Casa Bonita

This restaurant is just meh to me. If you are going for just a margarita this is your place. If you are going for good food and service, there are plenty of other places to try

Not worth going to. I like the outside patio but it’s so frustrating when you can’t get a drink refill, especially when eating spicy food. I was going to order another margarita but it took the waitress so long I just asked for more water and the check. The food isn’t anything wonderful and I think it’s over priced. You’re paying to the atmosphere.

I have been dining here several times a month for the past two years. I have found the food and service generally consistently good to occasionally very good. Some of the staff are very good, others mediocre. The food is usually served promptly, the right temperature, and very tasteful. The place does draw a large crowd on weekends and service sometimes droops off. Nevertheless, I try to dine to avoid the crowded times in order to receive good food and good service. The various menu items I have tried have all been good.

The food has been fantastic every time. I usually get the chicken and cheese dishes. The service is quick most of the time.
In the winter, they still use the outside patio. Comfort level is variable. The heaters can be too hot, or you can catch a few cold breezes.

The salad I got was very hearty. Big pieces of vegetables and big chunks of chicken. My lady friend had some pretty good fish tacos. Definitely enjoyed those.
The salad did not have the best lettuce though, standard iceberg. When it comes to salads, the lettuce is pretty darned important. Also, it was wierd because it was 25 degrees ooutside, but it was too hot out there. The little tiki posts were crazy hot.

Bad service and bad food and horrible drinks. Their drinks are just sugary syrups. I never had such a bad drinks and salsa in my life! They really don’t know how to make salsa. I am not going there back again!

I went here with a friend who suggested it. I had never heard of it previously but I was glad we tried it. It was packed on the night we went, but they have a nice system that will send you a text when your table is ready, so we took a little walk around the town while we waited. They have a huge menu with some very diverse options. I can’t remember the exact name of the item I ordered, but it had skirt steak, grilled pineapple and peppers… Very tasty. We sat outside on the open-​air porch, which has heaters over the tables. I felt it was a little more expensive than I was anticipating, but I would certainly go back.

Really good margaritas and steak fajitas with generous portions. The fried ice cream was to die for! Great option for the area — can’t wait to go back!

Best Mexican food in north Chicago hands down! I come from Southern California where Mexican food is everywhere and amazing! This comes very very close!!! And the Cadillac margaritas are great!

This place actually got worse… I had to give it another try since it’s always packed, and I still can’t figure it out. This time I drink was $ 12, (say what?) for a frozen drink with no fancy upgrades that tasted like water and ice blended poorly not to say the least. Our server was missing in action all night, literally probably the worst service I have ever had anywhere. The kicker was that he put the gratuity on our table because there were six of us so he got paid either way. I really should’ve said something now that I think of it. He never came back to get us more drinks, he never came back to ask us if we want to desert or boxes for our food, it was literally so bad.
I wanted to order the fish tacos and I chose the fried option, to which he replied I should get the grilled… What is this weight watchers?! Went with the Chili rellenos instead which was pretty subpar. I can’t suggest you come here for the food or the ambience or the service or the drinks… in short don’t come here unless you want to drop a lot of money for a pretty poor experience. There are way too many fabulous places on this strip of town to waste your time at this one, even if it has a cute outdoor patio…

The food was great, but the service was awful. The servers have a lot of attitude and we had to ask for them to come to our table to get our drink and food order multiple times. We had to even bring our check to her because she didn’t come to our table at all. I would recommend for the food (especially the carne asada) but I would not come back for the service.

The only frustrating part was when I called to confirm the reservation I made on Unilocal they could not find it and had to make a new reservation an hour later. We got there at later time for my party of 10 and I saw my Unilocal reservation crossed off (like I was a no-​show) and a large party table broken down immediately. So not to all, call for reservations or be upset with Unilocal.
Our server was excellent. Handled our large party really well and made sure our drinks were always full. I had some kind of shrimp and steak bowl from the Mexican grill and was delighted! It was also my birthday, family ordered me the birthday special of fried ice cream and sombrero. very fun and enjoyed our night.

My first time at this place and it was very, very good! We went on a Sunday afternoon and it was easy to find parking and we got seated darkly quickly! As soon as we sat down, we were greeted with some chips and three different types of salsa. All were very yummy! Our waiter, Armando, was very attentive and nice. I had ordered the carnitas and it was absolutely delicious! The good was flavorful and it was a big portion. I can’t believe I actually finished all of it. The prices were decent as well. I like them a lot better than Tacos el Norte or On the border. Overall, I definitely think I will be back… and I’ll be bringing friends with me too! Highly recommend if anyone is having second thoughts. Cheers!!!

One of our favorite places nearby!
Great Margaritas (we love the «Perfect margarita») and great service. My husband loves the Mole enchiladas and we both love the queso with chorizo app. It’s also one of the few mexican places that does a good salad– the grilled chicken is very good!
The staff is friendly and accomodating. One of the female managers always comes and greets us, and stops by before we leave to make sure everything was okay. Would definitely recommend!

I’ve been here a few times for dinner and its always good for that Mexican fix you’ve been craving. The food is above average compared to other local places but my absolutely favorite thing on the menu is the queso with chorizo. All the chicken dishes I’ve tried are good and I like the variety. Not just your typical tacos and burritos. The patio is year round because they have these awesome space heaters. Last winter when I went it actually got too hot on the patio. Some better climate control would be nice.

Well I highly don’t suggest ordering their fiesta nachos! It was completely FLAVORLESS and BLAND!
Even before I tried it, I knew there would be issues as I had to tell them how to make the nachos for me when I ordered them through the phone. Originally on the menu, the ‘fiesta’ nachos only consisted of beans, cheese, sour cream, jalopenos, and tomatoes and there I was thinking how that was not my idea of a fiesta. So I told them to add more vegetables such as lettuce, onions, and green peppers in order to enhance the flavor, and they added that for me.
Once I got the nachos, I was very DISSATISFIED. I was getting bored of eating them, and I just had to stop. First of all, there was no salsa! What kind of nachos don’t come with any salsa? Even though the menu didn’t say that, I assumed the tomatoes would be some sort of pico de gallo. Next all of the added vegetables were flavorless, even the onions (a vegetable with very strong aromas) didn’t taste like anything. I was wishing I had asked for some guacamole on top. Finally, the cheese didn’t taste like anything either.
My mama and I can make better nachos than Casa Bonita!
Disclaimer: I am of Indian ethnicity and therefore my palate has been developed for spicy and flavorful foods. In fact, Indians tend to love Mexican food and vice versa because we use similar spices in our foods like cumin. So maybe the average American eater may find these ‘fiesta’ nachos an actual fiesta.

One of the longer running restaurants in Libertyville and one of the most popular. We ended up there on a Friday night and that probably wasn’t the best of ideas.
The place has an app and online reservation system and I absolutely would recommend using those. We did the walk-​up approach and waited 72 minutes for a table. Saw plenty of people show up, wait 10 – 15 minutes, and be seated. The seating priority is set up through an iPad at the front, so this must place the online reservations to priority. It’s either that or something else was at work for those seated in that timeframe.
The outdoor patio area is great and is probably comfortably used 9 – 10 months a year. It’s a nice touch and probably adds 60 seats to the place.
Service was average. Not bad, not great.
Appetizer: They make a chorizo fondue that’s very good and unique. They give you 3 type of salsa that are all decent and the chips they use looked commercially bagged and are served at room temp. Not much taste to them, but I guess they are only meant for holding the salsa.
Food: The food is pretty average. We has steak tacos and a bistec style ribeye. The problem for the place is Lake County is full of excellent Mexican restaurants so the local standard should be high. This puts the entres about average in taste. Beans were bland but had good consistency and the rice was OK. The pricing for these is what I’d expect in Libertyville.
Bar: Sangria is made to order and is decent. They have like 8 «Mexican» beers on tap, which is a pretty good selection. The tequila selection was pretty good and they even have 4 – 5 of those on tap.
Atmosphere: Nice place, especially in the warmer months. The front opens up and with the outdoor seating the place holds it’s own.
Long wait, OK food, average pricing. There’s nothing too negative about this place nor is there any reason to go out of your way to get here. Just remember to use the app or go online first. It will surely save you time. Overall: A-​OK

Not bad for my 1^st time, came here to have a goodbye dinner with my friends and I before we all leave Illinois. I was happy I took them here they loved the food and prices weren’t too bad, food was at least good. I had the flautas and they were made perfectly! I ate everything so fast lol and the fried ice cream :) super good too. My piña colada was kinda gross though hate to say think the bartender just didn’t make it right. Atmosphere is lively, it’s clean and good for groups. Waitresses though you all need to be a little friendlier. Not saying they were bad but I’ve noticed it when waitress just kinda show you they don’t want to be there and it makes your mood match theirs a little.

Came here the other night with my friend for dinner and a margarita. The first thing I noticed (besides street parking), was their outdoor area. It was too cold to sit outside, but they have quite a few tables outside that have heat lamps. I would love to come back when it is nicer and sit outside!
The inside décor is nice. They have a lot to choose from on their menu. I ordered the steak tacos. They were very good, as to be expected. Their salsas are also very good — you get three different kinds! Their margarita wasn’t the best I’ve had, but it wasn’t bad.
Our waitress was very attentive at first, and even noticed that they had not included cheese on my tacos, which I had asked for. However, we didn’t really see her much after we got our food. By the time she asked me if I wanted another drink we were ready to leave.
Overall it is very good. I’m surprised at the negative reviews.

Awesome place to get good mexican food in Libertyville. From the moment you are seated they will bring you 3 different salsas along with warm chips to your table. None of the salsas were spicy but had a good taste.
I ordered the «Alambres de Chuleta» (diced pork chop grilled with onion, green pepper, and cheese on top). The dish was so good that all of my friends wanted to try it. It was paired with a coconut flavored rice which was uniquely good (to my surprise). I also ordered the mango habanero margarita which was delicious and the salt rim had a kick to it.
Make sure you have a reservation ahead of time otherwise there is always a wait time. Décor and ambiance are great… Very cheerful place!