One Afternoon, 24 Tacos...
By Peter Behle, Chicago Senior Editor
On a quest to find the best tacos in Chicago, I set off with my 9-year-old son and we tasted as many as possible and as quickly as possible--it makes for better comparison, don't you think? The result was a torrid afternoon of tasting: 24 tacos from six different Chicago taquerias. Unfortunately, my son may be permanently scarred by the day's activities ... the mere mention of the word "taco" sends him running.
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Taqueria Santa Rita
2752 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL
The day got off to a rocking start with three terrific tacos ($1.75 each)--al pastor (pork), carne asada (steak) and tripe (yes, tripe). The al pastor (cut from the vertical spit, then quickly thrown on the grill) turned out to be the top taco of the day--perfectly spiced, with juicy crisp chunks of tender pork, dressed simply with cilantro and onions. Fried, then re-heated, tripe at 10am wasn't my most inspired decision of the day. Taco tally: 4 1/2 out of 5 tortillas.
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Taqueria El Gallo
3532 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL
This non-descript place serves up a decent taco, but it's a tad disconcerting that the kitchen is hidden in the back. So many taquerias have the kitchen up front, where you can see your taco being put together. The tacos here were the cheapest we found all day, at just $1.50 apiece (the same as Lazo's, below). The carne asada was broiling hot, while the chicken was boiled and not very flavorful. Bonus points here, though, for the jukebox, which had 36 credits on it when we visited. Taco tally: 3 out of 5 tortillas.
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Las Asadas Restaurant
2072 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL
Located across the street from the large and busy Arturo's and Lazo's, Las Asadas competes by offering the biggest tacos (priced from $1.65 to $2.50) we got all day in a no-frills tiny taco shop. Surrounded by a parking lot, the tiny taqueria has only 10 stools inside, so most folks get their tacos to go. The chile relleno taco here was a gut-buster--a puffy green chile, stuffed with cheese, then deep-fried and tossed into a couple of corn tortillas. Taco tally: 4 1/2 out of 5 tortillas.
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Arturo's Tacos
2001 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL
We really lost control of the day here at Arturo's. After getting just three tacos at each spot, we went crazy at Arturo's and ordered seven different tacos ($1.80 each) so we could have a nice taco photo (see above)--highlights included the carne asada (dressed with grilled onions) and the carnitas (large chunks of fairly lean pork). Arturo's was also tough since they offer draft beer and margaritas--but since this was an ongoing assignment, I had to pass on the alcohol... Taco tally: 4 out of 5 tortillas.
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Lazo's Tacos
2009 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL
This is really two restaurants in one--first, as you enter, there's a counter where you can order tacos to go. But take a right and you'll find a large restaurant with a stage for live mariachi music on the weekends. The tacos (just $1.50 apiece, but the smallest we tried all day) here are OK, but nothing to shout about. My photographer was starting to lose it here at Stop #5--"they all look the same and they all taste the same," he groaned as we headed to the car. Not exactly true, but taco fatigue was setting in. Taco tally: 3 1/2 out of 5 tortillas.
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Taqueria La Pasadita
1141 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL
Located across the street from two--that's right, two--La Pasadita sit-down restaurants, this is a to-go-only taqueria. Sure, there are about a dozen stools at the bar, but if you try and eat, you'll be crowded by the crowds waiting for their orders to go. A big deduction here, for warming tortillas in the microwave. Still, the tacos (from $1.55 to $2.35 each) were stuffed with tasty fillings, particularly the melt-in-your-mouth barbacoa (boiled beef, almost like pot roast). Leaving La Pasadita, we decided to call it a day at the round number of 24 tacos. And, truth be told, we took home bags of half-eaten tacos that served as lunch for the next week. Taco tally: 3 1/2 out of 5 tortillas.
