Hannah H.
Yelp
About a 1-1.5: El Faro had consistently been rated as the locals for having the best burritos in the Chicagoland area - unfortunately, I have to disagree.
Besides burritos, the menu also includes tacos, tortas, tostadas, as well as breakfast plates, dinner options (such as milanesa de res, enchiladas, chile rellenos, etc.), weekend specials (such as menudo and pozole), and even vegetarian options.
I ordered a Steak & Chile Relleno giant burrito, which usually comes with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and beans; I opted out of the lettuce and tomatoes, just in case I had any leftovers and didn't want to reheat those veggies. I'm glad that I did, as the burrito was definitely 'giant-sized', and it was definitely more than enough to spread of 2-3 meals!
The burrito itself was okay - while the filling was super generous, I just wished the chile relleno and the steak were both more flavorful; they were actually kind of bland, and I had to douse it with hot sauce. In addition, the refried beans were a little goopy and had a funny taste to them, which I was a little sad about, since I love refried beans. The tortilla was not fresh, as the edges were dry and hard; I think they were supposed to grill it so that the edges could be sealed and the inside could be heated through, but the main kicker was that the burrito filling was cold in temperature - not cool!
Service was quick and efficient, and even though there was a line, it moved along pretty fast. I can see why, as the food just seemed to have already been made and just needed to be quickly assembled, rather than making it fresh and served hot...
I really wanted the fresh and tasty experience as others have had, but no dice.
I'm glad I was able to check El Faro out, but wouldn't return.
Plenty of seating inside, and there's plenty of street parking available.
+cold burrito fillings
+dried out tortillas
+plenty of seating inside
+plenty of street parking available