Big Star Mariscos

Came here for a yummy Mexican dinner and this place had lots of variety to try and was a fun ambiance! If you are looking for tacos this is a great spot! We came with a group of 7 for and ended up ordering:* queso with chorizo - these was cheesy goodness and the saltiness of the meat complimented the dish perfectly. This also came with tortillas which was awesome!* queso with mushrooms - this felt lighter than the chorizo order but I really loved this also. The queso was on point and delicious!* Al pastor taco - this was a bit on the oily side but the meat was flavorful and well seasoned* crispy shrimp taco - this was very yummy and I loved how the shrimp was well fried and the batter was not too thick!I also tried my friends crispy fish taco which was yummy, and the salsas were delicious also! Overall an awesome experience with great service!

The service was good and all staff were friendly though the bartenders seemed stressed and didn't greet us for at least 5 minutes on sitting within 2 stools of the drink prep station. The lighting indoors is kinda cold. Outdoor seating was cool if you don't mind traffic wizzing by on 2 sides. It says it's a seafood restaurant bar but only has a limited menu of mostly tacos and a few seafood dishes. Our queso dish was burned and dry. The salsas were delicious. The tacos were small, tough chewy meat, dry tortillas and were supposed to have onion and cilantro but didn't. The Mexican White shrimp were way overcooked and drenched in some decent tasting sauce which is a strange way to serve whole shrimp. The drinks were good. Won't go back to either location due to the overall experience. But if you don't want to wait long on a Saturday night to get some drinks this is your place

Came here for a birthday party and left super unimpressed by both the food and the service. We had a big group, and food came out in huge platters that resulted in a hullabaloo trying to figure out who ordered what and yelling across the table to get the correct taco to the right person. At this point in time (around 8:30 pm), it was slow in the restaurant so I'm not sure why the food didn't come out on plates respective to what each person ordered. We were all scratching our heads wondering why this wasn't better coordinated - it's not like the food was being catered and we were actually dining in. No one came by to provide water for our empty water glasses and it took a few tries to even get a server to finally get us some water for the table. I ordered the brussel sprouts tostada and the cauliflower taco. Unimpressed by both and each was around $6-7. I also had a bite of an al pastor taco and still think that there are wayyyy better options in the city for what this place tries to serve up.

The freshly made flour tortillas really set these tacos apart! My favorite was the carnitas but all were good. Service was attentive and our waiter brought us a pitcher of water so we were never thirsty. The patio is dog friendly and they even have doggy water bowls! It's a lovely patio spot and they will rearrange tables for your party and can accommodate larger groups.

Big Star Mariscos did not disappoint! The ambiance is casual and they boast the same deep bourbon selection as their wicker park counterpart. I started with the barrel aged old Weller fashioned- which was superb.The Kale Salad had a great flavor and provided a much needed balance to all the other plates. The star of the night was the drunken shrimp- the waiter stated 'it's messy, but it's worth it!' And it was!

We came for the $2 oyster special on Tuesdays. I definitely recommend this! They are fresh and have two nice sauces to garnish with. We had remembered a nice Happy Hour from 4-6. We were disappointed that had since changed. It used to include ranch water and now seemed to only include beer. We received two versions of happy hour menus and on one, another item had just run out (shrimp tostada). Our go to favorite of the pollo asada was as good as we remembered though. And I noticed a lot of families and dogs on the patio.

We had been wanting to try this place forever but kept forgetting about it. Finally went and wished I had kept forgetting. Friendly staff but food was very disappointing. Tacos were absolutely tasteless. A bit of salt would have gone a long way. We had the crunchy chicken tacos, fish taco and braised beef tacos. No flavor. Zip. Zero. Chips and salsa were decent (chips were the best part). 2 beers each and $100 later. Will not be returning.

Pleasantly surprised by Big Star Mariscos! I'm a big fan of the OG Big Star, and came here with a large group before a concert at the United Center. The patio was the perfect spot for summer dining, and our server was so friendly and tolerant of a large group!! The tacos and margaritas were amazing - just as good as the original location! Browsing around, I saw the indoor space is bright and large! I'll be coming back this winter!!

One evening after celebrating a Cubs night game walk off win, I was in dire need of late evening drunk food. Fortunately on the way home, and walking distance from my place, I entered Big Star Mariscos with 30 minutes to spare before closing. Asking the bartender what I should order with limited time remaining, he instructed me to order this savory, cheesy goodness since it was only on special for who knows how much longer. Goodness do I hope they remain on the menu forever! I was surprised that at a Mariscos(seafood) taco joint I'd be eating lamb, but after tasting these amazing tacos, I can't imagine how good the tacos are that come from the sea! The lamb meat was already full of flavor before dipping each bite of each taco into the wonderful consumme. The tortillas soaked up the broth so well and each cheesy, meaty bite was heaven in my mouth. The only two things I can complain about is that I wish there were more than two tacos per order because they were so damn good and that I wish the kitchen/restaurant was open later so that I could have these tacos really late night! If you're ever in need of delicious tacos in West Town, check out Big Star Mariscos!

We have been excited to try their breakfast tacos since they are nearly impossible to find in Chicago! However they are pretty disappointing. The "flour tortilla" is literally a pita, and the flavor is seriously lacking. The fillings were good, the steak being the best but as for breakfast tacos options, they are a major miss. The server was very nice, but we ordered 4 items total and they still missed one. Not to mention we are the only people in the restaurant at 10am for breakfast. The place is bright and airy and the music is great. I would try it again but I'll skip the breakfast tacos