Big Star Wicker Park

I've been wanting to go here for a while now and I am so glad I finally did! I was surprised that we didn't even have to wait long for a table since it was booked completely online. Super trendy tacos here and the patio is huge. I got a walking taco which was amazing with fritos and beans, the cauliflower taco was an explosion of flavour and chicken taco had a mole which was delicious. The nachos here are bursting with flavour too and salty!

Came on a Saturday night with a friend, it was packed but lovely. We say inside since the outdoor patio was loud. Music was a bit loud inside but the waiter was very nice and helpful as this was my first time here. Tacos were so good, mango margarita was AMAZINGGGG, and I enjoyed their elotes.

Amply filled tacos and tasty at that. A touch on the pricy side but we went away happy.

Loved the walking tacos, such an interesting concept. Tacos were great. Good vegetarian options Good fast service Seating outside a little dark however

Beautiful! Soft taco shells, incredible fillings and generous portions. Service is super fast and the outside area is great to sit in the sun. Try their homemade hot sauce!

I dream about the nachos from here. As a nacho connoisseur, I would say that Big Star’s nachos are the best in the country. So good that we flew from Columbia, SC to Chicago and made a special trip to Big Star for a nacho and a margarita. The drinks are on point, the staff are always so nice, and the vibe is super fun and cool. Tacos are excellent as well, but these nachos are fire 🔥 Definitely recommend.

Carne asada tacos are the best here. Big star has a big menu, Something for everyone.Huge out door patio.👍👍

Hip, casual Mexican restaurant serving lots of flavorful, fun tacos and other Mexican street foods. Went here for lunch with a carnivore friend, who had three meat tacos he loved. I got the Lion’s Mane mushroom taco with grilled pineapples and fresh onions, plus the Brussels sprouts tostado with black beans and pickled chilis. I gotta say, these were some of the best tacos I’ve ever had. Fresh and vibrant veggies, full of unique umami spices and fresh herbs. I do find it lame when places charge for chips and salsa, but I was hungry and got the duo salsa with chips. The chips were over cooked but the salsas were super tasty, not very spicy, but full of tomatillo and peppers. Definitely recommend grabbing some tacos here if you’re in the mood and the area.

Best Mexican in town. Tacos are around $5 each. Specifically shrimp and barbacoa beef tacos are strongly recommended. Happy hour 4-6pm (Sunday-thursday). Every Tuesday Buy 5 tacos, get 1 free.

This is my 3rd time being here and once again food is amazing! Got the Nachos as our starter and the strawberry margarita pitcher. WOW!!! didn’t disappoint. Would definitely recommend this place. Will be coming back

Thank you Big Star for being amazing. Staff from the minute we walked in was top tier. Food came fast and was hot. If you are thinking about doing the unlimited $45 package RUN don’t walk. It was super worth it. Shout out to our server Sydney SHE WAS AMAZING 👏🏽👏🏽. 🫶🏽

My favorite tacos in all of Chicago. For over a decade we’ve been coming to the patio of big Star to celebrate special occasions or just to enjoy an unseasonably nice day.

Came for lunch on a Wednesday. Beat the rush. Server got busy but we were well taken care of. Street corn could've been a little hotter, but good flavor. Flautas were a great starter. Loved the corn pico on the camarones tacos. I usually prefer grilled but lightly battered and fried did the taco right. Chicken taco had amazing marinate, tender and flavorful. Wish they carne asada had a little more of something, salt, spice, lime. But will be back.

Based on the recommendation of the amazing Kindbody nursing team, I hit up Big Star before my Blue Line to ORD. Big Star didn’t disappoint!! Sophia behind the bar was on point, tacos loaded and exceeded my expectations, and the music/vibe perfect before a trip back to CT. 👏🙌✌️

We ate here on on a friday evening and had heard good things about this place from friends. And it did not disappoint. We had the birria tacos, the crunch star supreme (birria), the flautas, and the chips and guac. Birris tacos: very crispy flavorful and cheesy and delicious the au jus was so good. Crunch star supreme: very flavorful and filling, it was only $10 such a great deal, the birria was just a teensy bit dry 9/10 birria Flautas: a little disappointing, still yummy and we finished them but the recipe could be adjusted. Guac: just good solid guac, a little on the salty side Atmosphere: good Service: out server Anna was great and kept up with taking care of us well, making sure we didnt have any empty glasses. Overall like 4.5/5, cannot express how delicious the food is

My son and I came here on recommendation from our fronds in Milwaukee. On our way to the airport to fly back to England we made the detour to come eat here. The Al Pastor tacos were delicious, the other tacos were great too but the al pastor stole the show. The margarita (spicy) was on point and I’ve got high standards! Our server was wonderful, super friendly, professional, knew about gluten free choices and was a fab host! We will definitely come back when we are in town.

My experience at Big Star was one of the best restaurant experiences I've had in months. The food was outstanding and an excellent value. But what really set Big Star apart was our server, Bryan. He was proud of the restaurant's food and went above and beyond to ensure we had a good experience. He convinced us that pleasing us, pleased him - the highest compliment there is for someone in the service business

We don’t live in Illinois but we came to visit and the tacos were delicious! I think she was a manager, Emma came to our table and recommended the crunch wrap and when I come back, I’m def ordering it again! Emma and our server were friendly and laughed with us. Great experience! Will be coming back next time we are here. Was the cherry on top to our trip!

The food was delicious, but it was a bit pricy. Considering I just came back from Mexico City the week before, the comparison may have been a bit unfair lol. But the tacos had great flavor and great customer service.

It is an ok Taco, Nacho, Margarita type of Tex/Mex joint/chain for a quick bite and drinks. Except for the decor, I didn't see any relevance to Mexican street food. Very fast service considering a Sunday afternoon and about half capacity. Majority of the seating are outdoors, pretty standard 25-40 crowd. It is not a hip place I can tell you that, maybe more like a loud post game Wrigley crowd. Noise level was too high, even at the outdoors area, mixed with that old country band that was there, it was not very pleasant actually. I couldn't hear myself think. The drink menu are a mix of beers, cocktails and some whiskey. Except for the Mexican beers, everything else is basically the funky craft/micro brewery stuff plus a couple of classics like Miller High Life and Lone Star. The food was ok, good, tender, flavorful meats, nothing extraordinary. I didn't like the tortilla, especially that eatra long corn purple one that they use on the Birria Machete (quesadillas). It is too thick and to soft, it starts to feel like eating a ube sandwich, the texture was not for me. The consume was a good touch if you were eating a French dip, but I was actually hoping for some hot sauce. Overall not bad for a quick bite of you can stand the noise, and they are pet friendly.

A great place to come with friends and sit outdoors in the summer! The tacos are tasty with a lot of different varieties - I especially recommend the pork belly one. The service is good as well - the waitress took the time to understand what types of beer we liked and recommended some and was very accommodating when my friend didn’t like one of the suggestions. There is also a to-go kiosk if you cannot get a reservation or are in a rush with chairs and tables to eat at.

Cool place to get some late night tacos and bourbon. The atmosphere is pretty chill with both indoor and outdoor seating. We had a couple tacos and a drink. The tacos come out pretty quick and were pretty good. They also have a great selection of bourbon.

This restaurant was very casual and fun place to have a brunch. They have bourbon and whiskey bar in the middle of restaurant. People enjoyed drinks even though it's lunch time. Food was pretty good I really enjoyed deep fried fish taco but steak taco meat was quite a bit chewy. It's was hard to eat. Lovely and clean interior and cozy mood makes me happier than other taco restaurants.

Well, we did show up a little late and a little drunk. This food was good for the situation. The issue was the bill, it was incorrect twice but we weren't in a hurry and they were super nice about it and gave us a shot. So really, I would give this place a 4 star. What brought this up to a 5, was the giant rat that ran across the patio and burrow itself into the corner alley closest to the restaurant. Might just be a city thing, but not ideal while eating tacos on a summer friday night.

Big star nachos were absolutely insane!!! The strawberry margarita also amazing! I’m still dreaming about them, but the tacos left a lot to be desired. I don’t think the fish tacos looked appealing and tasted dry and the fish was over fried!

Pretty good tacos but not great. Fantastic ambiance when the weather is warm enough to sit in the patio. Our tacos came out suspiciously quick which probably meant they were mostly ready in the back and just plated to order. Don’t have a problem with that but they were served lukewarm warm and got cold quickly. Our server was great though.

I really enjoyed the Panza taco. I also ordered the carne asada and the current special, fried chicken taco. The fried chicken taco works great when you get all of the components in a bite. If you try the chicken by itself it's a little bland and needs that sauce and acid. This is a great spot to stop in and grab a quick bite or cocktail if you're in the area. I've been a few times over the last few years.

Its pretty good. The chips are great the food was good and the tacos looked good. Its expensive. Theres no horchata so I got the aqua fresca hibiscus with ice but it was oddly warm when I first sipped it and it tasted different than what im used to. Id go back. It was an interesting first experience.

Big star gets a lot of hate for being a tex/mex place, and it is not really Tex mex, more chain style Mexican food. And I have lived in Austin. We came here on a Tuesday night around 6pm, we got a seat outside, it was busy but not overly so. Definitely a place to bring your kids and let them play in the yard toys area. The burritos are good, again not really a Tex mex style, just a burrito, it could have used more cheese, something to bind the burrito, maybe sauce inside or a good amount of pico. But it’s good. We also got chips, and guac. Pretty good. They have a kids menu and my child got the quesadilla, mostly ate chips but the fact they have a kids menu is nice for parents. Most folks here are either old people or with children.

Really love the outdoor patio vibes and fun decor. The margaritas are super yummy and I love that you can pick and choose different flavor options. The tacos themselves were fine but not something I necessarily have to go back for. However the quesabirria was incredible. Service was a bit lacking too but to be fair it was very busy!

Solid patio and drink spot. Menu is typically overpriced for what you get and service was a bit slow - went without water for a decent time on a hot sunny day. Otherwise a relaxed and casual patio to meet with friends!

Mixed feelings about this place. The nachos were hands down the best plate, delicious and fully loaded. The tacos were okay, some lacked flavor more than others. Chicken and fish we’re good, potato and pork belly were okay. The boozy slushy we got was STRONG. Big win there. The service was pretty bad… food came out fast but waiters are also tending bar and they seemed overwhelmed.

Big star tacos it’s a very popular taco venue in Bucktown/wicker park . The restaurant sitting area is mainly outside in a simple relaxed environment. Their tacos are OK. They offer a decent variety with some creative options like the vegetarian taco in a bag. Their drinks menu (mainly margaritas and beer) lifts up the place. Margaritas pitchers are reasonably priced.

Waiter ordered second basket of chips without talking to me. There was a weird “hospitality charge” of 3.5% PLUS after scanning my card the highlighted tip percentage was 23%!!!! Add that to the earlier 3.5%, and he should just pull up a chair and join us for dinner.

Service and outdoor patio were good - well worth it for a place to sit outside and have a beer. Had three tacos and the chips / salsa - wasn't blown away. Fine food, again - on a hot night, beer and straightforward tacos on a nice busy patio is worth a lot. But I didn't find the menu or the flavors to be inventive or distinguished. So, come here for what you get, the atmosphere and solid service in the middle of the community. Go elsewhere for a taco that blows your mind.

A good atmosphere with the patio and TV’s. The food was pretty good, however for the price? I’m not so sure. $6-$7 dollars per taco that is very small and that is without sides or a drink. The service was pretty terrible. Asking what we wanted to drink then coming back and saying “oh I didn’t hear what you wanted so I brought you a diet Pepsi”?? The food does not come out all at once, just random one taco at a time. Plus they just put all the different tacos on one plate and drop it at the table and leave. Then we have to figure out what taco is for what person. All together, a little frustrating

Waited 45 minutes for two burritos. This place is huge and packed to the brim, but it doesn't seem like they have the ability to support it. When we tried to order fries and they said they were out, that should have been a red flag. Second red flag was 15 minutes after we put our order in, the waitress asked us if we put our order for food in. I mean, we did...did you? One burrito came out warm and burnt, while the other one came out piping hot. Who knows how long the one burrito was sitting there. It was an okay burrito. But it certainly wasn't 45 minutes good. They seemed to be more interested in serving alcohol, since I watched my server come in and out of the building serving nothing but drinks to like 10 tables. After I followed up 30 minutes in, the server asked if we still wanted to wait. What? A free soda or something would have been nice. Also this place has two nice TVs in the patio as well as multiple TVs inside all playing the same previously recorded round 32 tennis game from some random cup in Madrid while the NBA playoffs are on. I found this to be very strange.

Great service. Nice atmosphere. Average food. The worst part? $27 before tip for a chicken burrito, Mexican coke, and chips and salsa at lunch. Pro tip: if a "Mexican" restaurant charges you for chips and salsa, you're getting ripped off. Plus, a hospitality charge? Come on.

say what you want about big star but as a nacho connoisseur they actually have the best nachos in the city. my boyfriend and i pick them up at least every other week and before we had these nachos we probably went to big star once a year. do with that what you will edit: i previously have given big star in wicker a 5 star review (as you can see above) but within the last few months something has definitely changed. my boyfriend and i used to order takeout from big star at least every other week and we always got the nachos. every time we have gotten them for take out, the container size has changed. we’ve gotten full size order of nachos that were served to us in the half order container (we only know this bc we have ordered half sizes before) not only that but every. single. time. we’ve ordered the last couple months something has ALWAYS been missing from our food. guac is included on the nachos but we haven’t gotten it in so long. we ordered one last time last night as we’re moving out of the neighborhood and there was a hair in the nachos which you can see in the photo attached. we are both so sad about it bc it used to be our favorite takeout place and now we don’t feel comfortable eating there anymore for sanitary reasons

This establishment is desperately in need of more professional and customer devoted service and management. My friend, who is pregnant, ordered a non alcoholic beverage from the drink (not cocktail) menu. The waiter verified it was non alcoholic. The drink arrived, my friend drank 80 percent of it, then realized it tasted of alcohol near the bottom of the glass. Myself and my other friends verified there was tequila in the glass. The waiter was made aware, he apologized profusely and notified management. Meanwhile my friend went to the bathroom, extremely distressed about the incident. The manager came to the table, offered only to remove the drink from the check and discount my friends meal. Then proceeded to ask for details about the pregnancy to ease her own conscience. The apology was forced, insincere and grossly inadequate. I would expect a much more generous and serious gesture of amends as this is a lawsuit waiting to happen.