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 MoreThere 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.
Read MoreDon'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.
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 MoreOh, 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.
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 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 MoreWhat looks like a small taco shop from the outside is actually a sit down restaurant. Not the trendiest place to look at and definitely a little older. Was it a little grimy in the bathroom? Sure. Was the bar shoddily put together? Sure. Did I care? Not one bit. Actually, all of the above may have added to this place’s charm.
Read MoreIt was such a cute little place, colorfully decorated - the poor waitress was managing the whole place by herself which sucked for her so I empathize that the service wasn't quite up to par. Though I can't gush enough about the location.
Read MoreThis was our first Pilsen location and we ordered: the Pilsen taco, Al Pastor taco, a Fish Taco I Can't Remember the Name Of (Ahh!), the Cerveza taco, and La Vaca taco
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.
Read More