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?
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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!
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
We 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 More
The 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 More
Okay, 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 More
Before 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 More
We 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 More
This place is a tiny corner place that is sleek and modern, highlighted by it's lime green walls.
There's alcohol here too! Which is a plus in my book. The menu was very cute and aligned like the ‘El’ train map. So, kinda loving the vibe on arrival.
Read More
First off, it appears to also sell Italian food and Pizza, which, I mean, ok. One of the best quiches I ever had was from a similar place up in Rogers Park so, no judgement here.
The inside is a little grungy in a I-Wouldn't-Want-To-Take-A-Nap-Here-With-My-Mouth-Open kind of way, but I mean, whatever - THEY WERE OPEN DURING NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS. Not gonna complain.
Read More