Big Star

Surprisingly good service despite being extra busy on a weekend night. Our waiter checked in frequently, delivered food quickly and never let us wait too long. The tacos are pretty good - as you'd expect from a chain in Chicago. The best part was the ambience though. Good food, good vibes and good drinks. A solid place for a gathering. I will be back! - AT

This is more of a 3 1/2, if I'm being honest.The service was great. Our party of 5 got taken to our table quickly, we got water promptly, and the waitress was always around to get our order or whatever we needed.We all had a round of the Blueberry Collins, which was very good. We had an assortment of tacos show up; al pastor, fish, shrimp, pork belly. We had no problems with those. But...the birria."Beef birria, crispy jack cheese, heirloom blue corn masa, consume, pico de gallo, cilantro"No. So much no. Birria is heavenly, once you've had it. Good meat, tangy flavor, and a cup of consume to dip it in. This was an abomination, even more so that I've had quesabirria before and was really in the mind for it. This was an abomination I'm sure passes the WP sniff test, but in no way, shape, form, or function was this worthy of being even called birria if you know better. Now, to get some authentic birria tacos down here.

Very relaxed but great taco options and very attentive staff. Would have loved to sit outside but just too hot out. Want to go back at night for the whole vibe.

Such a hot day!!!! And we couldn't get into the Thai restraint we wanted to try so we walked here. First thing first, we were so thirsty!!! I ordered the citrus agua Fresca. Oommggaaaahhh it was so refreshing and delicious. Such a big cup for a decent price. I did have to water it down because it was pretty concentrated, gave me a bigger serving! Can't beat that. Tacos tacos! !!' All of it was so good! Barbacoa, al pastor and tilapia. The Al Pastor was my favorite!!! Glad I grabbed two. Barack was next and then the fish. Fish tacos are not always good and this was good! Each taco was filled with so much protein. The restaurant is pretty big with lots of seating inside and out. Service was outstanding!!! I honestly did not have a great time in Chicago with service and she gave the best service! This was my last meal and she gave me the best ending to my visit to Chicago!!!! Very upbeat, always smiled, seemed like she loved her job and was having fun at the same time, most I potently she was honest and didn't just give me an answer to get a bigger bill for a bigger tip. I would definitely recommend this place to Chicago visitors.

Veggie taco standouts:Walking tacoPapas con rajasColiflorBig Star is the place for tacos on the patio during summer time Chi! There's three locations but I've only ever been to the Wicker Park one. I'll say it's worth sitting indoors for the walking taco. Served in a frito lay bag, topped with a spicy pinto bean dip, crema, salsa, queso chihuahua, onion and cilantro - a party in your mouth! My non-vegetarian friend had a shrimp taco as well that she enjoyed! Chips and salsa were as addicting as they are anywhere but nothing to rave about. A margarita pitcher is a must! Service was fine. Our waiter would walk away before we could finish a sentence but it didn't affect the orders that were brought out. He seemed a bit distracted but we weren't all that bothered. Food arrived quickly. Street parking is typically easy to find right across by Violet Hour. Right by Damen blue line stop if your taking CTA. Affordable, no fuss meal!

Big Star is a casual Mexican place and has pretty good food and ambiance. I think it would be even better in the summer when the outdoor patio is open. The nachos were my favorite thing we ordered, the walking taco on the menu is unique and the tacos had a lot of filling but not my favorite tacos in the city. Our server was friendly and they brought a rice Krispy dessert for my friend's birthday that was really good, it tasted warm and freshly made.

We have eaten here before on a Saturday night and it was a zoo, I didn't review then but it would have been 3 stars because it took forever to get food, and was cold when we got it. But this time it was spot on. We loved everything we got, it was all hot and came out fast. So I averaged the two visits to be 4 stars

Big Star is a casual dining experience.It does feel like every time I come here, the prices are going up and the food is getting lesser in quantity. (I guess we can blame the inflation), this time I came on a Halloween and it was decked up in Halloween decorations. We immediately got the table with no wait time since it was a week day. The vegetarian options were actually really good. I eat meat and still enjoyed the potato taco, walking taco, and cauliflower taco. I also got chicken taco. Overall I would rate everything as almost 4/5Our server was very sweet and attentive. 5/5 for the service.

The outside patio ambiance is spectacular here! We walked by and saw a ton of people sitting outside, and decided to eat here on a whim. We were able to get seated instantly. We tried the Al pastor nachos which were phenomenal! The entire dish was great but the standout part of it was the salsa seca. It's unlike any salsa I've had before, and it was very similar to asian-style chili crisp. It was a flavor bomb each time I could get a scoop of the salsa seca. We came back again for their Pig Star event, where they partner with a local chef to roast a whole pig and have special offerings. It also happened to be happy hour where we could get half off margarita pitchers. I had a reservation for 6 people just in case but it wasn't necessary in order to get seated. The tamales and quesadilla were really good, but the nachos from the standard menu were still my favorite.A pro tip that I learned from our server is that you can ask for the salsa seca on side, and it goes well with the Camarones Fritos!

Our services was amazing!! we are from out of town and have never been here In Chicago so our server wrote out a ton of places we should check out. The service was quick delicious and may I add he definitely was a huge help. Give this man a raise. The ambiance of this place was beautiful we sat at the patio the vibe was perfect for my family and me. I definitely recommend this place for anyone how has never been to chicago or anyone looking for something amazing to eat.