Mexican buffet

Any recs?Prefer Northside Chicago and North suburbs.TIA.





hattyn-Alvin Toffler was right,Frank Capra wrong.

I've never seen one. The only one I've heard of is Juana's on Western on the South side

Juana's
2406 S Western
773-523-4166

Very cheap and pretty good buta long way from Evanston

I'd never even considered a mexican buffet. They exist?

Yes.I have posted on El Sol but am looking for others.IIRC both Carlos Sweeney's and Carlos Murphy's had them but they are both closed.Chi Chi's in Golf Mill had it but they are gone.I saw a coupon today for one at Los Palmas I think but only the Naperville location.

My first thought was Juana's. Hereis a link to an old Chowhound post of mine. I'm pretty sure the price is now up to $4.50, still a steal.

Juana's Mexican Buffet
2406 S Western Av
Chicago
773-523-4166


Doesn't Don Quijote on the SE corner of Clark and Lawrence still do a lunch buffet? I never set foot in there so can't say anything about it (is it still in business?).

Don Quijote Restaurant
4761 N Clark St
Chicago
773-769-5930


In the same neighborhood, doesn't Izalco still offer a Salvadoran lunch buffet?

Izalco
1511 W Lawrence Av
Chicago
773-769-1225

hattyn wrote:Yes.I have posted on El Sol but am looking for others.IIRC both Carlos Sweeney's and Carlos Murphy's had them but they are both closed.Chi Chi's in Golf Mill had it but they are gone.I saw a coupon today for one at Los Palmas I think but only the Naperville location.

I ate at the El Sol buffet once several years ago when they first opened. (I went there looking for The Buffalo, and found a Mexican restaurant instead). How do you say drek in Spanish?

Rene G wrote:In the same neighborhood, doesn't Izalco still offer a Salvadoran lunch buffet?

Izalco
1511 W Lawrence Av
Chicago
773-769-1225

Been to Izalco - best pupusas I've ever had (but then, I haven't had a lot of them). And now that you mention it, I vaguely remember that they had a buffet. Plus, it's BYO.

Steve Z wrote:

I ate at the El Sol buffet once several years ago when they first opened. (I went there looking for The Buffalo, and found a Mexican restaurant instead). How do you say drek in Spanish?

I remember La Bamba at the same location -- went there from time to time. Their buffet was nothing special. The regular menu was better.

When it became El Sol (4-5 years ago?), I ate there once (off the regular menu) and have never been back. Sometimes I go past and wonder if that first El Sol experience was an exception, but not quite enough to try it again.

I'm not sure how much of a steal Juana's is at $4.50
I don't remember anything that was even remotely good and I'm talking buffet good (which is almost always a step down regardless).

There is a place on the corner of Clark and Lawrence that has a sign in the window that advertises a Mexican buffet. I think it says $5.95 but I'm not certain.

ha. ok. sorry, I read the previous post and then I got caught up in the badness of Juana's and then remembered the place on Clark and Lawrence.

Maria's on Foster in Rosemont does a lunch buffet on Thursdays only. It's very popular though I must admit that I don't care for Maria's whether buffet or menu.

I just passed this place on the way home to Albany Park from Argyle Street:

Victoria's Restaurant ("Mexican and American buffet") on the north side of Foster between Kedzie and Kimball. Alas, I had only two bucks and some change after picking up salt and pepper squid, salt and pepper shrimp, crispy fried noodles with beef, and banh mi sandwiches. I'll check it out as soon as I can.

The thread brought back fond memories of a "two-fer" cafeteria in San Antonio: Jim's, in a Mexican-American neighborhood and owned by a Chinese-American gentleman whose name, quite obviously, was not "Jim." You grabbed a tray and silverware and then went down the line selecting from a variety of Tex-Mex and Americanized Cantonese offerings. There was something magical about combining, say, a cheese enchilada, a chile relleno, a tamale, frijoles and a taco al pastor, with cashew chicken, a shrimp egg foo young patty and fried rice.

Also of Pancho's, a Southwestern Tex-Mex buffet chain with very passable food given the buffet price. I ate there often as a struggling college student. If my memory serves me, my record was 15 chile rellenos in one sitting.

Cheers,
Wade

Jimmy's Fast Food/Taxco Guerrero, 4810 N. Drake, Mexican and Chinese.

Happy New Year's all.

Cheers,
Wade