Tortazo - Old Orchard Mall

I’ve had better Mexican food at a highway rest stop, but the culinary "interpretations" Rick bayless expects a premium tip and a "living wage" contribution from the customer, yet I had to bus and wipe down my own table, and the decorations here are as ugly as his kitchen.

I felt compelled to right this review after I ordered a tortilla soup. It was salty and nasty. I literally bought the same soup three months ago and it was actually okay now I was in the mall today and figured let me have a soup. I tried it and was like blah this is salty and watery. I told the cashier and she was like it comes like that and I say no it’s never tasted like that. For mall food this place is okay. But my experience today was meh. I don’t think I’ll be back anytime soon. The customer service is also pretty meh but at least the cashier was understanding and was able to fulfill my request.

The margarita flights were absolutely amazing but that tacos salad was not it. The tortila was like a pastry and it was just plain. That’s all I can speak on but we will be back for more

The restaurant serves delicious, fresh food, and the staff are very friendly and helpful. The restaurant is exceptionally clean, including the restrooms. Thank you again. I recommend it to anyone visiting Macy’s 😎🇺🇸

Came by while shopping for a quick bite with my partner. We started with the Queso Fundido (added chorizo) and the Citrus Basil agua fresca. The loaded queso was bomb! it was had a good distribution of toppings, and a fair portion of chorizo added. The chorizo wasn’t too greasy and was flavorful. The agua fresca was refreshing and wasn’t too sweet like a lot of places try to make them. For our entree, we split the Beef Quesabirria Torta. It was loaded with tender beef that was seasoned nicely. The bread was a bit thick but it helped hold together the sandwich when you dipped it in the broth. Overall the food was great and it was ready quick. I appreciated how they took our allergies into consideration and used fresh ingredients. As for the interior, its a small shop and seems more for quick bites. Its not somewhere you would go to sit-out with the family or a date. My only gripe is the cost - it’s pretty expensive, even with us splitting an entree. Regardless, you will get good food, and I think it is worth a shot to try.

This is a fast food restaurant at a mall so I am a little puzzled by the reviews that seemed to expect Rick Bayless in the kitchen! For the price and the location the food is delicious and comes out promptly. The only thing I do not care for is that the credit card POS gratuity starts at 20% - this is for counter service! Always makes me wonder if the staff are being paid an appropriate wage.

Delicious food, flavors are terrific and food is fresh. Don’t mind paying a little more for good quality food! Cute little patio seating and plenty of seating inside. Of course it’s good, it’s Rick Bayless!

Half of my google reviews are carne asada tortas and I am a Rick Bayless super fan. However, this place just doesn’t have the same magic a frontera grill at the airport does. Furthermore, it’s more expensive than the airport restaurant. $19 for a torta? The place is clean and convenient, though.

Food, 5/5, CHIPS + GUACAMOLE - FULLY DRESSED --topped with cilantro + red onion, bacon, serrano chiles, cotija cheese, pepitas, tomatoes, served with tomatillo salsa + chipotle salsa STEAK + RAJAS quesadilla -- chile-rubbed sirloin, jack cheese, poblano rajas, avocado- tomatillo salsa -- never had such delicious, crispy wrap BAJA CHICKEN tacos-- slaw, chipotle mayo, avocado, queso fresco, cilantro Service, 1/5, we arrived 620pm Sunday night and they were closing at 7pm. Worker said you cannot eat here and only take out. Then she said we could eat at the bar. My companion was not pleased. We were at Macy's about thirty minutes later and you can see inside -- the worker was still cleaning in there! No reason to rush or kick us out. Price, 2/5, this is a suburban mall. For two entrees and a small side of guac, it was $50

Overpriced, overrated, just meh. I really wanted to like this place. I've ordered 3 different items all with the same result...disappointment. The kid's menu is really sad. 1 tortilla folded over with cheese. $7. No sour cream, salsa, or guac to accompany it. It doesn't include any sides or even a drink. The chicken tacos are 2 measly street sized tortillas with a tablespoon of chicken. No cilantro, onions,lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, or even salsa. I think that was $11. This also came with zero sides or drink. I dont recommend.

Tortazo a Rick Bayless restaurant can be accessed directly from Macy's & the courtyard. Excellent slow cooked carnitas tacos on corn tortilla green salsa, slivered radishes & lime. Excellent flavors w/tender slow cooked carnitas blended w/the crunch of the slivered radishes, green salsa & lime. This was an excellent blend of flavors. All of the staff were outstanding greeting us & providing excellent service The only negative I had were the size of the tortillas which were small w/only one tortilla as opposed to two tortilla so they were falling apart while I was eating them. I also felt the price point was a bit high for 3 tiny tacos $4.67/taco or $14.00 for 3 tacos. The flavors spot on Rick Bayless has once again created an excellent blend of flavors & textures

So this spot is delicious and I hope they stick around. I had the tacos Shrimp dorados style, get it it's so good. And the drinks are strong! The service was great, round of applause to the staff. We went a couple days before Christmas and these workers were phenomenal they work so efficiently and professionally. It is a tight squeeze inside though there's not too much of a dining area overall but with the quick service and cleanup they turn over quickly.

In and out in 15 minutes, with a delicious and hot plate of fried shrimp tacos ("dorados") in my belly. Staff were efficient and helpful. Easy to sit for a quick meal solo or a group up to four during an outing to Old Orchard Mall. The food had all the flavor and freshness we expect from Rick Bayless. Not the best value relative to the amount of food, but it's quality food in a casual atmosphere.

I'm a huge fan of Rick Bayless, so when I was told about Tortazo having opened recently at Westfield Old Orchard, I was curious in trying them out! Tortazo's menu offers various snacks, soups, salads, tacos, tortas, and quesadillas, in addition to a beverage menu. I tried: +the Steak + Rajas quesadilla - this was filled generously with chile-rubbed sirloin, jacked cheese, and poblano rajas, served with a cup of avocado-tomatillo salsa +a lime agua fresca The food was SO GOOD! The quesadilla came in 3 large pieces, and the filling was just so juicy and cheesy! It is more on the saltier end, but so delicious! The agua fresca was very refreshing, with a strong lime taste - yum! Note that they also have HH specials. Staff were very kind and friendly! I was surprised at such low reviews of this place, but Tortazo is definitely worth a visit! The place is adjacent to Macy's, and there are a handful of seating inside in addition to some outdoor tables for those who prefer an al fresco dining. Plenty of parking in the mall lot. +Steak + Rajas quesadilla +agua frescas +friendly staff +adjacent to Macy's +located at Westfield Old Orchard +ample parking in mall lot

Celebrated a friend's birthday of shopping, then dinner at Tortazo. Tortazo recently opened it's new location at Westfield Old Orchard Mall in Skokie, IL. Plenty of parking available. Suggestion to park near Macys, east side, to be closer to restaurant entrance. Dinner: Chips and Guacamole-fully dressed Chicken Tacos Steak Tacos Drinks: Soda and Margarita Casual dining/seating options are inside or outside. Staff was welcoming and friendly and told us the history of the restaurant. Food was tasty, however prices were too high. If wanting flavorful Mexican food, Tortazo is place to go.

Came to enjoy lunch with the family. For a very picky 3 year old, she really enjoyed her chicken tacos and guacamole. I had the chicken Milanese which was a good portion of chicken,was a filling sandwich. The black beans side dish was generous, it did not taste like straight from the can. Would order these again. My cousin ordered the Chipotle Chicken torta, he said would order it again, "good sandwich." The plantains were more memorable. Uncle got the Baja Chickens taco, "no flavor and seasoning, needed to doctor it up with the guacamole to give it flavor." Make sense the 3 year old liked it. Cousin ordered the Quesadilla with chicken and bacon " it was lovely." Horchata were good. The guacamole was good. Employees were very nice, knowledgeable of the menu and quick to assist. They have outside and inside seating, casual fast food like establishment.

My plantains were just a slimy mess. I think they might have used bananas instead of plantains. Texture and flavor were wrong and they were suspiciously small. Citrus basil agua fresca was weak. I've definitely had a better torta.

The tortas were ok, the water was very sweet, the chicken was old, dried, maybe u came in the wrong day.

There is no reason why this place should have less than 5 stars. Rick Bayless is a master of cuisine. I am so happy he reopened at Macy's. Try everything twice ;). I've been at least two dozen times. Pro tip: sign up for their rewards program!!

Stopped for a quick bite. I got a quesadilla and it was good. There isn't many options on the menu but everyone was very friendly.

I returned with my friend to Tortazo. They ordered the carnitas tacos. They liked the flavor, said the steak was tender, but would like to have 2 tacos for a lunch portion instead of 3. I tried the steak rajas quesadillas. This was a very large portion, cut into 3 wedges. The flavor of the steak was good, the meat was a little chewy, although the tortilla was very fried and very crisp (more than I liked). Still, the space was comfortable, the staff was friendly. I enjoyed the citrus basil Agua Fresca. I enjoyed catching up with my friend but I would not go out of my way to come back.

Bayless does it again. The new spot at Macys has a great decor, is very welcoming and has an excellent outdoor seating area centrally located at old orchard mall. So far the menu options look amazing. I tried both the roasted chicken and the chicken Milanesa torta and they were both delicious. Oooking forward to coming back and trying more. Only drawbacks would be the outdoor area can be a bit scattered and messy and the prices are a bit high for what it is. It's priced a bit too much like a full service restaurant and at the end of the day it's a fast casual with drinks

Came to the Willis tower to go to the color factory. I saw that they have two of my favorite items to try when I'm on road Doughnuts and an celebrity chef that I actually follow and was just looking for an Chicago chef to eat from and lo and behold his was right there and the donut shop was right there so now I'm torn. Do I try donuts or do I try Mexican food from a celebrity chef that I follow so I picked both I went with Rick's place first. The menu is very simple. They have quesadillas and tacos and well it's a torta shop so of course tortas but I wanted to taste his Carnitas which I got in the cup and it is exceptionally good is some of the best Carnitas I've ever tasted and I'm so jealous that those people in Chicago get to have this all the time. I have not tasted Carnitas like that very good and I also had a steak quesadilla also very good. I'm not a guacamole person nor salsa. I'm just a taste of meat, the cheese, the tortilla exceptionally, and then I had some churros which were very crunchy season perfectly everything and that restaurant was very good on that day. I enjoyed Food the service was excellent. The lady explained the menu to me even though I came up twice because I had to order the churros when I noticed that they had churros, she was very nice everybody there was nice and Food was exceptional seating at the Willis Tower is very open. They are comfortable seating. They need to put more trash cans around, but other than that everything was very comfortable.

Of course they just opened so perhaps there is some learning curve, but overall we had a pleasant experience. The chicken tacos were excellent. These were well filled and very tasty. It would be nice if they had a two-taco option to order. Three is a lot for lunch. We also ordered the Cubana Torta. While it was tasty and on excellent bread, I prefer my cubano-style sandwiches to have more meat. This seemed skimpy. I also believe that a good cubano should be pressed. The small order of chips and guacamole is just that - small. Very good chips and excellent, fresh guac. Finally we overheard a manager having a difficult conversation with a patron. She handled it SO WELL from our view as an innocent bystander. Kudos. We will go back, but order more carefully.

Delish! I ordered the chicken quesadillas and it was really tasty, the tortilla was crispy which I liked. I'll be back.

We were looking forward to dining at Tortazo in Skokie, at the Old Orchard Mall. Being a Rick Bayless restaurant we expected good things. That was not the case. unfortunately. Upon entering the restaurant we were immediately hit by very loud music. I mean LOUD MUSIC. We walked back to the indoor seating area. The same loud music was blaring from the speakers. The outside seating area was full and we knew immediately why, the customers were both enjoying the nice weather and avoiding the music. We will never visit this establishment again. Call us old geezers, that's fine but we suggest the management turn down the music.

I wish I would've checked the reviews before coming in. This place is absolutely terrible. From the food to customer service I don't know which one is worse. Teach the cashier to say thank you.

Two stars just for flavor. Cashier was fine. Orders a crispy chicken tortas. The chicken was very thin and dry!!! It felt like I was eating a chicken jerky. Flavor was fine. No sides, medium size, $14!!! Water was served straight from the utility sink, yum. Was looking forward to this place since it was from Rick. Will I be back, I dunno. Will monitor the reviews before I spend my hard earned money here again.

Came here opening day excited to try Rick Bayless food. That will probably be the last time I eat Rick Bayless food. While I understand there are high food costs today, the value for what you get here is underwhelming. This is a fast casual place, not fine dining restaurant. I left hungry. Andddd Rick Bayless didn't even show up for the grand opening! That says a lot about how he views his restaurant and patrons.

An aggressively mediocre and ridiculously overpriced suburban outpost for people easily impressed by a known name. The act of eating here is what I imagine purgatory to be like - empty, unsatisfying, and with any luck ultimately meaningless. There's a Potbelly's twenty feet away - save ten bucks and a lifetime regret at having wasted precious time you'll never get back choosing to eat here.

Rick Bayless should stick to cheeseburgers or something along that line. He definitely doe not know Mexican. These tortas have no meat and no flavor. You slap some avocado all of the sudden it's Mexican. I can find a better tortas any day with some street vendor. Save your time and money

I had the torta cubana. It had almost no meet no lettuce and two slices of avocado. For the price I figured it would have more toppings in it. At a Mexican place you'd get one half the price and the torta looks fat. This one looked really flat and skinny. The bacon tasted a bit off like it was cooked packaged sealed and reopened. It had no pineapple pieces for a cubana. Came with beans and barely noticed the ham. The red sauce tasted a bit off maybe it's made with sweet chipotle. Service was awesome. Staff really attentive. The drinks were only 6 oz drinks and way too expensive for that price should have been at least 16oz. Next time I'll say no ice since the ice was over kill too. Had the kids chicken tacos. Tortillas got hard. For a kids meal they should just softer tortillas. And it did not come with a beverage for the kids meal. Come on it should be in that price already. We had the guacamole and chips and we got a little 2 oz container of guacamole. At a Mexican place they give you at least 6oz for that price. Even chipotle gives you more than that for a cheaper price. Would not go back unless they raise their portions on the food. Although the kids chicken tacos had a good amount of meat in it. Maybe I'll get that for myself next time. My wife had the chicken tenders and the crust was burned. It was nice and crunchy over all.

Had three chicken tacos, chips and salsa, torta all were very good. Service was excellent, very clean, tables not crowded not noisy. A great stop for Mexican lunch

Rick Bayless is back with a whole new concept! Food was amazing and staff was wonderful! The new design is stunning and definitely worth a try.

Awful value for your money. Food was tasty but they barely had any steak on the sandwich and it was mostly bread. The guacamole was $10 and there was maybe 2oz of guacamole in the container. I've rarely felt this ripped off considering two sandwiches and a guacamole was nearly $50. The Frontera Grill concept in the O'hare airport is better than this by a mile. Dont waste your money on this go to the other Rick Bayless restaurants.

I liked my carne asada torta even though the green sauce was a bit salty. I also got the salad and it was very good but I wish it was more salty. I loved my lime agua fresca. it went very well with the meal. I plan on coming again.

Always a big fan of Rick Bayless. This place is yummy and pretty fair prices. large torta and chip sizes. I like that salsa comes with every food item. Definitely give it a try

The food is very good overall. Purchased togo options, so can't speak for the service, but the inside is very nice. We got the guacamole fully dressed, tasted very fresh, and the carne asada torta was very flavourful. I would definitely recommend! Probably one of the best restaurants in the mall.

Ordered guacamole and chips. The guacamole filled only 2/3 of container, considering the price, that's terrible. Chips were a bit too salty and guacamole rather tasteless. Also, the Tamarindo drink was too expensive for it's small cup size and I believe there is only 1 size. However, the people were super friendly, and though service was relatively slow, why would it take 10 min to put together chips and guac?, it was a nice and clean atmosphere. However, the food isn't worth it and you're only paying for the celebrity name.

We purchased 3 tortas carnitas, carne asada, and cubano. They tasted ok but there was hardly any meat in any of them. We ask that one have sauce on the side but it was put in it. The plantains were not sweet/ripe enough and a little burnt.The kitchen seems a little disorganized and waited for a while. Honestly and unfortunately you're left hungry and for $14/$16 a torta you shouldn't feel hungry after you eat. A little disappointing unfortunately.

Friendly staff. The pork tortas were awful! Bland salty and hardly and meat. Looks like the floors haven't been washed.....my feet were sticking. So not worth it.

Since it has Rick Bayless' name on it, we had to try it. It's kinda hidden in Old Orchard Mall. Food is very good but pricy:$62 for tacos, torta, black beans (extra charge), coke, margarita. Nothing on the plates but 2 tacos, torta cut in half. The "restaurant " is set up like McDonalds and the place looks like it could be Mickey D's. No atmosphere. Some booths, Formica-type tables. Get in line, order at counter, take your number, server brings order...one...dish...at...a...time. We ordered 2 black bean orders but got one. We pointed it out to server who showed that it was cancelled on the receipt (NOT BY US!) so if we wanted a second order of black beans, we'd have to get in line again. No thanks especially since 2 people ahead of us in line must have had some snafu because it took forever for the issues to be resolved. Oh, and bus your own table. Would I return? Maybe but I'd have to be hungry at the mall. Food was really good but I'm not spending $62 to eat at a McDonalds and not get what I ordered.

DO NOT EAT HERE!! My friend and i arrived on opening day expecting a great mexican restaurant but were disappointed immediately. Upon arrival music was blasting!! I my self enjoy some music while eating but this was too much, both my friend and i got extreme headaches after the fact from this music. After waiting about 15 minutes in line we got to the ordering station. I wasn't too sure on what to order and asked about the difference between the two guacamoles, but as i was asking the clerk had told me to "hurry up" and that "i was taking too long and that we were very busy" after that remark i was very flustered and ordered the kids chicken tacos and the naked guacamole, my friend also got the kids chicken tacos. After waiting another ten minutes out guacamole had finally arrived. When it arrived my friend and i were very disappointed as the guacamole must've been about half of an ice cream scoop and for nine dollars i believe that we should've gotten more. When our kids chicken tacos arrived i was almost in shock at the state of our food. two tiny tortillas with about 5 pieces of chicken on each. no cilantro no onions nothing! half way through our meal a mexican banner fell down on us and the staff did nothing but walk right past us. my friend and i found ourselves putting it back up by ourselves. long story short spend your money another place, this place was super expensive but for the high prices very dissappointing!!

The quesadillas were soggy and too salty. There were no prices listed on the main board over head. I waited 15 minutes for my to go food and observed a sitting patron complain that her food had not arrived, while her friend's food was served 10 minutes ago. I asked for only chicken and no bacon and the price was not altered even though the more expensive ingredient was not included. I ordered Orchata to drink and it was not authentic. There was no cinnamon and it was way too sweet. And this business sealed itself as a money grubbing establishment; they charged me $1.50 more for no ice and didn't even tell me there would be an up charge. Not good!