Top 15 Budget-Friendly Restaurants Near You in Waukegan, IL

Ana Velazquez Really good food, will definitely go back, nachos were really good and lengua en salsa Roja was yummy.

Isabel Rodriguez If you aren’t going to Carmen’s for breakfast, you are missing out! We ordered several different dishes to try and they were all delicious. All homemade! I am not really an horchata person, but their horchata is amazing! The staff was very nice. 100% recommend.

Danny Sky Highly recommended!!!!! Tacos de tripa are soooo good , nacho fries are also a nice pick and all the drinks look so good ,hard to pick .

S. Lionhardt Incredible Mexican food. Fast polite service. Extremely authentic. I saw Alambre tacos on the menu, something you dont see just anywhere. So I had to get them. They didnt disappoint. Thank you!

Ed Brill Loved it. A classic old school red sauce Italian place with so much more on the menu. Friendly, attentive service. Solid cocktails and bar selection. Delicious breadsticks. Red checkered plastic tablecloths. Lots of variety. Cheese curds were inhaled before a photo could even be snapped. We will be back!

Anthony Zasun This place is amazing. Great service good food. Owners are super nice. WARNING. if you enjoy your steak mooing dont order steak here. Steak has flavor just if you are a rare person I would avoid ordering it.

Michelle Barbosa I ordered the cemita de al pastor and it was absolutely delicious. The meat was full of flavor and perfectly seasoned, and they were not stingy with the avocado at all, which I really appreciated. The bread was soft and held everything together nicely. For my drink, I had the horchata and it was really good. You can actually taste the cinnamon in it, not overly sweet, just smooth and refreshing. I also ordered nachos with cheese. The cheese itself was very good and had great flavor, but the chips are homemade and for my taste they were a little too greasy. I would personally prefer them crunchier without feeling like I am biting into oil. Overall, great food and flavors. I will definitely be back for the cemitas and horchata. Just hoping the chips get a little less oily next time.

Sylvester F So many great things I can say but they will never do justice to visiting Poppy’s in person. Definitely one of the best stops in Waukegan for a burger, hot dogs, gyro or italian beef. The prices are great for the portions you get, and they never skip on flavor at all. Great customer service, staff is always friendly and the rare times I’ve experienced a problem they never hesitated to solve it. Parking is a little tight but if you come at the right time you will have no problem. Been coming here for some years and theres a reason I always come back, keep doing what you are doing.

Sylvia Najarro We had to switch our mother’s birthday indoors last minute and Juan’s Chuck Wagon was able to accommodate our party. We were a fairly large party and felt so welcome! Food was terrific, service was top notch and they even provided waffle sundaes to our party to celebrate our mom’s birthday! Will definitely consider their event space for future gatherings!

Stacey Davis First time visiting here and we were not disappointed at all. Not only was the place adorable and very pleasant. The food was absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!!! The staff was very attentive and helpful. We got the El mexi, the butcher skillet, and the western scramble. They were so delicious and ample portions. The carmel ice coffee were the best. Definitely recommend everyone visiting and trying the wonderful food here. We just wish we werent just visiting the area and actually lived here so we could come again often.

S Washington I love the heck out of this place. Food is great. I have yet to have bad service or food here. Wings are so big and crispy and hot off the stove. Staff are great, not too talkative, but always respectful and have a smile. Atmosphere is great too. The rice bowls are outstanding too. You will be taking food home if you order wings and a rice bowl. K-pop music thats not loud playing in the background. The Boba is awesome too. This is a must stop by anyone who likes wings. I drove 20 miles and this is my 4th visit in the last 4 months. Its worth the money. Thanks CM Chicken. Please open one in Southern WI.

Dayanara Carrero I got recommendations from friends to try this restaurant from when I walked in I was immediately seated , I got my drink very fast and my food was so delicious ! I recommend this place for amazing Mexican food I will be going back !

Julia Q Great food and friendly service! We have driven past this place a few times. I never thought much of it as if youre not paying attention you miss it. Well today the family was craving pizza. We stopped here for dine in its a small place but has some tables. Lots of murals of chicago its a homey type place. They had a special today for 50% of pizzas we got their pepperoni and cheese as well as the tito pizzaThey came out fast and were loaded with toppings. The onions and peppers were fresh and cooked but still crunchy. With crispy crust that didnt flopped over when you went to eat it. We got wings theyre big wings! We also got appetizers mozzarella sticks and jalapeño poppers no complaints and no grease oily taste. Also tried the Alfredo pasta with chicken well seasoned and creamy. The tiramisu for dessert a perfect light ending. Definitely recommend

L. Hutton I went here while I was in town visiting family, and it was amazing! All of the tacos we tried were incredible—the shrimp, steak, and chorizo tacos were so good. I can’t wait to go back next time I’m in town. I also tried the quesabirrias, which I had never had before, but I will definitely be ordering them again. And to top it all off, the margaritas were great too! Thanks for such great food and service!

Tom Kraemer This place has amazing food and service and we can’t wait to get back. It is definitely a local favorite but the food is better than most places we go that are twice as expensive. We both had the Cod fish fry served with fries and homemade coleslaw which I could just eat that! I had Chicken Tortilla soup and my wife the Clam Chowder both were delicious. We had Cheese curds for an appetizer and the order was enough for 4 adults. Please give them a try!