L.A. Cafe, Mokena

Though Los Angeles Café shares its name with a certain West Coast metropolis, the menu of hearty Mexican food seems designed for a Chicagoan's palate. For more than two decades, the family-owned business has been heaping plates with sizzling fajitas, hefty burritos, and generous dollops of fresh guacamole. Visitors to the Mokena or Richton Park locations can complement any dish with a Jarritos soda, Mexican beer, or frosty margarita.