Birrieria Zaragoza Reviews

Lovely, welcoming staff who were helpful and informative about the differences between dishes. Tiny place can't seat many (great when you can get a seat) and atmosphere was warm and friendly. The most delicious baby goat imaginable, especially given it was for breakfast!

Lucky for us, we had a lunch reservation; otherwise, we would have been waiting.  We walked down a little alley between two buildings to get to an outdoor backyard seat.  The atmosphere and ambiance of a family restaurant surrounded us, especially when we saw a lady hand-making fresh masa corn tortillas on a flat grill.  We love it. The menu was simple... goat birria with fresh masa. You can order by the plate or by the pound. We chose by the pound.  The food came out quickly, with a fresh side of corn tortillas. Simple goat birria tacos, but they were so good. I highly recommend it if you're in the area. 

Food is amazing, great service, nice people, and most of all the birria stew and the fresh tortillas are incredible. We love #chitown

We have been here twice and the only difference is that I think the prices went up? Like a taco cost 3 dollars however they are delicious and they pack your tacos there like burritos! The tortilla is soft and warm not de harina but maíz. They give you enough Salas's and lemons and cilantro and onions in their containers. We had to take em to go! But this restaurant was on Netflix for their yummiest tacos and yep... the first time I ever took a bite I actually teared up! Maybe it was that time of that month coming up but so so good! This is making me hungry now!!!!!

Read about this restaurant on some Chicago must eat list. Yummy roasted goat is their specialty at this hole in the wall restaurant.

Found this little gem of a restaurant using my TripAdvisor app locating eateries near my workplace. Read the positive reviews, and decided I needed to introduce roast goat to my dining experience. It was fantastic. Last week, my wife and I were flying out of Midway Airport. We were running a little early, and had time to stop for a bite. I remembered how much I had enjoyed the food before, so we and our daughter stepped inside to dine. The owner, John Zaragoza, his wife Norma and his grown children were very friendly and pleasant. Both took time to come out to our table and talk to us while we were enjoying the succulent goat meat wrapped in the best handmade tortillas I have ever eaten. Not only do I plan to return for lunch carry-out when I am at work, but I intend to order a larger quantity to take home for a meal to share with friends. If you live or work anywhere near Midway Airport in Chicago, or are going to the airport for any reason, make it a point to eat here. They also have a Melrose park location, and although I have not visited that one as of yet, I am sure it meets the high quality of the Pulaski Road establishment, as it is run by the same family.

Our daughter took us here for lunch and it was wonderful. Food is basic but so delicious. The owner is very friendly. We sat at the counter and watched him cutting the chunks of goat meat off the bone and it went right out on the table with the freshly made tortillas also made right in front of you. Choices are simple, bone in or bone out, with picante sauce, salsa, fresh chopped veggies. Small but clean "dining room", nothing fancy about the place but sooo good! Muy bueno!

I am from San Antonio and love good Mexican food. Since Chicago has so many Hispanics today, I decided to see if I could find a good Mexican restaurant. This is a small place near Midway Airport but one of the best Mexican food restaurants I've been to. The big reason is it is good (and affordable) and the family that owns the restaurant works the restaurant. In other words, they care. Their signature (and main) dish is roasted goat. It was delicious. It is prepared from a recipe the family brought from Baca, Mexico (near Guadalajara) and has been a family recipe for 150 years. The meat does not taste or smell like goat; it is savory and tender and roasted to perfection. The condiments are also made in the restaurant and are exceptionally delicious. We visited with the young man (the son of the owner) and learned he was trained at culinary school and it shows...everything is prepared fresh and has a uniqueness about it. And the customer service is like being served by a kind neighbor. After visiting with the son, we also talked to the father who also told of his passion to prepare the goat just as his family has for over a century. The dining room is small and modest and a lot of the business is takeout. The restaurant is on a busy street in Archer Hts. and is very clean. It is a neighborhood restaurant; not a fancy place. It's not often you find a restaurant with some real authenticity in their dishes, prepared by people who care and in a way you would want your friends and family to be treated. What a pleasure.

We had read and heard alot of good things about this place. We were misled. Extremely small restaurant, large servings of birria are listed as 11 dollars a plate, but when we were asked if we wanted them in plates or bowls....we said bowls, not knowing that we would be charged an additional $2.50 per bowl for some soup added in the meat. The tortillas were good, but come one, I'm mexican and they are just tortillas made on the spot...big deal. The molcajete sauce was good and warm....again, just salsa. For a family of 4, I believe $68 dollars is ridiculous for 4 bowls of soup with meat and tortillas with salsa. Will not return.

The quiet hype about this place is not an exaggeration, but it's friendly, local, and delicious. At breakfast this Sat we were the only non-neighborhood, non Hispanic customers so don't fear an attack of the foodies. Go on the weekend for goat tripe, lovingly baked in a tiny bundle that is delicious. The trip on public transport from a N. Michigan hotel was lengthy but worth every minute.

This was out first visit here, small place 3 tables. the owner came out to tell us what the restaurant and had recommendations also. His recommendations were perfect, the salsas were all exceellent, the Goat meat was awesome (bone out). No complaints. I but more expensive than I would've expected.

This place was recommended as having the best roast goat in Chicago. So a party of 4 of us went there on 8/29. The roast goat was really good. Well seasoned and tender, falling off the bone. Went very well with the tacos. And the cinnamon coffee was the perfect accompaniment. The place certainly lived up to the hype.

I have tasted many versions of birria, and this is the best by far! The restaurant is tiny and cramped, but the food is worth it. Right now birria is only choice, the tortillas are hand made and outstanding, the salsas are excellent, and the staff is very nice, welcoming and accommodating. This is a no frills restaurant - go for the food!

My fiance is a huge fan of this restaurant! I tasted the birria, goat meat tacos. It was delicious! The meat was very tender and tasty! This a simple place with simple food but home cooked to perfection!

Just have it. It's a bit far down south but worth the trip. Call ahead to make sure they are open. You probably want a few pounds to make sure you don't wake up in the middle of the night and not have it.

I happened to pick this place looking for something different for lunch. I try to find the funky local places with different kinds of local cuisine. I already hit a couple of the local “Chicago style” pizza places so had that Chicago thing covered. Since there is such a big Latin community where I was doing business, I figured there would be some good Mexico style eats here. I picked the right spot! Birrieria Zaragoza specializes in dishes made from their own home grown goats. If you have never tried goat meat, this is the place to expand your horizons! The meat is cooked until it is fall apart tender. The flavor is very nice on its own, but they serve it in a delicious consommé. And of course tortillas on the side, that they make to order! So good! You get very fresh chopped cilantro and green onion, white onions, and fresh lime on the side, and your choice of hot or mild homemade salsa. They have other stuff on the menu, but it looks like the only meat here is goat meat. The horchata is amazing, and so is the flan! I travel a lot, and like to experiment with what I eat when I’m on the road. This place it a place to try! English speaking is limited! But don’t worry if you don’t speak Espanol, you will get by,and your experience will be worth your coming here

Although this place looks like a hole in the wall... oh yeah, it is... don't be scared away. So... while watching some late night food program while doing an elliptical workout, this place gets mentioned as one of the best places in Chicago for Mexican food. It looked interesting enough to stop my workout and write the name of the place down, and boy, let me tell you I am glad that I did. By far, this is the best Mexican food that I have had since moving to the Midwest. The food was melt in your mouth good with flavor that takes you to your happy place. The fresh tortillas right off the grill was a bonus. Mind you, this is a BYOB place, which is exactly what some of the locals had done. They had traditional Mexican non alcoholic drinks and your typical soda choices. The staff was friendly and took the time to explain the menu when they realized this was our first visit here. It I ever get back to town, you can bet that I will be coming back here.

The overall experience was absolutely flawless! Right from the moment you step inside, you can sense that something extraordinary awaits you. Despite not having a reservation, we only had to wait a mere 5 minutes for a table. The menu is refreshingly straightforward, offering options of small or large plates, as well as tacos, all featuring the same delectable goat meat. This place has undeniably secured a spot in my top 10 list of remarkable dining experiences in Chicago. Give it a try and savor the delight!

A great place for good eats, very friendly staff and good food, the restaurant is small but the staff gets it done, they are even making fresh tortillas which was wonderful to watch and even better to eat with the Birrieria.

This is a great place to have Goat Birria. The plates are plenty, the service superb and the taste excellent. I knocked off one star looking at the overall cleanliness of the place and a little decline in quality that I have perceived over the years I am going there. Also, they lack consistency. I have seen and tasted a change in quality (slight decline) in the goat birria, salsa molcajete and also the tortillas...maybe they will notice and improve... That said, strongly recommend to head over and try at least once.

Wonderful experience. Do not get influenced by the outside of the authentic Mexican restaurant. The beauty is in the kitchen. The star there is the goat. John, the owner, welcomed us with open arms. The rest of the staff was so nice. And the food was amazing! Definitely worth the detour!!!

A great deal of food was served here, it was very filling, and the prices were reasonable. The place is small which I think adds to the atmosphere, you can pretty much see everything being made in the kitchen.

Food is top notch, the broth is killer I get the big bowl with bones in it . Had friends in town from Georgia, they loved it A must stop for best goat in Chicago

Well worth the trip! Excellent food. Tender delicious meat. Unbeatable handmade/homemade corn tortillas. I'm usually a flour tortilla man, but these were excellent. Also I'm a amateur that likes sour cream and cheese on my tacos. They don't have sour cream. Honestly you don't need it. It would hide too much of the perfect tasting meat. You need to ask for cheese. The staff is the friendliest welcoming group of people I've come across in the city. Family owned and they make you feel like family. I can't recommend this any more strongly!

One of the real gems in the city. Awesome goat tacos; the meat is perfectly done, and the tortillas are excellent.

I heard about this place from a mexican co-worker who said its the most authentic mexican food you will find in chicago. He comes from a family of chefs so I thought the place must be good. We went on saturday around 6:00, be aware the restaurant hours are strange, they close at 7:00 on saturday. All they serve is goat, slow cooked tender goat on a plate with a couple ladle fulls of a nice broth...its delicious, the flavors are mild but delicious, and the meat is oh so tender. If you have a decent appetite get the grande plate. It comes with corn tortillas that they make in house. The food tastes like a delicious home cooked meal...all goat plates come with chopped cilantro and onion. We had their hot salsa that was quite delish as well... We spoke with the owner and she said they don't serve rice and beans or chips with the salsa because she considers that filler food. Prices are reasonable. Go if you're in the area...you won't regret it!

The Tacos de Chivo made it to the Best Taquerias in the US by Zagat in 2014. This is a simple place that only does one thing great: Birria!

Stopped after seeing it reviewed here and on several other websites. They do one thing, but it is just about perfect. Let me see if I can do it justice... The roasted goat was tender and perfectly cooked. Crispy bits, deeply savory and succulent. The consommé was so delicately seasoned it was shocking. Ten or more elements all in balance. It was the best part of the dish. Then there were the handmade tortillas...I ordered a dozen and they only brought out four. When I asked, I was told very gently, that they would make them fresh when I needed them...sure enough...they came out three or so at a time and were slightly crisp and soft...perfect! Oh, one last thing, the special salsa is amazing too...but be warned if you order it hot...it is going to be hot. I loved it, but it was too much for my kids.

We had a ridiculously great hole in the wall meal. We couldnt stop eating. Salsa made fresh to order, the meat was amazing, bring your own booze!!

This is possibly the best goat I have ever eaten. In the past I've eaten goat that was tough or stringy. Not here. It was tender and flavorful. The consommé is absolutely fantastic. It makes you want to take a bucketful home with you. Also the tortillas are great.

The specialty they prepare is delicious but it is a severe rip off considering that you basically get 3 Small goat meat tacos for around 15 bucks before taxes and tip and and also that goat meat when you buy it fresh at a market is not that expensive. They also had a review on PBS that might have contributed to the unrealistic prices they charge you

This is the place to go for tacos! The food was fresh and the restaurant was clean. The service was really helpful as the guided me through their offerings! I was truly impressed and I would go back again when in Chicago!

While staying on the South Side, we became aware of this small neighborhood restaurant through our hotel staff. Seeing it was within walking distance and offered atypical Mexican food. we decided to give it a try. For those unfamiliar with birria as we were, the cuisine is based on goat meat. We thoroughly enjoyed it in both tacos and a soup/stew. It was quite tasty and tender both ways. The waitstaff was very helpful and accommodating to two gringos experiencing birria for the first time. The restaurant is small with only about 6 tables but well worth a visit. Take note that they close at 7 p.m. We would definitely visit Birrieria Zaragoza again when in the area!

This is a unique place, all they serve is GOAT, with super fresh tortillas, a little salsa, some onions and cilantro. But you will not believe the flavor!!! The place is small, and seating is limited, but its WORTH it if you want something a little different and delicious. And the owners are great, just welcoming and honest.

Real goat meat, unlike many "birrierias" in town. Nice serving of exactly what birria should be, hand made tortillas are awesome. A bit pricier than most, but well worth it. The place is really small so timing is everything. Enjoy

Best Birria I have had in Chicago - better than anywhere in Pilsen. Excellent Birria - make sure to get the consomme and the roasted salsa. House made super fresh tortillas. It is impeccably clean. If you are in the neighborhood you have very few other options. Try it!