Los Cocos

Reviews

• Eric S.

  star star star star star_border 19 July 2026

  TACOS Y TELENOVELAS
  
  Enjoy a cheap lunch and daytime Telemundo at my 2nd favorite taqueria in Melrose Park.
  
  Every couple of weeks, I pop in to Los Cocos on a Tuesday when tacos are conveniently priced at one dollar apiece.  This place is easy to find, at the end of a strip mall on the north side of North Ave.  You seat yourself and wait for someone to notice you (hopefully).
  
  Chips & salsa are free the first time around; their salsa is made with fresh tomato, onions, cilantro, and diced jalapeno.  They also provide two bottled salsas -- one red/spicy, one green/mild -- and a cup of fresh-cut lime wedges in case you need to put out the flames.
  
  For starters, I'd recommend the 'queso fundido con chorizo' ($5.50), melted chihuahua cheese with crumbled sausage.  Steak burrito suizas ($6) are large and come packed with lettuce, cheese, rice and beans.  Seafood appears to be popular here, like jumbo shrimp cocktail in a can.
  
  My findings are that tacos 'al pastor' are the way to go.  The pork is marinated with pineapple and topped with onions & cilantro.  Other choices like steamed goat, liver, and pork skin should be ordered at your own peril (I recently got something that tasted like 80% whale blubber).
  
  Bread = 3.5
  Circuses = 3.5
  
  Nichole C claims their micheladas ($5) are good, and she's the foremost authority on such things.  Coronas/Modelos will set you back $4, while a large horchata costs $2.25.
  
  Service is okay, depending on the time of day or where you sit.  I've had mostly no issues in the past, though for whatever reason I was ignored on my last visit.  There's an area for live music and the Mexican soap operas on TV are endlessly entertaining.
  
  * TL;DR *
  
  "What's María doing here?  She's sleeping with Hector too!?  That bitch!"    *fighting ensues*
  
  It's admittedly tough to compete with Alejandra's (the best Mexican restaurant in a 10mi radius), but Los Cocos offering $1 tacos every Tuesday gives me reason enough to come back here.  Give them a try!

• Nizel A.

  star star star star star_border 13 July 2026

  A standout in the sea of "Meh"ican
  
  Depending on where you are, there could be a sea of Mexican, chicken, or American fare restaurants...quite frequently inhabiting the same city block. Usually these places barely get by, shoveling out the lowest quality food you can imagine for dirt cheap prices for their splintered customer base.
  
  Los Cocos proves themselves above that level with their quaint establishment in Melrose Park. As I walk in I see that the place is pretty empty during lunch hour on a Saturday. Within a minute of me sitting down at a table a waitress promptly rushes over with a menu. I have a hunger for seafood so I pretty quickly settle for the $33 "Mariscada" platter which consists of crab legs, langostinos, tilapia, etc. Since I knew it might be awhile I also ordered a Burrito de Chile Relleno or stuffed pepper burrito.
  
  The staff was pretty friendly, as the lunch crowd came in they scurried about cleaning tables and trying to help patrons. My burrito was ready in about 5-10 minutes, after the waitress dropped it off she didn't really check on me anymore even though it was clear the lime Jarrito I started off with was done. Even after coming to pick up empty plate for the burrito, no attention was giving to drinks which was kind of odd.
  
  The burrito itself was really tasty. This place sure knows how to make them. The flour tortilla was cooked perfectly as well as the rice and beans. The beans were actually a thin layer at the ends of the burrito while the burrito had seasoned rice as the filler. Much to my surprise the re-fried beans actually tasted like they were freshly made and didn't come from a can which was a nice cherry on top.
  
  Now on to the deluxe supreme dream...the Mariscada. It actually took a shorter time than I thought it would, but it didn't disappoint! I think they realized that $33 was way too much for what was offered as well so they threw in an extra dish of spicy oysters & shrimp for free. The breaded shrimp and tilapia were fantastic. Everything was hell seasoned with the right amount of salt to bring out the flavor. My gripes would be the langostino actually tasted like vomit and the crab salad mixes were sub-par. I tried adding some lime, but it didn't help the flavor for those bad dishes. The salad you can tell was fresh.
  
  The spicy shrimp and oysters were...oh my god levels spicy. They could've warned me it would be like that especially since it was on the house. It was good nonetheless though, with the shrimp and oysters perfectly cooked and balancing out the spicy sauce.
  
  Overall I'd visit this place again to try out more dishes. The crab salad recipe needs some work, but the overall menu is tasty and the chef definitely tries to put effort into the cooking here.
  
  4 out of 5 stars

• Lili B.

  star star star star star 7 July 2026

  We decided to have our Mother's Day Lunch here since it was close to everyone and we didn't think it would be too busy. We made reservations since it was going to be a larger party, about 16 of us. They were very accommodating and they had our table ready when we got there. Everyone in our party was very happy with their food. Some people ordered tampiqueñas, Camerones empanisados, tortas, mole, ceviche, tacos, and pozole. Everyone was happy with their food. I was very surprised at how good their red mole cheese enchiladas were. (They serve one with the tampiqueña) I also wished I would have ordered just the enchilada meal! Our waitress was very nice and was very on top of everything. She handled our large party well and we had no mistakes. The gratuity was automatically added to our tab since it was a large party. This is a restaurant I recommend and will be coming back to.

• Selfa S.

  star star star star star 6 July 2026

  This place is a great affordable and on Tuesday the taco are $1love the ceviche very clean place.

• Gabriela M.

  star star star star star_border 28 June 2026

  The friendliness of the staff 10 points. We didn't wait more than 10 minutes and we had the food on the table. I recommend the shrimp al mojo de ajo and the sopes. Very rich and fresh. We will definitely go back.