Mystery Diner in Crystal Lake: Carlos River Cafe serves great Mexican fare

Carlos River Cafe in Crystal Lake has always been a great place for takeout meals.

The tacos, burritos, taco salads and guacamole are all top-notch.

When you eliminate indoor dining, that truth remains unchanged, though it may somewhat limit the menu because fajitas are so good when they're fresh out of the kitchen, just like the eatery's choriqueso.

Instead, we leaned into what we knew was good for our carryout order.

That meant beef and chicken chimichanga meals ($9.45 each), an avocado taco meal ($7.25), a steak burrito platter ($10.75) and a couple of cheese quesadilla meals with rice and beans ($6.45 each).

Our carryout food was ready promptly when we were told (15 minutes after the call), bagged up well and easy to carry.

We started out with the chips and guacamole ($6.25) appetizer. I really like the guacamole from Carlos River. It doesn't have too much onion or spice; it's just consistently good. And there's something about a bag full of fresh house-made chips that just makes the entire meal experience better.

The extensive menu caters to a wide variety of tastes for the people in your family or group. Dishes range from breakfasts with a Latin flair to seafood and steak classics. For the gluten-free crowd, you can't beat a Mexican restaurant as long as you stick to the corn tortilla option.

I've had the taco salad here before, and it's great. It's essentially a large puffed-up tortilla shell with your choice of meat along with lettuce, tomato and toppings of cheese and sour cream.

The avocado tacos were ordered the traditional way, with onion and cilantro. Between that and the guacamole and chips, that diner ate a ton and was happy with the meal.

As for my choice, the steak burrito platter, and my first time ordering it, I'm quite sure that I'll choose it again.

There are three small burritos, filled with steak, onions and cheese and then topped with sour cream and lettuce with rice and beans on the side. It was a plentiful amount of food, the steak was tender and it tasted great.

The chimichangas at Carlos River Cafe are huge. They are filled with beans, cheese and your choice of meat, and then the entire thing is covered with sour cream and guacamole. Most times, I eat half and save the rest for a second meal.

My fellow diners went all in and ate the whole meal.

The price is right, you get a lot of food and it's incredibly enjoyable. I'd recommend Carlos River Cafe as one of the best Mexican restaurants in the McHenry County area.

• The Mystery Diner is an employee at the Northwest Herald. The diner’s identity is not revealed to restaurant staff when ordering or picking up the food. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a story.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Carlos River Cafe

WHERE: 1707 Nish Road, Crystal Lake

PHONE: 815-444-9024

INFO: Facebook at shawurl.com/3ec1