El Jardin
3335 N. Clark

The Basics
Where you’ll find it: 3335 N Clark. Not to be confused with El Jardin, the bar and dance club about a block north. (773) 528-6775.

When it’s open: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday.

Reservations: Accepted, and recommended on summer weekends and after Cubs games.

What you’ve heard: The margaritas are good, the salsa is spicy and the food is mixed. … Supposedly has really good margaritas. … Good food, fun atmosphere. … Nice-sized outdoor patio.

Visual Aids
First impressions: The patio borders the street, so it’s good for watching the throngs of Cubs fans and interesting characters from the area. … It appears small and quaint when you first walk in; however it is a huge restaurant. … I always like a good beer garden when the weather is nice. It was nice that night, and the beers were cold. There was ample room for the group, and it could accommodate much larger parties.

The atmosphere: Very relaxed. … Fun, festive and laid-back. They have a small outdoor area in front and a huge outdoor area out back that is great for large groups. … We sat outside, so that is a good start to any Chicago restaurant during the summer. It is a fun atmosphere that is very casual. You can be extremely comfortable dressing however you wish, though casual is best. The outdoor tables and chairs are the same ones you can get for $2 at Wal-Mart. The inside looks similar to most other inexpensive Mexican restaurants, with little attention paid to décor.

The Experience
At your service: Friendly staff is quick to bring back drink orders. Chips and salsa were brought right away, but we had to request additional chips and once those were brought, had to request extra salsa as well. A more proactive staff would have looked at the empty bowls of salsa on our table and brought more. We had to ask for water to be refilled a few times (short water glass and spicy salsa make for a bad combination). … We were never asked if we wanted appetizers, but seeing as there were chips and salsa on the table, I was fine with that. Overall, the service was somewhat poor, and our bill for a larger group (there were more than four of us) reflected a mandatory 20-percent tip instead of the usual 18-percent tip for large groups. So unsatisfactory service and a mandatory 20-percent tip is not good. … The service was OK. There were bussers who would remove your empties and plates in a timely manner. The server was not as attentive as I would have liked. … I would not rate the service well. They were slow in refilling chips, and then we waited and waited for our dinner orders to be taken. We were never given the opportunity to order appetizers. However, they were very quick in bringing our drinks.

Get your drink on: Summertime is the frozen-drink season, and nothing goes better with chips and salsa than frozen lime margaritas. However, their frozen lime margaritas lacked a sour kick. We informed the waitress that the frozen margaritas lacked flavor, and we were told that they are pre-made in a machine. She said there was nothing she could do and recommended a margarita on the rocks. I asked for six lime wedges instead, and after squeezing every drop of lime juice out of the wedges, the drink was better. Quite a disappointment, though, that a Mexican restaurant selling $8 frozen margaritas can’t get more flavor into them. There are many other Mexican restaurant choices that have mastered this simple task for less money. … I had various Mexican beers, including Modelo Especial, El Pacifico and Tecate. They had a few other beer varieties, including Corona, Dos Equis and Modelo Negro, and the standard variety of margaritas. … El Jardin has a large selection of drinking options. They have at least eight varieties of margaritas, a large selection of tequila and, of course, beer. Specialty drinks were expensive, starting at $8. Imported beer was $5. I stuck with “old reliable” Corona.

Menu variety and prices: Decent amount of selections, and prices are reasonable, though maybe a little expensive for Mexican. … The variety was similar to many such restaurants in the city: tacos, burritos, enchiladas, flautas, tamales and combos. … The menu was quite varied, and there seemed to be something for everyone. Items included combo platters, fajitas, tacos, burritos, chimichangas, steak and many others. They even had breakfast options. Prices topped out at about $17 for an entrée.

Description of what you did decide on: The tortilla chips are served warm, and the salsa is somewhat watery, but carries quite a kick and has good flavor. Food presentation is pretty standard: large plate with various main dish items with rice next to refried beans. It is all pretty standard looking. I got a combo plate with an enchilada, a hard-shell beef taco and a soft-shell chicken taco. The flavor was good, but the chicken seemed somewhat dry. Overall, the food was quite forgettable. … We had no appetizers. I had steak tacos, which I thought were good. They had lettuce, tomatoes and a lot of Chihuahua cheese. They were served with rice and beans on the side. … I decided on carne asada (marinated skirt steak). It was served with rice, beans and tortillas. I thought the steak was excellent. It had a great flavor, was hot and cooked to my liking.

Something that caught your eye: There are two outdoor patios, one in the front and one in the back, which is not visible from Clark Street. Do not assume outdoor seating is unavailable based on the front patio being full. … The beer garden and outdoor patio is all I can remember. … The walls in the back outdoor area had interesting spray-painted art.

What you’ll tell your friends: Good chips and salsa, outdoor seating available, expensive and lousy frozen margaritas. … Good place to gather. It would be a good meal to have after a Cubs game, when you can see all the drunks wandering around while enjoying a burrito. … This is a great place to go with a large group because they have the room. The food is good, but the service is not the best. Plus, the bill grows quickly if there is a lot of drinking going on.

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