Tacos El Rey

-Eating like a Mayan King in the Windy City

A while back there was a local alderman on twitter who asked if there were any Tijuana style tacos to be found in Chicago. I replied that no there was almost certainly not any and then someone else replied to me asking how I could know for sure when there's so many taco spots around town. I explained that while it's possible a new place had opened I hadn't seen any personally and while I haven't visited every taco spot in town I've gone to the majority and I'm always looking out for new options including the popular style in Los Angeles that's been given the description "Tijuana style". This is used to describe tacos filled with smoky carne asada and thinly sliced adobada which is what they call al pastor in Baja. But what really makes this style "Estilo Tijuana" is the dollop of bright green avocado salsa that comes standard on each taco. I don't recall personally seeing the practice of painting tacos green when I was down in Tijuana but it's been popular in LA for a while now.

Newly Opened on the East Side 

I knew Tacos El Rey was doing TJ style tacos as soon as I saw their ad on insta (like quesabirria it stands out the on the gram). I figured it would be a place in California or somewhere not here but I clicked it anyway just to see where they were located and to my surprise they were in Chicago. Over on the East Side to be exact. To my knowledge this is the first TJ style taqueria to hit the city. 

Lunch Spread at Tacos El Rey 

The practice of wrapping tacos covered in avocado salsa like In-N-Out wraps up their burgers has become popular around LA and like quesabirria it's gone boom so you can expect to find these trendy tacos by you sometime soon. When ordered “con todo” they come with cilantro, onion, and a few spoonful's of avocado salsa. I tried carne asada and adobada. No charcoal grilling here but a spit of marinted pork was up and running. The tacos were better than the torta which I was hoping might be something similar to Tortas Washmobile in Tijuana which some call the best torta in Mexico. Not the first area I expected to find Tijuana style tacos in town but there will likely be more places coming. 

Steak and Adobada Tacos at Tacos El Rey 

Tacos El Rey 

9625 S Ewing Ave
Chicago, IL 60617
(773) 359-6007
Website

Eating / Drinking Tour of Hegewisch

-Grubbing in Chicago 
Down on the Southeast side...

Today's report is a few years in the making. I've always enjoyed exploring places that aren't normal to me. Thus the relatively unknown Chicago neighborhood that goes by Hegewisch has always interested me. Pronounced HEG-wish by locals the neighborhood is tucked into the far Southeast corner of the city near the border of Northwest Indiana. In many ways the neighborhood stays stuck in time. I'd venture to guess that maybe one of three people living in Chicago have never heard of Hegewisch. Started in 1883 by Adolph Hegewisch, President of the United States Rolling Stock Company, Hegewisch has always been industrial and it's seen a few different waves of people settle in. In the 1920's the area was over 50% Polish. During the 1960's the area boomed with many blue collar workers moving their families there. Police and Fireman also made it their home. Come the middle 90's the population dropped due to less jobs in the steel factories and second generations of families moving elsewhere. Today the population is about 44% White and 49% Hispanic.

Exploring Hegewisch

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Cruising or walking around Hegwisch is the best way to see it. The area was once a marshland and some of that can still be seen. Wolf Lake is a favorite of locals who like to fish. Some of the streets in Hegewisch go by letters (Avenue O etc) while others go by numbers. With the exception of a few newly built mansions, most of the houses are bungalow style and many of them overlook Mann Park which is where the kids play. It's a Chicago neighborhood that feels like a small town.

Bungalow Housing in Hegewisch

If one wanted they could go on a very interesting Bar Crawl of Hegewisch and some people have done just that. Don't quote me on it but theres at least 10 bars in the hood. Each one of them stuck in a different time period. Some in the 1940's others in the 1970's, all of them the old school shot and beer type. While most are White Sox bars at least a couple cater to Cubs fans. Pricing is more reflective of Northwest Indiana than it is the heart of Chicago and the same goes for the clientele.

Taverns of Hegewisch

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South Shore Inn

If you don't have time for a pub crawl but want a beer and a shot then I suggest South Shore Inn. It sits right across the street from the Hegewisch Metra stop that serves the South Shore line. As far as old school taverns go this is one of the best in Chicago. I'm not exactly sure when this style of bar became popular but not much has changed since it was first installed. For the most part the people in Hegewisch are friendly but some are a bit standoffish at first. I remember a couple years ago when I took the picture up above before stopping in and the bartender told me he was taking pictures of me as he had reason to believe I was scouting the place for a heist. We both laughed when I said c'mon you know there's Northside neighborhoods with much better target options than here.

a peek inside

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Steve's Lounge 

Another great place to grab a beer is Steve's Lounge at the corner of 132nd and Baltimore. As soon as you step inside you're greeted by a bunch of figurines that line the walls. There's also a big ass deer head looking down on you and lots of Cubs stuff to greet the local White Sox fans.

a peek inside

They double as a catering company and sell fresh homemade Polish Sausage as well. On Friday's they serve food. A Fish-Fry in the style of neighboring NW Indiana. I wrote all about Steve's Lounge for the now defunct Serious Eats Chicago (RIP). Read HERE.

Friday Fish Fry with Blue Gills

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Club 81 Too 

Located amongst the houses on Avenue M is another popular bar that sometimes serves food (Lunch Mon.- Fri. / 11:00 am to 2:00 pm | Dinner Wed. and Fri. 4-8p). Club 81 Too has been around since 1945. Its dark inside but the bartenders are very lighthearted. As far as food there's a few things that people really like from here. One of them is the Friday Fish Fry served in the same manner as Steve's and another is the fried chicken which this neighborhood eats alot of. Also of note is the steak sandwich which comes with a stacked pile of thinly sliced steak meat that’s flash grilled and goes into a bun with lots of onions. Its a good one. You're easily able to bite right thru the tender steak.

Steak Sandwich at Club 81 Too

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Baltimore Liquor Store - No food round-up of Hegewisch is legit without a shoutout to the famous Hegewisch Shish-Kebob which can be bought at this neighborhood liquor store. Sold in the bag by 3, 5, and 10 pounds they provide you with the specially marinated cubed pork which you need to skewer yourself and grill on your own. The marinade is pretty damn original with it's own flavor profile. Sometimes I'll stop and buy a bag when headed to a lake house in Indiana or Michigan.

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Chicago Pita Kitchen

The Chicago Pita Kitchen is a lunchtime favorite of those still working the blue collar jobs that haven't been shipped overseas. It's here where an untold Chicago food story has some history. I'll need a reader or someone to ask over on Reddit what the exact story is but there either is or used to be a store/company that sold what they called the famous Drago Shish-Ke-Bob aka the Dragobob. There's a facebook page with not much info but I think I remember reading that the people behind these claim it to be the original recipe for the famous Hegewisch Shish Kebob mentioned above. Or maybe its the other way around. All I know is you can eat a famous Dragobob at CPK. They come in pork, chicken or beef and can be had on a skewer or off of it inside a pita. Count me a fan.

Pork Drago-Bob on Pita

If you're near Chicago Pita Kitchen on a Saturday or Sunday you can try Gianna's famous lamb sandwich. In the picture below it doesn't look all at that sexy but thats because I had yet to dump the cup of lamb au jus over it. While there is a better lamb sandwich nearby at Small World Inn this one was still chow worthy. Also on the menu is all of the Chicago style fast food classics. 

Gianna's Lamb Sandwich Special at Chicago Pita Kitchen

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Los Cantaritos

As mentioned the neighborhood is now almost half Hispanic which is the majority of the population on the city's 'Eastside'. I'd always wondered about this cute little Mexican restaurant on the neighborhoods main strip. From the outside I pictured a much bigger inside with lots of tables and maybe a stage etc but it turned out to be pretty bare bones with maybe 6 tables to eat at. I wanted to try their tacos for the Chicago Taco Tour and did so not long ago. I ordered a steak which reviews praised and then because it was on the menu a crispy taco which in many cases around these parts can be a real deal fried taco aka a Taco Dorado. The latter would not be a fully fried taco but the shell was fried fresh and the ground beef had some actual texture and wasn't just mush so it was enjoyed as a snack. The steak was equally delicious with tiny bits of well crisped meat joining a hot corn tortilla with a very nice red salsa that just barely tingled the tongue. I'm glad I finally tried them.

Steak Taco in front and Crispy Taco in back

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Gina's Chicken

As I mentioned earlier fried chicken is big around these parts. While technically not in Hegewisch both Loncar's and Hienie's are popular spots in the region. Within the neighborhood Gina's Chicken is where it's at. The fried chicken in these parts can be described as it's own style as all of these spots use what's called Hienie's Hot Sauce. It's a bright orange sauce that on the label goes by Quality Brand Hot Sauce sporting a dominant mustard flavor. It was originally made as a dip for Vitner's pork rinds some 60 years ago as Kevin Pang of the Tribune uncovered. Back to Gina's they're basically a takeout only joint and fried chicken is their forte. The product comes piping hot, no waiting trays here, with a minimally seasoned crust which is fine because it's all about that sauce.

Fried Chicken Plate from Gina's Chicken

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Pudgy's Pizza 

Last but certainly not least is some pizza. There are a few pizza places in Hegewisch but one of them recently shut down and is for sale. I'd always heard good things about Pudgy's which sits near the end of Baltimore street. They don't open until 4p but it was mostly stomach space that had prevented me from going up until recently. Steve Dolinsky just did his Chicago pizza Quest Rankings where he went and ate a sh!t ton of pizza and ranked them by category at the end. As readers know I'm all about the tavern thin and before the his quest even began I predicted four spots that would for sure finish in the Top five and indeed they all did but I then wondered what would be the fifth and final place to go into my starting five. Well after my first bite of this small sausage pizza cooked well done I had an idea.

Sausage Pizza from Pudgy's

This is what I was looking for when I set out to find the fifth in my book. It has all the characteristics of my other favorite spots. It's damn thin like that at Pat's, it's got a little bit of cornmeal on the bottom like Barnaby's (Northbrook), the sauce is spread out just right and has very little sweet in it reminding me of Vito and Nick's and the atmosphere matches that of Villa Nova. In a very important part each and every slice includes some fennel loaded sausage just like all the others.

Booty Shot

While my Top 5 Pizza, Beefs, Burgers etc are always liable to change I think Pudgy's will stay in the mentions of where to get the best tavern thin pizza in Chicago and most certainly on the Southeast side. Even though this was my first trip in everything I was told to be the case was so from the quality of the pizza to the owners being there overlooking the operation making sure all is going well. And so concludes the tour featuring the booze and food options of Hegewisch. See ya next time.

Excellent Tavern Thin Pizza in Hegewisch

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South Shore Inn
13611 S Brainard Ave
Chicago, IL 60633
(773) 646-0350

Steve's Lounge
13200 S Baltimore Ave
Chicago, IL 60633
(773) 646-1071

Club 81 Too
13157 S Avenue M
Chicago, IL 60633
(773) 646-4292

Baltimore Food and Liquors
13322 S Baltimore Ave
Chicago, IL 60633
(773) 646-5520

Chicago Pita Kitchen
13227 S Brainard Ave
Chicago, IL 60633
(773) 646-2000

Los Cantaritos
13343 S Baltimore Ave
Chicago, IL 60633
(773) 646-4015

Gina's Chicken
3415 E 106th St
Chicago, IL 60617
(773) 375-5580

Pudgy's Pizza
13460 S Baltimore Ave
Chicago, IL 60633
(773) 646-4199

Taco Pockets: 106th Street

-Eating like a Mayan King in the Windy City

106th Street Taco Trail

In case you didn't know, I've been eating lots of tacos lately. With it I want to present yet another new series of posts coming to S'C'&C. Introducing 'Taco Pockets' - stretches of a block or two in the cityscape with more than a few good taco options. Today we head to a part of Chicago rarely seen by those not from here. Actually the same goes for many who do reside in the city. The East Side of Chicago sits in it's own little part of the cities landscape. Most people see it driving over 106th street while taking the Chicago Skyway in or out of the city. What you also see when taking that route is the last of the industrial areas which goes by "Da Region" amongst locals. You can check out a taco report I did on the old school Mexican-American restaurants of Northwest Indiana HERE. But today we're going to stay on the Chicago side of the border and check out the taco trail along 106th street which is basically the last line between the city and the state of Indiana.

East Side Chicago 

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Birrieria Ocotlan

One of a couple locations

We'll start off by going West down 106th. The first stop is Birrieria Ocotlan on the 4000 block. This place specializes in you guessed it...goat. We're lucky to have as many places in the city serving birrieria as it makes for a really nice snack on a cold winter day. The menu here here is pretty damn simple - tacos and soup. Unfortunately they don't make their own tortillas, which can result in the tacos falling apart as you near finish. But they make up for that with properly spiced shredded goat topped with an excellent homemade hot green salsa. A couple of these after a day of working outside at the refinery factories is a good way to get warm again.

Birrieria Taco with the Houses' Warm Green Salsa

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Taqueria Don Robe

Opened within the last year or so

Continuing West on our stroll we'll pass Taqueria Don Robe on the Northside of the street a few blocks down. This place opened within the last year and caught my eye with their handwritten signs advertising "Tacos Don Robe" for $1. So I stopped in one day and decided to try a couple of those as well as a fish taco. The friendly folks got to work on them and I was good to go. The fish taco was pretty good, nothing special but something I'd eat if it we're my neighborhood taqueria. The 'tacos don robe' we're pretty damn tasty. Chunks of adobado are sauteed with grilled onions and topped with cabbage slaw and cilantro. The spicy pork was cooled down with the fresh topping options. I'd eat them often if were closer to me. No need for a McDouble and fries when you got these little guys.

Taco Don Robe

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Chapala Restaurant

Family Sitdown Spot

Next up is a place that caught my eye with the hand written advertisement of regular or crispy tacos for $1.25 each. As mentioned we're not far from NW Indiana here which is where the deep fried taco continues to live on. Research and stories told tell me crispy fried tacos have been big around the Region for a while now, at least back to the early 60's. It makes sense because what was said to be Chicago's oldest Mexican restaurant (RIP) featured this style of taco and was located around this way. The meat goes into the tortilla which is held together with toothpicks while they take a trip to the deep fryer. Toppings go on after. Usually you'll see ground beef and maybe chicken on offer for this style  but they'll do whatever taco fillings they offer here. That said, steak gets too tough when fried so ground beef will always be the best way to go when it comes to making them this way. These pretty ladies were as good as they look, even with the bottled red cholula sauce on top.

Crispy Tacos

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Tacos Nietos

2nd location of a popular stop

Walking further west we'll come across a newer spot housed in an old fast food joint. However the name is not new. Tacos Nietos has an original location attached to a gas station on 95th street. Al Pastor spit was in motion at this ocation upon entry and we were greeted with freshly fried chips and a few salsa options with it. I decided to try an al pastor as well as a lomo (ribeye). There's certain little things done by taqueria that can take their tacos from the middle of the pack to front runners and they like to do those things here. Tortillas were properly warmed and plates came with grilled onions and jalapenos too. The al pastor was tasty and above average on this visit but my go to taco from here from now on will be the lomo. The thinly pounded ribeye steak was as tender of a piece as I've had from a taco shop, no resistance whatsoever. Topped with chopped potent cilantro as well as freshly diced onions this was a very satisfying lunch plate. In a city with as many taco options as Chicago it says alot when you stop back at a place that has nothing to do with convenience and that's what I plan to do.

Taco Al Pastor (L) Lomo (R)

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El Taconcito Taqueria

Popular Locals Stop

Once you hit the end of 106th street, if you take a right on Torrence, El Taconcito will shortly appear. I've passed it by many times and decided to stop in and make it the final stop on this tour after being turned off by another spot I was planning on featuring. I went in not expecting to find a trompo in motion but there it was so I had no choice but to try one. In Chicago many spots cut the cooked meat off the spit and finish crisping it on a flattop. Not something I'm a fan of but I don't think doing so guarantees a bad taco. I'd use these here as an example of why. If you're going to finish the meat this way you might as well throw some sliced onion on there with it which is what they do here. The cone is heavily spiced and the meat used definitely isn't lean so eat these carefully. As long as you don't ruin a newly bought shirt with red drippings you should enjoy them as much I did.

Taco Al Pastor

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See ya next time on the Chicago Taco Tour.
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Birrieria Ocotlan
4001 106th St
Chicago, IL 60617
(773) 374-0384

Taqueria Don Robe
3614 E 106th St
Chicago, IL 60617
(773) 731-8131

Chapala Restaurant
3537 E 106th St
Chicago, IL 60617
(773) 978-3821

Tacos Nietos
3335 E 106th St
Chicago, IL 60617
(773) 221-5000

Taqueria El Taconcito
10536 S Torrence Ave
Chicago, IL 60617
(773) 734-2901

Chicago Taco Tour

-Eating like a Mayan King in the Windy City

We hope you've been enjoying our Mexican Fiesta special this month of May. If you scroll down you'll see "Tags" of different topics relating to each and every story posted here. "Mexican Food" is near the top. My favorite food to eat I cant ever get enough. Traveling Mexico on a culinary related itinerary is still on the upper half of my bucket list. God forbid that trip should never happen I can at least know I've ate it well while on earth here in Chicago. There's been some great taco round-up's of the 1000's of different offerings we have in this city and this week I want to add one more. Ladies and cavemen, I bring to you, 16 tacos you wont find everywhere. These offerings are worth seeking out when you get bored of the same old style but still want to eat something stuffed in a tortilla. 
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Tacos de Canasta

"Basket Tacos" are typically found found being sold on a street corner somewhere in Mexico City. If you know where to go in Chicago you can find them in the same fashion. Usually these are ate outside of restaurants because they're pre-made at home and placed in a basket to steam then sold somewhere on the streets. I call them taco sliders (small and steamed) and really like the ones served at La Chilangueada in the Cragin neighborhood.

Tacos de Canasta at La Chilangueada

I cant vouch for the authenticity of these little .99 cent gems but have no problem calling them good. They may or may not be made to order, if they are then they arent the real deal but a few of the filling options inside them are. When tacos de canasta are made they're done so to sit around for a while so stewed meats are typically used. The signature "Chilango" however has skirt steak, bacon, chopped cheap hot dogs and onions. Unconventional? Maybe. Tasty? Definitely!

The insides

Salsa is an option but other than that you just pop these lil tacos in your mouth and savor the flavors. I've found that when ordering them to go they get extra greasy but in a good way where the whole thing steams together even more so than when dining in. I've noticed these are one of the best selling items at this awesome little spot on Fullerton dedicated to some of the popular street eats of Mexico City. As good as the Chilango mix is, the Chicharron con Chile is addicting. I can eat ten easy if you put them in front of me.

Chicharron con Chile Taco de Canasta

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Tacos de Birrieria

It's too hard to name any single taco "the best in Chicago" and anyone who's doing so is either biased or never been anywhere other than Taco Bell. But we can all have our lists of the ones we love best and included in mine are the Tacos de Birrieria at Chicago staple Birrieria Zaragoza. If you've never been, Goat is what they do and they do it really, really well. The place has a long list of loyal customers including me. Take a seat at the front where you can watch your tacos tortillas being made and get a lesson in good cooking from the family matriarch aka Mom.

Fresh Tortillas being made

A feature post is coming but for now let me just tell you why I love the slow roasted goat tacos here. First off the meat itself is amazing. Be not afraid, it's fresh and farm raised and tastes like a richer pot roast than you might normally eat. They make some of the best tortillas on site in front of you too. These hold together the goat meat which is juicy from being cooked in a pot full of flavor. Add to this what might be my favorite salsa in the city (Family Secret Hot Roasted Tomato) and I'm in taco heaven.

Tacos de Birrieria from Birrieria Zargoza

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Tacos Alambres

La Lagartija on Ashland off Ogden is a chibbqking favorite. Their shrimp tacos are one of the best tacos of any type to be found around town. They also have really good al pastor and serve signature worthy alambres which in Spanish means wire. In many cases alambres are cooked on a skewer and then removed and served with tortillas. But they've evolved into something a little different. While the meat can vary, bacon, sliced peppers and melted cheese are always included. Served with a steam tray of warm tortillas, which at La Lagartija come homemade, these are make your own tacos. Very good ones.

Alambres at La Lagartija

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Tacos de Fritangas

We're lucky yo have a great cyber space place like LTHforum in Chicago. I love to get around and explore what our city has to offer but could never cover the entire area without missing multiple gems. Taquerias specifically which we have tons of. There's so many and most of them offer similar menus while some places execute the offerings better. But some also serve things you wont find at many if any other places. La Chaparrita was rec'd by one of  LTH's founding fathers and he then spread word. This style is native to Mexico City and involves the use of a charola for the cooking of the meats.

Plate O' Tacos from La Chaparrita (Pic from LTHforum)

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Tacos al Pastor

a spot that caught my eye on 63rd

Recently I was with Grub Seeker and Co. and we were cruising around the southside looking for tacos amongst other eats. I spied a place called Mario's that had a picture of an al pastor spit and upon further investigation saw said spit in operation along with another mention of them being their specialty. In we went. Tacos al Pastor came to Mexico City with Lebanese immigrants who were creating something similar to shawarma. As far as the cooking, slicing and crispness goes these were perfection. The problem was they weren't spiced all that well. Rather plain tastes ruined what could of been truly great.

Taco al Pastor con Pina from Mario's

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Fully Loaded Steak Tacos

El Milagro's monster steak tacos were originally featured back when this whole exploration first got started and they're still one of my favorite tacos in Chicago. If the name of the place sounds familiar that's because you've probably seen their tortillas and chips for sale which is their main business but they also have a couple places to eat. On 26th street you can find their signature tacos made with a hunk of grilled skirt steak placed on two of their tortillas spread with rice and beans and topped with cabbage. Two of these is all I need.

Signature Skirt Steak Taco from Taqueria El Milagro on 26th Street

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Veggie Tacos 

If you're a regular reader than you know we dont do too many veggie dishes over here, plenty of other places you can go to find Chicago's best dishes without meat. Heck, hit up Next while you can. But there is one place I do get veggie tacos from now and then. L'Patron was already featured in the Fish Taco Tour in which I mentioned it wouldn't be the only time you saw them on here. This wont be their last feature either. The Rajas taco which is made with strips of roasted poblano makes me think I could just eat them if I had to go Veggie. But then I'd be suffering watching everyone else eat their steak, chorizo and al pastor. Pass.

Good Veggie tacos found on Diversey in Logan Square

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 Walking Tacos

 Found at the Take Out Window at Big Star

If you've ever been to your home states fair you've most likely seen someone eating a walking taco. I've seen several variations including one served in a waffle cone and ones like they have at Big Star. A bag of Fritos with a meat-bean mixture added in with green onions and cheese makes for a tasty late night snack on the walk home from the bars. Plus at $2 it's a pretty damn good deal.

 The insides

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Taco Truck Tacos

Slowly, no wait, VERY slowly food trucks with people cooking on board are starting to pop up around Chicago. In fact I spied one recently in the wee hours of the evening on Ashland parked outside what looked to be a popular night club. I was hungry and wondering what I was going to eat and seeing it helped me decide. Tacos and tamales were both stuffed to the brim with meat and good for late night eats.

Everyone could use access to mobile tacos...

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Tacos Arabes

Cemitas Peubla on North avenue is a regular in my rotation that needs to get it's own post on here. Not they need the publicity as this is deservedly so one of Chicago's most well known spots for great Mexican food you wont find many others doing. As seen on Diners, Drive-In's and Dives.

Specialty Tacos from Cemitas Peubla

Tacos Arabes or "Arab Style Tacos" come from the Puebla region of Mexico where they're very popular. Heavily seasoned spit roasted pork is sliced like gyros and goes into a tortilla more like pita bread with a similar thickness to flour tortillas. These tacos were brought to Mexico from people who arrived from Iraq. In fact at first they were served with a yogurt sauce like tahini until it was replaced with salsa to please the locals palates. Cemitas Puebla's smoky chipotle salsa is also in the running for best in city, as are these tacos.

Inside of the Tacos Arabes

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Tacos de Mariscos

If you ride around certain parts of the city you'll see that there seems to be an abundance of Mexican seafood houses. I'm not even talking about El Barco and Mariscos el Veneno which are both great in their own right, there's tons more than just those two though. It seems like alot of people from the Nayarit region of Mexico find their way to Chicago and open up a mariscos place when they do. I've decided that these places need to be further explored as theres so many of them and not much info out there on them.

Somewhat new Mexican seafood shop on Elston at Irving Park

I read over at LTH about a couple that were worth it and tried some tacos from one of them recently. Riveria Maya is a cute little BYOB with a really nice family behind it. I tried both a fish and shrimp taco and was pleasantly surprised by what I got. Instead of the more normal batter fried fish and shrimp they serve a chopped up version almost like hot ceviche cooked in lime, butter and garlic. Under $7 and I was stuffed.

 Fish and Shrimp Tacos from Riviera Maya

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Tacos Dorados

Chicago doesn't seem to have many places doing this popular style of taco. But if there's going to be any it's most likely to come from the Eastside of the city. It seems that there's some tradition of the deep fried taco in these parts and the towns across the border in Northwest Indiana. Take Taqueria Hacienda at 97th and Commercial as example.

Locals Favorite on the Eastside of the City

Hacienda is a nice stop for those seeking their crispy taco fix. It's labeled as both a taqueria and a restaurant but it's more the latter. There's many options for Mexican in the area and I can vouch this place is good one. On top of this the people working have been really kind my visits. They have tacos dorados on the menu and you get them in three's with rice and beans. I was tempted by the steak offering but stuck with my traditional filling of picadillo aka ground beef. It's mixed with some potatoes and veggies as well as lima beans and was quite pleasing as far as seasoning.

Taco Dorados from Hacienda

These weren't deep fried whole (meat in the tortilla folded over/held together with tooth picks) aka "Closed". Just the shell was fried fresh then the beef went in followed by the toppings aka "open" style. Nonetheless the shell was fried fresh and remained crunchy and the filling was really good. Well executed. I tried their dorados de papa (potato) and they too were quite tasty while fried closed. Next time I need to ask them to do the dorados de papa with picadillo instead of potato, fried closed. I'm betting I'd really like those.

Tacos Dorados de Papa

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Longy Tacos

Speaking of hard shell tacos anyone ever had a Longy? They were created by a guy who used to run a long gone bar called Longy's in Lombard. A Tribune article from 1991 explains how the family who runs/opened El Zarape in Wheaton brought these popular eats back to being available in this area.

El Zarape in Wheaton, IL

When the Jeminez family came to the suburbs from Mexico City in 1969, husband Jesse took a job cooking at Longy's. They saved up and inched closer to the dream of owning their own place. Now they have a few spots including the Santa Fe Cafe in Glen Ellyn. Longy tacos are corn tortillas filled with a beef and refried bean mixture making for an almost creamy filling. They're pan fried until crispy and I've tried them from El Zarape and also Santa Fe and have noticed they're available on other menus around this way. Tastes for them have come since my first bite so you know I like. Looking forward to getting back there.

Longy Taco from Santa Fe Cafe in Glen Ellyn, IL

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Breakfast Tacos

I've never been to Austin, TX but when I do I look forward to trying some breakfast tacos which are one of the regional eats they're famous for. We dont have many spots doing those here in Chicago. Someone needs to come here with one of them food trucks you find all over there.

Estrella Negra on Fullerton just east of Western

In the meantime I find my fix at Estrella Negra, a little Latin influenced BYOB. One of the best breakfast (served 11a-3p daily) deals in the city. Six bucks gets you three tacos with choice of chorizo or bacon and eggs topped with jalapenos, cilantro, tomatoes and sour cream served with some excellent salsa verde.

Excellent Breakfast Tacos at Estrella Negra

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Fusion Tacos

Making tacos with Asian influenced ingredients became a thing when an food truck in LA made them so popular that you can find them all over the globe now. We have a few spots in Chicago including a relatively new place out by Midway called Dos Ricco's doing Mexican-Asian cooking. I'm a sucker for fusion Asian and will get a full report on this place up ASAP. I liked a few things and the taco was one of them.

Korean Carne Asada Taco from Dos Ricco's

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Cheesy Tacos

Popular taco stop at Blue Island and Damen

Raymond's has a few locations and there's many who swear by them. If you go in there on a weekend around lunch the place is packed. If you go there at 2am you'll find the same situation just different clientele. The sheriffs love it and so do the folks who just got released nearby. I've never had a burger but get cravings for cheesy tacos when drinking and sometimes even when I'm not.

Cheesy Tacos from Raymond's

If you order your tacos with cheese here you dont get shredded chihuahua. They take a slice of American cheese and place it between two corn tortillas basically making it a quesadilla. Only after it's cooked to a golden hue and the cheese is melted do your choice of meat and toppings go on. The meat is ok not great but they go thru tons so it's always freshly cooked. It might not be "Authentic" so to say but tell that to all the Spanish speaking families chowing them down on Sunday mornings. Count me a fan like them.

The insides

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La Chilangueada
5131 W Fullerton Ave 
Chicago, IL 60639
(773) 237-6638

Birrieria Zaragoza
4852 S Pulaski Rd 
Chicago, IL 60632
(773) 523-3700

La Lagartija Taqueria
132 South Ashland Ave
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 733-7772

La Chaparrita
2500 S Whipple St 
Chicago, IL 60623
(773) 247-1402

Mario's Tacos
4540 W 63rd St 
Chicago, IL 60629
(773) 582-8226

Taqueria el Milagro
3050 W 26th St 
Chicago, IL 60623
(773) 579-6120

L'Patron

2815 W. Diversey 

Chicago, IL 60647

(773) 252-6335

Big Star
1531 N Damen Ave 
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 235-4039

 

Cemitas Puebla
3619 W North Ave 
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 772-8435

 

La Riveria Maya
4009 N. Elston Ave.
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 463-7641

Taqueria Hacienda
9710 S Commercial Ave
Chicago, IL 60617
(773) 221-5743

 

El Zarape
325 W Front St
Wheaton, IL 60187
(630) 260-1122

Santa Fe Restaurant
426 N Main St
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
(630) 790-3311

 

Estrella Negra
2346 W Fullerton Ave 
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 227-5993

 

Dos Ricco's
6445 S Cicero Ave 
Chicago, IL 60638
(773) 284-9088

 

Raymond's Tacos #2
2406 S Blue Island Ave 
Chicago, IL 60608
(773) 254-5301