When most people think of having Mexican cuisine for dinner, they think of Mexican food chains such as Chipotle with their bland burrito bowls and flavorless tacos.  Well, Chipotle doesn’t have anything on Taqueria Los Cuates, a local, family-owned, Mexican restaurant, located at 7301 N. Milwaukee next to Brunswick Bowling Alley.

The food is made by order from fresh ingredients rather than being scooped out of stainless steel bowls and thrown into paper bowls on a plastic tray like Chipotle.  It’s authentic, and it’s amazing.

As you pull into the parking lot, you’ll see a tiny, lonely building with signs in the most of the glass windows that cover three sides of the building.  The tiny restaurant might not look too appealing, but the food will definitely win you over.  It’s like a little taste of Mexico here in the distant suburbs.

When you walk into the restaurant, it might be a little bit confusing because it’s small with only three tables, but they welcome you to eat there or take-out.  You’ll take exactly six steps forward (maybe five if you’re tall), and step up to the counter in front of the cash register to place your order.

The menu is listed above your head on the wall and has just about anything you can think of from breakfast to dinner.  They make the generic tacos and burritos taste wonderful, authentic, and unique.

If you’re feeling daring, you can try a meat different than the typical steak, chicken, ground beef, or pork because they also offer cesina (aged meat), lamb, chorizo (Mexican sausage), or tripita (intestines).  They even make vegetarian tacos for the, well, vegetarians.

If you aren’t up for a daring new meat, but still looking for something new, you can order an authentic dish.  They make Tampequena (a char-broiled steak topped with cheese enchiladas), carne asada (a special char-broiled steak), enchiladas, chiles rellenos (cheese studded poblano peppers), and parrillada (a dish made with chicken, steak, pork, sausage, green peppers and onions).

They offer a variety of delicious drinks as well.  There’s the Jarritos, a famous Mexican drink that come in many colors such as orange, brown, or even green.  They have Sangrias, another famous Mexican drink, but without alcohol of course, and they serve my personal favorite Mexican drink, Horchatas, a sweet rice milk.  (It tastes better than it sounds, I promise.)

No matter what you chose, you’ll end up with more food than you could even imagine eating at once, all for about $7 or less.  It’s pretty cheap, but by all means delicious.

There’s an added bonus too: if you spend more than $20, you get another dish for free.  For an order more than $20, you get a free gordita; for an order more than $30, you get a free torta; and for an order more than $40, you get a free burrito.

The service is friendly and fast.  The owner will smile at you as you walk in, cheerfully take your order, and quickly make your food.  As long as you don’t place a large order, you’ll probably have your food in about 10 minutes, maybe less.

Overall, the food is amazing and the taste of authentic Mexican food will have you hooked and deserting Chipotle before you even finish the dish you ordered.