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.
Read MoreOkay, 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?
Read MoreTakito 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!
Read MoreIt 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.
Read MoreWe got the steak tacos and there was a very... Mongolian Beef vibe to the tacos. Chinese-Mexican fusion maybe? I don't know. But it was good, I was ultimately satisfied. And surprised too, because this place definitely aims to be cool, however they don't deviate from the standard taco formula, which I appreciate.
Read MoreThe recommended tacos were the Crispy Potato Tacos (Papa Y Epazote) which were a little different in that they were rolled tacos, almost like a taquito. And man - they lived up to their hype. A vegetarians dream, I would imagine.Hell - I’m a meat eater and I would write songs about these tacos. And I don't even know WHAT the sauce was on top but yes. yes. yes.
Read MoreOkay, first off, I know it's quite the trek to Rogers Park from say.... ANYWHERE in the city. I say that having lived there for 5 years and Rub's isn't even off the Red Line. It's WEST of the Rogers Park Metra station - like at least a 10 minute walk west.
Read MoreBefore we get to the food - the place itself seems fun. There are some tables outside but the inside looks festive as well. For vibe alone, I'd come back. And everybody who worked there was really nice - I walked in prepared to be annoyed at the service - it was crowded and after work so a prime happy hour/happy taco time. But despite how crowded it was the staff was well prepared and we were seated, margaritas in hand, shortly after arriving.
Read MoreWe started off with the Chicken Cemita - which is basically like a taco sandwich. We figured we'd try one because it was the restaurant's namesake. It was... fine. Basically tasted like a taco barfed onto bread - though not a particularly flavorful taco. At this point, we weren't impressed.
Read MoreSo, I've been to Big Star before. I'm a 26 year old woman living in Chicago - I'd have to be living under a rock to not have given it a try. However, my first experience left me unimpressed. The food was only okay and the vibe, while delightful, only slightly made up for it. Definitely not something I would wait hours for.
However, since I decided to be officially OFFICIAL about this taco tour. It only seemed fitting that I give Big Star a second chance.
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