Birrieria Zaragoza

John is amazing and the food is off the charts. Unilocaled this place after I picked up my wife from Midway because we had a taste for Mexican. Superior customer service and extremely good food prepared FRESH. I’ll be eating here every time I pick her up!

Just… yes. It’s perfect. Birria, molcajete, tortilla are wonderful. I think I almost cried.
Plus, the hostesses are very welcoming.
Quick shuffle from the airport too, to boot. But I’d drive out from the city to come here too. Worth it.

Fantastic food and service. Can’t recommend this place enough. I’ve finally found my favorite taco in Chicagoland. Thank you.

The best goat I ever had! Will definitely return.

I went here on a Sunday at 12:30 PM. A very friendly hostess informed us that there would be a 30 – 40 minute wait for a table, took my name, and took us next door to a waiting area with music.
The waiting area was a large, empty storefront with chairs and a stage. On the stage was an older man in a suit, playing a guitar and signing traditional Mexican folk sons. He was very good at playing the guitar, he was not very good at singing. The waiting area had a table in the back with tortilla chips, a water cooler, and salsa — the salsa was really good. The waiting area was big too — bigger than the restaurant. Many people commented about why they didn’t just turn the waiting area into a dining area — perhaps they’re waiting for a license or something, but it would be a fine idea.
About 20 minutes later we were told our table was ready. We were seated «in the back» — a second dining room located behind the kitchen. You walk through the kitchen to get to this second dining room. It reflects well on the owners that they are OK with customers walking through their kitchen: they must not be doing anything shady there!
We didn’t get a menu (there may be a menu on the wall in the main dining area), the waiter simply explained the restaurant’s few items to us. Of course we ordered the goat. One of the people in my party wanted soup, and they improvised a goat soup for him by serving him goat with extra sauce served in a bowl rather than on a plate: I thought this was a classy move, they could have simply said «no sir we don’t serve soup».
What you are served is a plate filled with goat meat. The goat was delicious and lived up to all the hype: the meat is soft and melts in your mouth. You are also given tortillas, that you can use to make little goat tacos for yourself if you wish. We were frequently given additional tortillas, which were always hot and fresh. Some people have said that this restaurant serves the best tortillas in the United States — I found that to be a huge exaggeration, but they were plentiful and always fresh.
On our way out, we saw a yuppie-​looking couple taking pictures of themselves in front of the restaurant. This place has definitely become a destination and the food lives up to the hype. I am giving it four stars rather than five simply because the restaurant is very cramped and crowded and because the prices are somewhat high.

Great Birria — recommend this place! Fresh tortillas and la salsa are fantastic! Service is spot on — Ericka, Juana and Benji were so great and always making us feel we were being taken care of! It’s a must!!!

Came across this place on Unilocal when I was in the neighborhood and I must say it exceeded all my expectations. The place is a little hole in the wall but man was it busy inside. I ended up sitting at the bar top and got to talk to the owner for a little and he was very friendly. I just asked for the most popular dish and I got a cheese quesadilla and the goat dish (birria). Everything was amazing and fresh! I recommend this to anyone looking for a good Mexican resturant in the area.

Small place but the food is AMAZING! I haven’t tasted birria so good since I went to Mexico. Their birria tastes a lot like the one of a restaurant in La Barca, Jalisco. It’s tender and juicy. The flavor is just amazing and the hand made tortillas are soft and delicious. The staff are welcoming and friendly, always checking if we needed anything. A plus was the waiter who was really handsome with color eyes lol. Great place will definitely be coming back. Hopefully in the future they can expand.

I hadn’t been to this place since they recently opened, and was pleasantly surprised to find the place just as good and even better that I remembered. There is no surprised that they have come to find so much success, evident by the constant flow of people.
Their birria is so moist and flavorful. Not to mention the consome, which is so skillfully seasoned by the meat renderings and spices. I ordered the big clay bowl which is paired with hand made corn tortillas. Needless to say you will leave this place feeling yummy in the tummy.
The staff is very welcoming and friendly. The only downside was the lack of room to accommodate their great found success. However they are very efficient in managing their guest and service.

Before coming to this place I thought no one made birria as good as my mom, but this place knows how to do it right! It was mine and my husbands first time trying this place and we were blown away, not only by the amazing food but by the awesome customer service, we will absolutely, positively be coming back, luckily we only live 5 minutes away!!!

Just like another reviewer said, the Two star rating is not for their birria which is good but for their hidden charges. We were seated in a little hidden room right behind their kitchen where we didn’t have access to their posted menu. When we asked for one, the waitress said they didn’t have any. She then proceeded to take our order and asked how we wanted our goat meet in our stew. We were charged 2.50 extra per person just for serving us our Birria on a different plate (cazuela de barro) and were also charged extra for how we wanted our meat. At no point did this waitress mention how much extra we would be charged. Needless to say, we wont be coming back to a place that charges as if they were a steakhouse.

The three star ranking is not because the birria is not delish but because of the way the owners overprice everything to the point of nickle and diming you.
my husband is from Jalisco…(the primary state birria originated from and whenever we go… we always have to get us some birria) so I would classify myself as a birria specialist. and insomuch as in Jalisco as many of the other Birrerias in the city. i can tell you that the broth (consome) IS part of the birria. and here they charge you addtl if you want it with the broth… I can totally understand charging extra if we want EXTRA consome but charging it from the get-​go is just crazy
I will explain via analogy…
It’s like making chicken noodle soup and charging you extra for the broth… that is just NOT nice and a way to overcharge an already overpriced dish.(perhaps because of the label «organic goats» that gets tossed around and easily manipulated… but hey it’s their business and they can charge whatever they want and its up to the consumer to decide.
The homemade tortillas are very good…
However, their homemade molcajete salsa was NOT hot nor did it really have any outstanding flavor to it.(and again. they charge extra for that).the salsa they do have gratuitous tasted like something store bought…
They will also charge more for taking the bones out…
(i hope im proving my point by this time)
Which I did ask to b taken out and I still had lots of tiny fragments of bone… so it wasnt even worth paying extra for that since they didnt do a very good job…
All in all. the birria is pretty good in comparison to other places we have tried but out of principle. we certainly will not be returning.
One of the other reviewers. Cristaldo said it best…
«Too many hidden fees. Trying to act like they’re a fancy restaurant. »

Best goat and homemade tortillas! Must try the roasted tomato salsa. Went with a friend of mine from Jalisco, Mexico where there specialty is Goat. I love this place and he wanted to eat food from his home state. He said it was great! He also said «I have eaten this many times and if I said it’s great you know it tastes like home!» Plus goat is all they serve so of course it is their specialty. I was there last week and Sunday. Sunday was a line for a seat. There were also two guitarist who played and sang beautifully.

the BEST. Holy crap. Who know goat was that good???
Only flaw: It closes too early. I wish I could eat here at 4 in the morning… or at least at 9 pm.

Homemade tortillas! Seeing those warm and fluffy tortillas pressed by hand made them taste that much better. The birria tasted delicious, but I thought it was a little dry. However, as I have never had goat before, I am unsure if that’s how the meat usually tastes or if it was just a tad overcooked. For my first visit, I only ordered the tacos de birria; for my next visit, I will definitely order large plate of birria instead, as other Unilocalers have stated the meat from their large plates were tender and juicy. Nonetheless, the combination of their homemade tortillas, the flavorful meat, freshly cut onions and cilantro, and a little dash of lime is a must-​try!
The only down was the overpriced salsa; how can salsa not be complimentary?

The goat is good, served with plenty of juice to soak up with the home made tortillas. I had the small plate and hibiscus tea so I can’t speak of the salsa, which should probably be offered as part of the meal when factoring in the prices. $ 14 for 3 tacos and a tea should include a decent salsa. I still recommend it, parking is hard and it it a bit pricey but worth the trip if you have never been there. It may open your mind to try to make goat at home, I think if you give it love, and effort you can make it better give it a try,

What a cute, yummy little spot to have lunch. This place will make you want to bleat for joy. The owner was very warm and welcoming. He personally walked us through the menu, described the food preparation, and gave us his recommendation.
Food was delicious, the quiet setting was nice, and I loved the people, extremely sweet. A great first impression.
Mary should have had a little goat instead of lamb. Just my opinion.
Baaa-​a-​a-​a-​a.

I have been here before and loved the food. What made me very upset this time is that they lied to me.
I knew it was a holiday and therefore the hours would be different or even closed. Anyway, I called in advance to make sure so I wouldn’t waste my time going there. They said over the phone they would be closing at a certain time. We got there 30min before that time. We where planing on ordering to go so the time wasn’t bad, I thought. When we got there the doors where closed. Some people where coming out and we thought maybe it was a mistake. One lady came and told us they had to close early because they where too busy and had too many orders to make.
They should have been honest and said that over the phone when we called wich was about 10min before we got there.
The place is too small for the demand.
They don’t have a good system to keep their customers happy.
Unfortunately I will probably not come here again.

Exageradamente caro! $ 100 por 4 lbs de birria y aparte cobran todo aparte $ 5 por una orden de tortillas. La birria no esta mala pero no vale la pena pagar tanto. Que se creen Gourmet?

La verdad que no soy de Jalisco y no soy muy experto en #BIRRIA, pero está es mi favorita.

I’ve been checking out places in the city that Unilocalers have «raved» tremendously. Hubby and I were passing through the Archer Heights neighborhood on S. Pulaski, attempting to head back north during pre-​rush hours. I knew that this place wouldn’t have anything vegetarian for hubby since their dishes focus on «goat» as the primary source of meat. Yet he was curious and wondering whether or not goat would cause any discomfort on his stomach. After all, he became a «part-​time» vegetarian because he experienced ongoing stomach problems and illnesses due to the consumptions of meat and poultry.
Well, obviously his stomach could deal with goat just fine. The owner, who shares 95% similarity with the famous George Clooney, warmly greeted us and invited us to sit down anywhere we liked. The entire dining room was fairly small, and the wall decors had nothing fancy or special. The young lady server quickly approached to our table with an i-​pad in her hands (small businesses’ favorite piece of technology).
We wanted horchata (of course) while we were perusing through the menu. The menu is relatively simple. In summary, there are three (3) types of entrees to choose from: tacos, quesadilla, and small/​large plates. All entrees feature goat as the sole protagonist.
We went with two (2) orders of Plate Chico (small size) and added the warm salsa served in a molcajete. That salsa was spicy, but that spiciness was so smooth that I kept on eating it with my spoon, one scoop after another. Their goat was tender, juicy, and flavorful. I know it wasn’t easy to cook goat meat without sacrificing one (1) criterion for another. Nevertheless, Birrieria Zaragoza did it!
We asked for extra tortilla because that salsa was just that awesome! By the way, the horchata was also delicious. I liked how they used the crushed ice instead of the full-​sized ice cubes. The full-​sized ice cubes tend to dilute the horchata mix. Yes, there’s always science behind food-​making.
The owner (Mr. Clooney… was that you?) and all workers at the restaurant were very welcoming and beyond friendly. I can’t wait to come back!

Super good goat meat place on the south side. Very tender and flavorful meat that’s served with traditional Mexican sides (onion and cilantro) with an optional roasted hot sauce. They will also serve any part of the goat that you’d like, including «inners». Plus, fresh corn tortillas made in house.
Prices are a little higher than your typical Mexican joint worth it. My only issue with the amount of fat and gristle they serve with the meat. Otherwise great.

Una de las mejores Birrias que he comido!
Extraordinario servicio, muy amables. Tortillas hechas a Mano, salsa en molcajete!
Gracias!

En un restaurante lo mas inportante es el servicio y la calidad de producto.
Hoy la comida que compre aqui estubo pesima como para ya volver a comprar si anteriormente la recomendaba ahora no, por la razon que la calidad de la carne no es buena ponen mucho gordo mucha grasa.

No miente el toldo de la entrada que dice, «la birria maz zabroza!!» Pues, eso es lo que se encuentra en Birrieria Zaragoza!
Just ate here today: the food was phenomenal, the service exceptional!!!