Mariscos El Amigo 3

Bensenville has 14 Mexican Restaurants. Rate this one as bottom type. Several reasons.
High profile location in area used to good food? Just because serve liquor is no excuse for crappy food & service. Seriously? Gave 3 times try. Nope. Your actually worst ever in this town.

I was eagerly looking forward to trying some Salvadoran pupusas and order a couple with mu order. the loused up and shortened me one taco and one pupusas as I didn’t look before leaving. Always check your orders whenever going to a taqueria as they will always short you on orders especially if they don’t know who you are. The one pupusas I did eat was not very good.

I feel like a complete moron for going to Taco Bell when this place is right next door. The food is delicious and really reasonably priced (around $ 2 per taco). They make their tortilla chips (!) and have an excellent salsa to go with that they give you right when you sit down. Also tried the guacamole which was great! They unfortunately do not give free refills on drinks but I can get over that given the food was so, so good. I highly recommend the steak or fish tacos.

So fresh, so good! Margaritas, Tostadas, and Enchiladas; all delicious. What really stood out was the house salsa.

Funny thing about visiting Mariscos is… back in the day this place used to be a beef joint named «The Spot» and as a teeny bopper, my younger sister worked there for about 6 months. The Spot was literally, THE spot for an awesome tasty beef, or dog and had loyal patrons for over 30 – 40 yrs if I had to guess… Original owner for decades then sold to someone else and finally closed in 2011. Place was vacant for a long time.So.walking in I felt torn between nostalgia and new, with a completely different vibe & setup. I’ve devoured many beefs with the best fries here… miss it.
Unlike The Spot, there is wait staff with menus and a BAR! You can sip on Margaritas & eat authentic tortilla chips while watching T.V. all day long if you want. Two flat-​screens and shelves loaded with many bottles. Intimate dining area with tables and booths… I have to say the area looked tidy and clean… mustard colored walls and some nautical décor…no I wasn’t at The Spot anymore… :(
We were here around 6ish on a weeknight and it was not hoppin at all… crickets.
One guy at the bar… Our server was eager to seat us and get our orders…
Having glanced at reviews, it sounded legit…
The menu is expansive… I think this place wants to be known for their seafood, DUH… Mariscos is Spanish for seafood people! I’m probably the only one who did not know this and just based it off the unique seafood options… but yeah, I asked the waiter ;)
They had octopus, crab meat, shrimp, snapper and OYSTERS… YES oysters!
On the half shell!
This is probably the only time I’ve ever passed on oysters, but I did. I was feeling more like meat & shrimp so I went with the 3 taco dinner… variety my friends…
Was told they couldn’t do a shrimp taco, so bummer there. Waiter mentioned a fish taco and when I asked what fish and he replied Catfish, I said no thanks.
He brought out a basket of tortilla chips and salsa… first basket is free, if you want another, it’ll cost ya $ 2. Chips were so fresh, crispy and light… they were addicting. Salsa was mild. They had 2 bottles of hot sauce on table & one house made I didn’t taste.
We happened to hit some language barriers with our really nice waiter… or maybe he hit some barriers with us… either way, we had to repeat things quite a few times… this was not a big deal, until our orders came out and we were very confused as to why some of us got different tacos… it was all good though cause my order was the least messed up.
Another oddity was one person wanted the 3 taco plate with all Chile rellenos (they use jalapeño here)…and I ordered one Relleno taco, the Lomo (sliced ribeye), and Pastor. Server comes back and states they only have enough jalapenos for one dinner and I was SOL. said they were ‘all out’…so we assumed they had enough for the 3 taco plate.
Plates arrived and I was given the last pepper while someone else got none…(I had to laugh).
What I thought I sub’d MY Relleno for; Shredded beef, friend received all 3 of instead…
So yeah, you could say there were some communication gaps… yet we didn’t make a big deal about it because as it turned out…
My pick on the shredded beef taco (reminded me of Barbacoa) was the WINNER. Though I didn’t get mine, I was able to snag a bite and it was the best of all tacos we had. Flavorful, tender & decent amount. This is what I would stick with if I came back again… I heard the chicken taco was good too…
The Lomo was just a few pieces of thinly sliced ribeye topped with some strands of melted cheese, avocado and chipotle sauce… I couldn’t really taste the meat… it was like it was barely there and had no flavor at all… if it was Ribeye, I would’ve never guessed.
The Pastor was chopped pork in a tasty sauce — not super tender but had some pizazz. Jalapeño Relleno was not worth missing. A lightly battered fried jalapeño stuffed with very mild cheese and zero sauce… Blah. I still find it strange that they could be OUT of peppers, but whatever… not surprised if its not a big seller. All my tacos were topped with lettuce, sour cream, cheese & avocado only. The white corn tortillas were soft and tasted scratch made, everyone commented on.
Shredded beef tacos were requested with no onion or cilantro, but we got it anyway.
Prices here are VERY reasonable. You’ll be charged $ 1 more for certain meats, while a reg
3 taco dinner is $ 7.50. My total w/​soda was $ 10 and included a large portion of very PLAIN rice and refried beans. I kept thinking how La Hacienda on Lake offers many of the same dishes at higher prices… but without some of the unique fish offerings here…
Our server was really very nice despite the multiple screw ups. If your in the area and want a casual sit down meal with a variety of good options, I’d give them a try. Just bring along your Hispanic friend or google translate or pickup Rosetta Stone & learn fast…
Can’t beat the prices. and eats were OK.

Been here twice and got the same thing both times … The steak and shrimp fajitas with melted cheese. It’s so freaking good!

Great selection and prices. Nice interior.
Fast and attentative service. We will be back

I am in love with this place. Food is really fresh and really delicious. For a mexican joint food is not greasy at all. There are many seafood selections which is fantastic. The décor is very cozy (a bit too bright and could use some little lights of sort) but very clean which to me is very important. Staff is friendly even though they could be just a bit more attentive. Overall a great place if you’re a fan of fresh, flavorful, and not such heavy food. I typically cannot eat mexican food but Mariscos is a different story. My 8 year old son loves it as well along with the hubby. It a great casual place for a dinner or a drink with a friend.

I ordered a decent amount of food and it did not taste good. They must sell a good amount of seafood because my steak burrito had a fishy taste, hence the name and their menu. I gave it two stars for the nice cashier when I picked my food up. The food was not good. I live in Addison and there are a few Mexican restaurants in town that I usually go to. You won’t know if the food is good if you don’t try it. I won’t be going back.

Had tacos de Tripitas and Asada. Probably the best Tripitas in the area. I will definitely try something different next time but for now what I had was great.

The Micheladas are amazing! And the price is definitely less than other places. The sopes and tostadas de ceviche are some of my favorite. I come here at least once a week for a drink after a long day at work

Really good authentic Mexican food, very reasonable price. Great guacamole as well. A hidden gem!

I hosted a UYE here yesterday and the food is fantastic! *pats self on back* I didn’t know what to expect (no menu online and only a couple reviews) and, to tell you the truth, my expectations were low. If anything, I thought it might be divey. I was pleasantly surprised to find it’s casual without compromising the cuisine. Think of it as somewhere between a fast food taqueria and a nicer sit-​down restaurant.
I wanted to try the whole enchilada, so our table ordered up appetizers, entrées, drinks and dessert.
They bring out complimentary Chips & Salsa. The chips are fried, so they are warm and flaky without losing crunch. The salsa has chunks of veggies but the sauce is still smooth, and it’s not too spicy for my Minnesotan heat tolerance. We also got the Guacamole Con Chips. It was so tasty that we ordered up another round.
I went with the 3 Taco Dinner and got the Lomo (with chipotle sauce), Lengua, and Pastor. All of them came with onions and cilantro and I added sour cream, cheese and avocado. It’s accompanied by rice and beans, both of which are prepared well, so they aren’t dry and have a lot of flavor. The Lomo had a really good taste but the sauce was slightly spicier than I cared for (that means it’s probably OK for most people) and the meat was chewy. The Lengua was a little dry but had good flavor (second best I’ve had after La Placita). The Pastor is very tender and tasty, so I think they cooked it with pineapple but I didn’t see any pineapple chunks with the meat and I think that would have made it even better. Still, it’s really, really good and was my favorite taco of the three.
My dining companions report that the chicken burrito is great. The chicken was tender and you get a lot of fillings for about $ 6.
Mariscos El Amigo #3 has a bar and I couldn’t leave without trying a Margarita. It’s solid. I’m pretty sure they are using a standard sour mix. It was not the best I’ve had, but it was far from the worst. This will do in a pinch if you’re craving a Margarita and I really liked it with my meal. It’s really strong, too.
Service was good. We were greeted when we arrived and told to grab a seat wherever we wanted. Our waitress was prompt with drink orders and took our food order on the second stop at our table. When they were unsure if I wanted all the toppings I had ordered on all of the tacos, they came out and asked for clarification instead of just slapping it together and hoping they got it right. I very much appreciated that. The only complaint is that we were left hanging at the end. It got a little bit busier, but we finished the flan and waited and waited for the check. After a good 15 minutes or more, we were unsure if we’d get it at all or needed to pay at the counter, so we got up and went over to the exit and paid there.
1 complimentary order of Chips & Salsa, 2 orders of Guacamole Con Chips, 2 Chicken Burritos, 3 Tacos with Beans & Rice, 1 Margarita and 1 Flan came to a grand total of about $ 38 before tip. I’ll definitely be back!

I came in here near closing on a weekday. The employees were very friendly and welcoming. I ordered a steak torta with an aqua horchata. I sat in the restaurant waiting for my order and really enjoyed the multiple televisions with channels in both Spanish & English. The restaurant is extremely clean. The service was fast.
The food itself was really good. I was impressed by how fresh everything was. The meat was perfectly seasoned and the ingredients tasted fresh. The bread tasted like it was freshly baked. The horchata was perfectly balanced as it wasn’t too sweet or watery.
Highly recommended based on my first visit. I will definitely be back!