich better than the first time when we dealt with wrong orders and an incompetent server... Today our server was attentive and our orders were correct. The rice and beans are my favorite!!

Love this place.....people are nice and the food is good....the place is bigger and they also have a bar area too...also it says that starting may 10 they will be accepting cash only which sucks...so have your cash ready when you get there.