We start off 2017 with one of my favorites from 2016. Torta Haus sits about a half block East of the Brown line stop on Diversey. It's housed in a restaurant that used to be an Argentinian pizza place. The family behind Torta Haus decided to make use of the old pizza oven and bakes bread daily.
New favorite in Lakeview
I keep forgetting to ask but I feel like the family behind Torta Haus might've come to Chicago from the San Diego area. Either that or their recipes are very similar to families in Southern Cali. Starting with the Baja Fish Taco. This is one of the better fish tacos in the city. It's perfectly fried and topped with just the right amount of crunchy cabbage as well as a sauce defined as "Baja style."
Baja Fish Taco
The main attraction of the menu for me is the steak. Torta Haus uses the more tender cut of skirt steak which also costs more. Thus while the steak tacos are a tad pricey at $3.75 a piece they use better quality meat and grill to order and you can notice the difference. No pic but the Carne Asada fries are another item that leads me to believe they have some sort of connection to SD. The same steak is tossed over fresh cut fries, homemade queso with pico. Southern Cali Mexican in Chicago? Nice.
Carne Asada Taco
Because I'm such a big fan of their steak I've pretty much stuck with that on my visits. The tortas have some intriguing options like a German offering with schnitzel and bratwurst amongst other meats. There's also a traditional Mexican style Cubano torta. Still I've stuck with the carne asada.
Carne Asada Torta
This was one of my favorites sandwiches this past summer. I stopped in for it a few times despite the fact I'm not a huge torta eater. As you probably know I prefer tacos. But this is a sandwich that's put together very well. The exciting part about it is the aforementioned steak. The house baked bollio bread is spread with your choice of refried beans (black/pinto), and shredded lettuce, tomato, onions, avocado, Munster cheese, and sour cream. The steak and cheese portion of sandwich spends time in the oven allowing the cheese to melt and the corners of the bread to crisp. Makes for a tasty lunch.
The Insides
Torta Haus
926 W Diversey Pkwy
Chicago, IL 60614
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