Five of a Kind: New Tacos in Town

- The 'Chicago Taco Tour'

Another calendar year has sailed by and like clockwork a bunch of new taco spots set their anchors in Chicago. Unfortunately a good chunk of them aren’t worth trying but that’s just how it goes with one of the most popular foods in the country (there’s a ton of bad pizza, burgers and sushi spots too). If you’re wondering how would I know if a spot isn’t good if I haven’t tried it? With tacos it’s pretty easy to spot a place worth trying thru the menu and also the pictures. If all they have is steak, al pastor, chicken and maybe quesabirria then it’s pretty much what all the other spots also have. If the steak isn’t grilled and the al pastor is just marinated pork and the chicken is shredded while pretty much every place makes quesabirria these days then it’s likely not worth checking out unless you live near and are in dire need of tacos. If the menu is uninspiring it’s not going to inspire a visit. At the end of the day I’ve tried 1000+ taco spots around the Chicagoland area (not a typo) so I can figure out which new spots warrant a stop. Here’s five I’ve tried thus far -

_______________________________________

TacoSur 

First up is this Tijuana style taqueria in Little Village that went viral on social media soon after opening. TacoSur was likely not ready for the rush TikTok created as google reviews soon started coming in fast and most of them weren’t favorable. I think the majority were about service related issues and what not bc the food isn’t bad. They specialize in Tijuana style beef birria and they also have a spinning cone of al pastor but they make you get three tacos at time if you want to try it. All of the other taco options are available individually which is kind of weird but whatever I didn’t think their trompo looked as pristine as the one down the block at ACE. But I was intrigued with the carne asada, it’s grilled over live fire, and also the birria. The steak had good smoky flavor but lacked texture as it was grilled ahead of time. In Tijuana the steak tacos are typically char grilled and dressed with avocado salsa which is how they come here. Pretty good but it would’ve been even better with the steak straight off the grill. I also tried the birria doradito which is a fried corn tortilla topped with soupy birria, cilantro, onions, frijol de olla, and salsa roja. It was a bit tough to eat but it definitely hit the spot. Also of note is an excellent salsa setup similar to what you might find in Mexico. 

Tacos at TacoSur
_______________________________________

Tacombi 

I paid a visit to Tacombi in West Loop shortly after it opened this past summer. This new taco import was born in a van in the Yucatán. From there it moved into a taco garage in NYC with the intent of becoming a national brand, in part due to a big backing from Danny Meyer of Shake Shack fame. I went with the al pastor since there was a spit of pork spinning and I also got the Baja fish as that seems to be their most popular taco on offer. The verdict? Not bad for the area (Federales is gross). The taco al pastor was cut from a chunk on a cutting board like it was a piece of steak which was odd but the fish was crisp and the salsa bar gives you three decent options along with limes. Rice and beans aren’t bad either, they use black beans in an ode to the Yucatán. I wouldn’t run over here from the other side of the city but if you’re near there and in need of tacos it just might get the job done. 

Tacos at Tacombi
_______________________________________

Tepalcates 

Next stop had a short lived life west on Fullerton before moving east into Lakeview. A quick peek at the taco options and I put this spot near the top of my tacos to try list. They have all the usual suspects plus lots of regional and house special offerings including an octopus rubbed with al pastor seasoning. They do carne en su jugo too. The guy that runs this place is really nice and so are the tacos. The Suadero is a bit shredded as opposed to chunky so it lacks a bit in texture but hit the mark in flavor. I’ve been waiting for tacos gobernador to take off the same way quesabirria has but it’s been a slow liftoff. That said I see it on offer more than ever so it’s trending up. A taco gobernador estilo Sinaloa is sauteed shrimp with peppers, onions, tomato, melted cheese. It’s basically a shrimp quesadilla which are underrated. Plump shrimp and melted cheese between a corn tortilla is a pretty perfect pairing. Even if those aren't up your alley they offer a quality product up and down the menu. 

Tacos at Tepalcates
_______________________________________

Onions & Cilantro

This spot opened last spring on Western in Bucktown. It’s next door to a completely vegan Mexican restaurant and across the street from a hip chef driven Mexican restaurant which is next door to a birria de chivo specialist. The menu is pretty standard but that may work in their favor given its location near three not so standard spots. They also seem to make standard offerings with a bit more care than most places. I’ve had their steak tacos a few times since they’re above average and near where I stay. Big chunks of crisp skirt steak are paired nicely with a well made avocado salsa.

Steak Taco at Onions & Cilantro
______________________________________

Thalco Taco Tijuanero 

Last stop takes us out to the western suburbs where a taqueria with Tijuana connections opened up shop in Hanover Park. According to the ads I kept getting on Instagram this place was opened by a family member of a popular Tijuana taco spot of a similar name. So I had high hopes riding out here, granted it was for something work related, but this would be lunch. With it being a Tijuana style taqueria the menu is made up of antojitos estilo Baja including tacos de adobada which is what they call al pastor in that region of Mexico. I spied a spit of meat spinning and got a taco adobada to pair with a vampiro which is a crisped up corn tortilla loaded with your choice of meat and melted cheese. The reason they don’t call these tostadas is bc the crisp shells are made fresh to order by leaving a corn tortilla on a hot surface until it crisps up. They're crisp but have a more chewy texture than a tostada shell. This is another snack I’d like to see offered at more spots around town. 

Antojitos at Thalco Taco Tijuanero
_______________________________________

See ya next time @chibbqking