The inside of The Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club is huge, cavernous even. With several courts tucked on the right and left sides of the room, other games like giant connect four in the middle, and the bar and booths scanning the back wall.
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There is so much you can DO with tacos that the possibilities are endless. The only question remains, which are the best? Over the course of 2016, fellow taco connoisseur and ride-or-die babe, Sara Seibt, and I decided to celebrate Taco Tuesday every single Tuesday. We tried 52 different places exactly and have compiled for you what we thought were the very best the city has to offer.
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Let me start by saying that I absolutely love a good dive bar. Cheap prices, good food, regular people, ALL. MY. THING. I will take it over something trendy almost any day and I can say that the only problem I have with Loncar's is that it is no where near my apartment
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I was STARVING by the time I got to La Chilangueada with fellow taco connoisseur and ride or die babe, Sara Seibt. I was stoked for some slider tacos to make my dreams come true. La Chilangueda a small sit-down place where I got to use my very rusty and embarrassing Spanish. We were served quickly.
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First off, El Taco Veloz is adorable. And I mean that in the best way. And I would think it was just as adorable if it wasn't also very close to where I live. It's a sit down place that is very affordable (extremely so) and cash only.
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The place is a small and you order at the counter. We got a slew of tacos, some miso soup, and some dumplings because why the hell not? (Disclaimer, miso soup and dumplings will not affect taco score and will only make me happy)
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I don't have a whole lot to say about Carniceria Aguascalientes - not for bad reasons - I mean it in the best way. It 100% fills your expectations. It's a small restaurant attached to a small grocery store. We had our pick of tables and it was nice that you could order alcohol, because let me tell you how much I needed a margarita that day.
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Okay, for starters. We were really excited about this place. And by we, I mean fellow taco connoisseur and BIRTHDAY GIRL, Sara Seibt, was really excited about this place. It's FISH TACOS, YO! We specifically saved this spot for her. Now, for the record, I was skeptical. It's trendy. It's in Old Town. What the hell does Old Town know about tacos?
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Don't be fooled by the OG categorization - although the food itself is classic, the inside is as hip as they make them - colorful with interesting music choices.
While waiting for our Guest Judge we people watched the plethora of hipsters and scratched our head over what radio station could possibly be playing.
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Los Gamas Tortilleria, or just Los Gamas, is a little shop in Logan Square. It's a bit confusing when you first walk in - you order at one counter and pay at another and literally everything is in Spanish. I always think my Spanish is solid but then get stage fright whenever I actually want to use it; so, it took me a few minutes to adjust, but, by then, we had already stumbled our way in English through our order and sat down.
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Takito Kitchen is a cute little sit down taco place on Division that *GASP* actually celebrates Taco Tuesday and *GASP* has outdoor seating and *GASP* allows dogs!
Unfortunately, the Taco Tuesday special isn't the greatest in the world ($3 tacos) and half off already pricey margs. But it's not the worst either!
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Oh, La Principal. I've been curious about the only Evanston location on the list for awhile now. Conveniently located off both the purple line and the UP-North Metra line, this place was surprisingly trendy - though there was definitely an older crowd than most of the trendy places we've gone to that were within Chicago city limits. We were seated in the "lounge" area.
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La Cecina is this little restaurant nestled in Back of the Yards. We, once again, took a cab over from the Loop and got there in no time. La Cecina is a sit down restaurant and it was empty when we got there and we were seated right away. There were telenovelas playing on the TV in one corner and a few people in there that seemed familiar with the servers. It definitely felt like a local place.
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All the way off the orange line is this little spot called Birrieria Zaragoza. It's a small place that looks like you'd go up to the counter to order, but if you sit, a waitress will take your order. I immediately like the vibe. It's cozy, there was fun music playing, the staff was nice and helpful, and the food came wicked fast.
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It also sports a positively adorable patio which was perfect for the sunny day we were having.
The only unfortunate thing about the menu is that you can't mix and match tacos - you have to order an order of the same three tacos. I happened to make a deal with a guest judge, Tyler, to swap a taco with him.
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Right in the heart of Little Village is a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant/grocery store: called La Chaparrita. The room is filled with colorful, cheerful decor and just screams charming. I have immediately fallen in love.
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Okay, these tacos are huge - and I ordered 2. They were legit bigger than my hand (see photo for reference).
Other than the size, they tasted quite good. We asked for cheese on the side and got some, because the taco itself was just a slab of beef with some cabbage on top. I... personally wasn't huge on the cabbage. You all know I'm an onions and cilantro kind of gal.
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