On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina

Easy to order through the online site and food came promptly except the delivery man was very rude to us when arriving leaving a snarky voicemail because he could find the address and also forgot the ice cream for the Brownie Sunday, which was pretty expensive for just a brownie. We tipped him well but the end experience ruined it for us.

I went here for a work lunch recently and I have to say I was absolutely dreading it. I wanted to skip, but felt like I had to go. It was a group of something like 20 people. Previous lunches here were reported to be excruciatingly slow. With all that dread and build up, I was pleasantly surprised with how prepared and efficient the service was. They were clearly ready for us. They had baskets of chips and salsa for every 2 to three people set out and glasses of water for everyone already on the table.
The food, on the other hand, was mediocre at best, hence three stars. I wasn’t miserable and next time I won’t dread it quite so much.

We had some friends come out from the city to visit us in the burbs and they wanted to go to a chain restaurant. I was a little hesitant when we decided to drive down RT 59 and they picked this place but we went in anyway. It was a busy Saturday night and we had about a 15 minute wait to be seated. Upon being seated we quickly were provided with bottomless chips and salsa and our drink orders were taken. Our waitress was spot on, we never had to wait too long for our refills as she busily worked multiple tables. The food was delish, obviously not authentic Mexican, but for a chain I was pleasantly surprised. Our friends were equally impressed.

On the Border Naperville rocks! I’ve been eating here at least once a week for for 8+ years and have never had a bad meal. The fresh made chips and salsa are delicious. The lunch specials are a great value for the money. And the bartenders and wait staff are always on the ball and go to great lengths to take care of their customers.

Very impressed by this place!!! My husband and I were starving but had limited time to eat (completely our fault). By the time we sat down we knew there was no way that we would be able to stay to eat our food bc we had somewhere to be. We felt embarrassed and told our waiter that we just wanted to take the food to go. This guy completely understood and was so accomodating! He brought us chips and salsa with water while we waited. Customer service at its finest! And the food was great! We can’t wait to go back and actually enjoy our meal there :) hopefully we get the same waiter. Their menu looked amazing!

Came here yesterday, very pleased with the food. The appetizer we ordered was the firecracker stuffed jalapenos and let me tell you, they were delicious! I had expected small stuffed poppers but these were huge & very tasty! I had ordered the three sauce fajita burrito & it was also amazing & big enough to take extra home! They had a man blowing up balloon animals for the kids (for tips) which I thought was a great idea to make the little ones happy too! The reason I gave only 4 stars was that our waitress took awhile to get back to our table a few times, they were busy so I guess I can understand. I will be going back for sure!

Not authentic Mexican food at all. Rice is more like the instant rice you buy at the store. I say it’s okay. I will return but not my favorite.

The chips are amazing, the food is amazing, but the service; BLAH. Our waitress’s shirt is filthy, and the place is gross. if that improved, id like it here a lot more.

This was my first time eating at this restaurant. My cousin and I went, and I was glad she chose this place. Food and drinks were off the chain. Our waitor Jorge was amazing, nice, and helpful, He made sure we were ok, and we received our food/​drinks on time, and it was hot (food).I will be returning, and would like Jorge as our server.

My wife and I walked in on Valentine’s Day night. Obviously, they were really busy and would be busier if there wasn’t heavy snow falling outside. We were immediately sat down and given chips and salsa. Our drink order was immediately taken and brought to us quickly. They took our food order and it was at our table within 5 – 7 mins. We both ordered the Dos X fish tacos and they were absolutely delicious. The food was fantastic. The service was great. Our drinks got refilled before they hit the bottom of the glass. We were in and out in under an hour and it was a fantastic eating experience. ⁵⁄₅ stars.

Please avoid this place at any cost. The manager there is a racist who asked me if I just landed from India because I look dark and like I have just come from the sun ! Make a stand against racism and avoid this place.

First visit came in with some friends on a Saturday night. Waited maybe 5 minutes and got a booth. Out come these HUGE chips which were delicious and warm! Salsas were good too! Margaritas were served in individual shakers which was a nice touch. I had the fajitas which were really good. The deserts were super tasty, had the fried dough and a slice of ice cream pie… put the ice cream on the fried dough and you have essentially fried ice cream!
A nice place. Clean, good service and price was right!

Service was great, drinks and food was awesome! our waitress w a very patient and helpful in choosing items on the menu. Food was great as usual. We had a mixture of tacos, quesadillas, nachos, enchilladas and margarita. And the magarita are always made well and taste yummy.

This review was originally posted in 2013 for the wrong On the Border…
I can’t believe there are On the Borders in the Chicago area! I just moved back here from Phoenix and this place was my weekly hangout. I’m so glad I can still eat here… even if food for the price. The tortilla soup is some of the best I’ve had. I live for their chips and salsa.
They usually have good drink specials too. We typically get a pitcher of margaritas. Although, we my have to change that due to the drive. I guess there’s always the metra. Try this place! It’s delicious.

I know I’m giving all the stars to a chain restaurant. Guys, we had our margarita and food in 15 minutes, hot and delicious. I’ve always liked the chips and salsa at their restaurants although the salsa tends to be medium hot. Their steak nachos were perfect with the usual condiments. Three times at this location and every visit has been rewarding.

Food = 1 star.
Service = 4 stars.
Took my husband to On The Border (Naperville) tonight. He had never been to OTB before, and I wanted something different than our usual Korean or sushi.
The ambiance was nice… toasty warm inside on a 25 °F degree night, well-​lit, and colorful decorations. Music playing was a nice, non-​offensive, latino pop music, at a tolerable decibel.
We started with the Stacked Nachos appetizer. Folks, this is a huge appetizer that can feed a family of 4 people! Their nachos were better than many places, yet not as good as the ones I make for our family and friends.
We ordered the El Patron entrée and Pick 3 entrée. Sadly, you couldn’t taste the tamale or enchiladas because they were drowned in chile-​con-​carne sauce. The sauce was overwhelming and really ruined the meal. The carne asada was good. Black beans were average. Rice was bland compared to what is served at a more authentic Mexican restaurant. Complete mistake ordering the tacos. We are used to the authentic steak-​cilantro-​and onion tacos at Mexican restaurants. The ones OTB serves are American-​style with lettuce, tomato and cheese, and tastes likeTaco Bell.
I know, the food at a chain restaurant isn’t going to be as tasty and presentable as an independent family-​owned restaurant, but OTB’s food didn’t ‘hit-​the-​spot.’ As far as Mexican chain restaurants, I still think (locally) Chevy’s Mexican is best.
On the bright side, our server Roberto was very energetic, friendly, and attentive. Great personality and great service – a very happy employee. The appetizer arrived quickly – within 12 minutes. And the entrees arrived in good time – within 20 minutes.

This is one of my favorite restaurants! The service is great and the food is awesome!
The unlimited chips and salsa are always fresh and the queso dip is very yummy. They usually have drink specials and Tuesday is taco Tuesday so they have great taco specials. The dos xx fish tacos are my favorite dish on the menu. My husband is always trying something new and he is never disappointed.
On your birthday they give you a free dessert and the sopapillas are amazing!

I do not like this place. I just don’t. I care for the food or the slow waitstaff. I ordered avocado fries and my avocado were rotten on the inside. I was so upset. I had the fish tacos as my entrée and they were ok. But the sauce that they use for it was disgusting and that’s all about personal taste. So that’s just my opinion. The waitress was slow and I couldn’t understand why because there were hardly anyone in the restaurant. This is my second time being disappointed by the establishment because I refuse to call it a restaurant and there will not be a third.

OTB is what is right (yes, I said right) about a chain dining establishment. Hear me out… there are only a few in the Chicagoland area, and they introduce specials occasionally, yet keep standards and favorites, and make an effort to keep up with changing tastes.
Tex Mex is probably my favorite type of cuisine and it’s different than traditional or «authentic» Mexican, at least all that I’ve had over the years. OTB does this well-​take for instance what I consider to be a staple food for this type of place-​the cheese enchilada. If a place can’t do these well, then that tells me a lot. OTB’s are great-​always the right amount of gooey cheese, some crunchy onions, perfectly cooked tortillas and a great meaty red sauce.
Another important test to me is their queso-it’s exactly what those of us who grew up on Rotel and Velveeta have come to appreciate. I’ll imagine they use real cheese for a minute to just pretend. Their chips and salsa are good, and their Spanish rice is as well. Their steak, chicken and shrimp are good in anything they make.
I dine here a good amount since it’s near my work and the staff are friendly. A recent weekend evening dinner here with my family was probably the best experience I’ve had their when there has been any crowd at all, but this is mostly a «lifetime experience» sort of review.

Mind blown– this is by far the worst experience I’ve ever had in this pathetic excuse for a restaurant. I’ve been here a few times before, but eating here today has proven that I will NEVER return.
After a morning of running errands, the fiancé and I decided to stop for something to eat. Our first two choices had obnoxious wait times, so I stupidly suggested OTB as it was on our way home. It was 11:30 on a Sunday, so it wasn’t busy but there were still a fair amount of people dining in. Still, it was no excuse for the lackadaisical service we encountered.
We walk in, and the hostess was pleasant. We requested a booth and were seated in one closest to the door, which was awesome considering the 17 degree temperature and windy weather. We glanced at the menu and waited for our server, who was MIA. That right there should have been a sign to leave. Five minutes later, our server Desiree finally showed up. We ordered Bloody Mary’s ($ 3 each) and continued to browse the menu. She brought our drinks out but no chips and salsa.
She then took our order. I settled on the Enchiladas Suizas — three enchiladas filled with Chicken Tinga and cheese. Topped with freshly made tomatillo cream sauce and melted Jack cheese. The fiancé chose Ranchiladas Enchiladas– grilled premium Skirt Steak topped with ranchero sauce and Jack cheese, plus two Cheese & Onion Enchiladas smothered with chile con carne.
She came back with our Bloody Mary’s, which were disgusting. The garnishes are unique; bacon, a slice of jalapeño, jicama with chili powder sprinkled on it, and a lime wedge. This is obviously to deter you from the fact that the Bloody itself tasted like it was made with cocktail sauce. It was so bad, I only managed to drink half. And normally, I have two Bloody Mary’s in one sitting.
Five minutes later, Desiree happened to be walking by and exclaimed «Oh! I forgot your chips and salsa. I’m soooo sorry.» She promptly brought us some, which I wish she didn’t bother. The chips were ice cold. The salsa was so watery, dipping chips in them was pointless as nothing stuck to the chip. I was about to eat a second chip when our food showed up. Another bad sign, considering we placed our order not even five minutes prior.
The fiancé’s steak was slightly smaller than a chalkboard eraser. When he tried to cut it, it was so rubbery and stringy, he could barely cut a piece off. He said his enchiladas weren’t impressive, though he thought the rice and beans were good.
Then there was my cafeteria –style madness. The refried beans were nothing more than water and a few chunks of freeze dried beans in them. The rice was terribly bland and had flippin’ chunks of corn in it. The enchiladas themselves were something clearly cooked by a novice chef. Runny, runny, runny. Everything fell apart, the «tinga» chicken was flavorless, and the cheese was hardly noticeable.
We both picked around our food, very disappointed. When Desiree came back to see how things were, the fiancé said «well actually…» but didn’t get to finish as Desiree proceeded to walk away and check on another table. Fed up, we choked down the nasty dog food only because we were hungry. The food was a product of a microwave, corner cutting, and pure carelessness.
I stopped at the ladies’ room before our departure from hell. I walk in, and the entire floor is noticeably sticky. The bathroom stall had urine all around the toilet bowl and all over the seat. The sinks did NOT have hot water, and the water pressure was so light, it was more like a trickle. I’m going to guess employees aren’t too keen on washing up properly, otherwise this would not be an obvious issue to a patron.
So you’re probably wondering why we didn’t ask for a manager. For one, Desiree was clearly too busy to notice that we were not enjoying our meal. When the fiancé attempted to say something, she walked away (as stated above). At that point, we didn’t care for our meals to be comped nor would we have even dared to order something else. At that point we were so fed up, we just wanted to get the hell out of there.
As I sit here writing this, I’m debating whether to go make myself vomit in hopes that it will take away the knot in my stomach. $ 40 wasted and we both left hungry. You couldn’t pay me to eat here again.
If you’re a fan of airline, hospital cafeteria, or elementary school food, you’ll love this place. If you enjoy wasting money on cheap, flavorless food, then you should definitely eat here. And if you enjoy spending time either on or in front of the toilet after eating, then by all means hurry on down to On The Border.