# Taco Pros – Mexican Cocina (East 87th) | 1515 E 87th St, Chicago, IL 60619

Taco Pros East 87th operates at 1515 E 87th St, Chicago, IL 60619, on Chicago's Far South Side along 87th Street — one of the city's busiest east-west commercial corridors, carrying traffic between Stony Island Avenue, the Dan Ryan Expressway, and [Calumet City](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calumet_City,_Illinois) to the southeast. The restaurant serves authentic Mexican cuisine 7 days a week from 10:30 AM to 11 PM and takes orders by phone at (773) 437-3735. T Louie, a regular who describes the seasoning and service consistency across visits, summed it up: "Food is always delicious and well seasoned. Dine in is available but it's not full service. Regardless, they will bring your food to your table and service is always pleasant."

87th Street between Cottage Grove Avenue and Stony Island Avenue anchors a commercial strip that draws foot traffic from Chatham, Avalon Park, Burnside, and Calumet Heights — neighborhoods with a combined population exceeding 80,000 residents. Marvina Starks, a repeat dine-in guest, confirmed the atmosphere and value: "Good food and service, complimentary chips when you eat in. The place is usually quiet when I visit. And pricing is affordable."

## East 87th Menu: What the Far South Side Orders at 1515

The full Taco Pros menu runs across 8 categories and 58 items at the East 87th location. Marvina Starks highlighted the affordable pricing — a detail that holds across all 58 items, from street tacos to enchilada dinners to catering party trays. That menu starts with 6 protein options available across every entrée category — veggie, picadillo (ground beef with diced potatoes and carrots in tomato broth), carne asada (skirt steak in citrus-garlic marinade), pollo (chipotle chicken in adobo sauce), barbacoa (beef cheek slow-braised in dried chili adobo), and al pastor (spit-roasted pork carved from the trompo with achiote and guajillo chili paste).

[Street tacos](https://taco-pros.com/tacos/) arrive on 6-inch corn tortillas topped with cilantro, diced white onion, and a choice of salsa roja or salsa verde. The carne asada tacos feature skirt steak grilled on the plancha at high heat and sliced against the grain — a Northern Mexican street taco format that keeps the meat tender with caramelized edges from the Maillard reaction at temperatures above 400°F. T Louie orders regularly and notes the consistent seasoning: "Food is always delicious and well seasoned" — a result the kitchen achieves through house-blended marinades prepared daily rather than from pre-mixed concentrates.

## Enchiladas, Two House Sauces, and the First-Time Order

Sandy Rodriguez visited for the first time and sampled both house sauces before choosing: "First time in and don't know menu, but I wanted to try BOTH styles of sauces they graciously and generously obliged. Pictured are chicken enchiladas, and 1 cheese filled. Red sauce more mild than saucy spicey green! Be advised!" The [enchilada dinner](https://taco-pros.com/enchiladas-dinner/) plates 3 corn tortilla enchiladas with Mexican rice and refried beans — available in veggie, picadillo, carne asada, pollo, cheese, and barbacoa, each rolled in house-made chili sauce from dried guajillo and árbol peppers.

The 2 house-made enchilada sauces Sandy compared represent distinct chili traditions: the salsa roja blends dried guajillo and árbol chilies into a mild, earthy base with cumin and garlic, while the salsa verde roasts tomatillos and serrano peppers into a brighter, spicier finish. The condiment station stocks both sauces alongside pico de gallo (diced tomato, white onion, cilantro, lime, jalapeño) and a house chipotle crema — 4 house-made options prepared daily from whole ingredients. Sandy's pollo enchiladas feature chipotle chicken marinated in adobo sauce, shredded by hand, and rolled inside corn tortillas before the kitchen ladles the chosen sauce over the top and melts Monterey Jack cheese under the broiler.

## Burritos, Sides, and Complimentary Chips for Dine-In

The [burrito](https://taco-pros.com/burritos/) menu wraps each protein in a 12-inch flour tortilla with cilantro-lime rice, pinto beans, Monterey Jack cheese, crema mexicana, pico de gallo, and fajita vegetables. The barbacoa burrito fills the tortilla with beef cheek braised in consommé until the collagen breaks down and the meat pulls apart by hand — a preparation rooted in the barbacoa de hoyo (underground pit-cooking) tradition of central Mexico. The al pastor burrito layers trompo-carved pork with grilled pineapple, guajillo chili, and salsa verde for a sweet-smoky balance inside the flour shell.

Marvina Starks noted the complimentary chips that accompany every dine-in order — house-crisped tortilla chips made from nixtamalized corn, served with salsa roja and salsa verde at the table. [Sides](https://taco-pros.com/sides/) include Mexican rice (arroz rojo cooked in chicken broth with tomato paste and cumin), refried beans (pinto beans mashed with lard and topped with queso fresco), french fries seasoned with salt, paprika, and chili powder, tortilla chips crisped from nixtamalized corn, and carne asada fries loaded with grilled steak, cheese, and guacamole. The quiet dine-in atmosphere Marvina described makes the East 87th location a comfortable option for solo meals, small groups, and families during the full 10:30 AM to 11 PM daily window.

## Appetizers, Staff, and the Counter-Service Model

Appetizers at the East 87th counter open with nachos supreme on house-crisped tortilla chips, cheese quesadillas on flour tortillas, elote (Mexican street corn with cotija, mayo, and chili powder), and chips paired with freshly made guacamole ground in a basalt molcajete with Hass avocados, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeño, and sea salt. The review guy credited one staff member who anchors the front of house: "The sweet older lady at the taco place is amazing! She's always smiling, kind, and works so hard. Her positive energy makes the whole place feel warm and welcoming. Truly a gem!"

T Louie confirmed the hybrid counter-service model that defines the East 87th dining experience: "Dine in is available but it's not full service. Regardless, they will bring your food to your table and service is always pleasant." Orders are placed at the register and delivered to the table by staff — a format that keeps the kitchen pace fast for takeout orders while adding a personal touch for dine-in guests. The protein bowl layers a choice of white cilantro-lime rice or brown rice with black beans or pinto beans, fajita vegetables, roasted chili-corn salsa, Monterey Jack cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, and sour cream — all without a tortilla shell. The agua fresca menu rotates seasonal flavors including horchata (rice, cinnamon, vanilla, condensed milk), jamaica (hibiscus tea), watermelon (sandía), and tamarindo — alongside Jarritos Mexican sodas and Mexican Coca-Cola in glass bottles.

## East 87th Catering: Far South Side Events from Chatham to Calumet

The [catering menu](https://taco-pros.com/catering-menu/) at Taco Pros East 87th spans 5 formats for events across the Far South Side, south suburbs, and Calumet region. Party trays stack 12 options in aluminum steam pans — enchilada trays, taco kits, fajita platters, tamale dozens, burrito halves, and mini chimichangas with rice, beans, and guacamole sides. Live catering dispatches a taquero with a trompo and plancha on a mobile taco cart to cook al pastor and carne asada on-site with fresh made-to-order tortillas and a self-serve salsa bar.

The 87th Street corridor and surrounding communities of Chatham, Avalon Park, South Chicago, and [Pullman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pullman,_Chicago) — a historic community area of 6,820 residents designated a national historical park in 2022 — generate consistent catering demand from church halls, family cookouts, graduation parties, community block parties, and corporate lunches along the Stony Island commercial strip. Taco Pros East 87th handles buffet style catering with chafing dishes and sterno warmers along self-serve taco and fajita bars, and individual catering packs in bento-style containers — burrito bowls, 3-taco street packs, tamales, burritos, and salads with rice, beans, and a 2 oz salsa cup. Orders require 48 hours advance notice for party trays and 72 hours for live catering with a taquero and mobile cart.

## Neighborhoods Near Taco Pros East 87th

Taco Pros at 1515 E 87th St serves guests from 15 Far South Side neighborhoods, south suburban communities, and Calumet region cities. The restaurant sits on 87th Street in the 60619 zip code — a corridor that spans from the Dan Ryan Expressway east to the lakefront, intersecting Stony Island Avenue 3 blocks east of the restaurant.

Stony Island borders the location to the east, and Englewood extends to the west along the South Side grid. South Chicago, East Side, South Deering, and Hegewisch connect the location to the industrial Calumet corridor along the lakefront. Pullman — designated Community Area 50 and home to the Pullman National Historical Park — sits to the south along Cottage Grove Avenue. Suburban and outer-neighborhood orders arrive from Calumet City (a city of 36,033 residents founded in 1893), West Pullman, Cookes Subdivision, Andrews and Hurds Subdivision, Grant Village, Altgeld Gardens, Evergreen Park, and Mitchells Subdivision. The Metra Electric District 87th Street station sits 6 blocks west on the mainline, and CTA bus routes #87 87th and #15 Jeffery Local connect the location directly to the Red Line 87th station and the lakefront communities along South Shore Drive.

## Hours, Phone, and Directions

Address: 1515 E 87th St, Chicago, IL 60619

Phone: (773) 437-3735

Hours: Monday through Sunday, 10:30 AM – 11:00 PM

Directions: [Open in Google Maps](https://maps.app.goo.gl/RXBB8fhuaMe2mAvy7)

The restaurant occupies a storefront on 87th Street between Stony Island Avenue and Cottage Grove Avenue in the 60619 zip code. Street parking is available on 87th Street and adjacent side streets. The kitchen fills orders fresh through the 11 PM close — accommodating after-work diners, evening commuters from the Metra Electric line, and weekend families from across the Far South Side. Sandy Rodriguez confirmed the welcoming atmosphere for first-time visitors: the staff offered sauce samples before she ordered, a gesture that turned a new guest into a returning one.