Bonito Mexico - Cemitas and Tacos Arabes in N. Aurora!

I've been driving by this place for several years and what a shame it is that I never stopped by. I finally got around to visiting Bonito Mexico and was extremely pleased to find that it serves Puebla-style food.

They have the usual burritos, steak tacos, etc. However the stars of this show were the Cemitas and Tacos Arabes (Pastor excellent, as well).

I had the Cemita de Milanesa, which paired a huge piece of breaded steak with a piece of ham, sliced avocado, chipotle pepper and mounds of queso oaxaca. All of this served on a very large sesame seed bun.

My wife and I both thought these cemitas were equal to, if not better than Cemitas Puebla. They were also quite a bit larger.

Next, I feasted on a Taco Arabe. A wonderfully seasoned pork and carmelized onion taco wrapped in a thick flour tortilla. The pork was tender, juicy and packed with flavor. We also thought that this version gave Puebla a run for its money.

My steak taco was very average and I would not order it again. The chorizo taco was above average, but the taco al pastor was another big hit.

I will definitely return often for the cemitas, arabe and pastor. The restaurant itself is in a small non-descript strip mall and doesn't call much attention to itself (hence, me driving by it for 3 years without stopping). The staff there on my visit were very pleasant. Note: they do not accept credit cards.

Unfortunately, I couldn't snap any photos as I ate much too quickly. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to post some soon. If you're anywhere near the area, do yourself a favor and stop in!

Bonito Mexico
200 E. Butterfield
North Aurora, IL
630-301-7430

M - Th 10am - 9pm
Fri - Sun 8am - 10pm

Really?! I've driven by many times too. I know there used to be a small Mexican bakery there but thought all was gone. Is there any signage because I don't remeber anything looking like it was still in business. I'll have to check out the tacos pastor, I love ones well made.

There is a lit-up "Bonito Mexico" sign above the restaurant, but it's rather hard to read from the street.

And it wasn't until I pulled up in front of the place that I read the Cemitas and Arabe signs in the window.

Definitely check out the pastor, but DO NOT leave without trying a taco arabe and a cemita. Fantastic!

I was driving by and thought of this post. Had to stop in. I ordered a torta Milenasa. It was huge!! Decent size on the breaded steak and the ham slice. There was a white topping I haven't had before - wasn't sour creme, mayo or ? I am curious. very friendly staff.

I turned just after the place figuring that there would be access to the strip mall. I was wrong. I had to turn around and go east to get to the turn in. FYI

My wife and I stopped in for lunch on Saturday around 1pm. It was dead for the entire hour we were there. Hopefully it was just a case of the weather being dreary. We were greeted with a smile and chips & salsa. The chips were freshly fried & the green table salsa was quite flavorful. I ordered a cemita milanesa and taco arabe. My wife ordered a taco w/pastor and a taco arabe. This was my first ever cemita or taco arabe. I haven't made it to Cemitas Puebla yet so I don't have any basis for comparison. I thought both were excellent. The bread was outstanding. Very fresh. The taco arabe was delicious. I can't wait to make it into the city, so I can try Cemitas Puebla and compare the two. Overall a very good meal, although a tad pricey for lunch. The cemita was $8.50 and each arabe was $3.50. However, in the future we wouldn't get as much food. I just wanted to try everything this time.

FYI: They do accept credit cards now.

Since seeing this thread this place has been on my short list.

I am finally going to be in the area on March 7th for a snack here. That is in between a pork and kraut fundraiser at a local church for lunch, and heading up to Filipiana for dinner.

I am looking forward to seeing how their cemitas, and taco arabes stack up to Taqueria Puebla.

Jim, I could swear the last time I drove by there the place was no longer in business. I'm on the road right now for a few days but Thursday I promise that we'll drive by a check it out, it's only a couple of minutes from my house.

LikestoEatout wrote:Jim, I could swear the last time I drove by there the place was no longer in business. I'm on the road right now for a few days but Thursday I promise that we'll drive by a check it out, it's only a couple of minutes from my house.

that would be a shame, I will try the phone number above around lunchtime today to investigate.

thanks for the heads up.

We pulled into the strip this morning and Bonito Mexico is still there and alive! There is a sign for cemitas in the window. We did not stop because we were heading for the new Katy's Dumpling in Naperville!

LikestoEatout wrote:We pulled into the strip this morning and Bonito Mexico is still there and alive! There is a sign for cemitas in the window. We did not stop because we were heading for the new Katy's Dumpling in Naperville!

thanks for checking, my plans have changed for the 7th with the crawfish boil on the schedule. So after the pork, dumplings and kraut dinner(lunch) in warrenville we will head back out west to CC for some mudbugs. I am going to try Bonito Mexico soon though.

I hope you enjoyed Katy's, I liked it better than the Werstmont location if only for the table service.

When you do go to Bonito Mexico, let me know and maybe we can meet you there. BTW, the very large For Lease sign I had seen is on the space next door which I believe was a Mexican bakery. Katy's was great, Ron's yesterday for Fat Tuesday was heavenly! What a good week for eating!

I saw a segment on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives where Guy Fieri went to a place called Cemitas Pueblas on North Ave. in Chicago. Been dying to go but haven't made it out yet. The main thing people rave about are the Cemita sandwich and Tacos Arabes. I did a little research to see if anybody knew of a taco joint that served Tacos Arabes by me in Aurora. Low and behold I found this thread! Been by this place a ton of times and never knew they served this food. Never had a desire to try this place going by outside looks and location alone.

I had a Cemita Milanesa and a couple Tacos Arabes. Both were absolutely fantastic. The Cemita Milanesa had a big slice of ham on it in addition to the milanesa. Fresh avocado, tasty chipotle mash, and Oaxacan cheese on a toasted sesame seeded bun. Huge sandwich. The Tacos Arabes were also huge and had a spicy sweet chipotle sauce added(they ask if you want it on the side). I will be back many, many times! Everybody that loves Mexican food that lives in this area needs to try this place. IMO one of the 2 best places for Mexican in the Aurora area. The other being the El Pollo Giro which opened another location in Montgomery,Il Montgomery Rd. next to Gario's Pizza(try a thin sausage here!).


Bonito Mexico
184 Butterfield Rd
North Aurora, IL 60542
(630) 301-7430

Unfortunately Bonito Mexico is no longer. I was planning on going there for dinner tonight, but when I pulled up the sign had changed to Tecalitlan. Despite the new name, the window still said that Cemitas and Taco Arabe were featured. I figured I would give it shot. Not a great decision. The taco arabe consisted of just a regular flour tortilla, some giant chunks of dried out pork and onions with a small cup of chipotle sauce on the side. The cemita milanesa was also a huge disappointment. The sandwich consisted of a sesame seed roll, refried beans, milanesa, chunks of cheese, onions, avocado and a bitter herb.

I'm sorry I didn't make enough to this place when it was Bonito Mexico. A real loss as what I ate tonight is no longer even close to comparable to Cemitas Puebla.

I went there today, as well, and while I'm with you on the taco arabe, I was satisfied with my cemita, I don't see how it was any different from the Bonito Mexico version, other than possibly the new version has papalo (ie the bitter herb).

The Tecalitlan that moved in there is the same family who owns Tecalitlan in downtown Aurora at the corner of Broadway (Rte. 25) and Downer. The downtown business has been there for about 30 years and serves solid Mexican family fare breakfast through dinner, it was a favorite of my Mexican co-workers when I worked in downtown Aurora. It's ok food, not very spicy or inventive but you will see whole generation of families in there as well as business people and teens.

oranjuicejones wrote:I went there today, as well, and while I'm with you on the taco arabe, I was satisfied with my cemita, I don't see how it was any different from the Bonito Mexico version, other than possibly the new version has papalo (ie the bitter herb).

Maybe my memory is failing me as it's been about 9 months since I ate at Bonito Mexico, but I don't remember beans, onions and big chunks of cheese on the cemita. It was more similar to the one at Cemitas Puebla. It had shredded cheese and a chipotle mash not just some cup of sauce on the side. The bread I had last night was also worse. If it was papalo count me as not a fan.

It's been over a year since anyone's posted about Tecalitlan, so I thought I might provide an update. After the name and management change from Bonito Mexico, I thought the cemita didn't really make the transition -- it was more like a second- or third-hand account of a sandwich. So I stopped going for about a year.

And in that year I guess they've been practicing, because the cemita I had today was pretty close to awesome. Heaps of milanesa and chunks of cheese on a toasted seed bun, with just the right amount of heat from the salsa chipotle. And while I don't remember Bonita Mexico using beans, all of the tortas I've had come with them, so no biggie.

It won't be a year until I make it back there again. Heck, I might stop there later this week...

mike

Thanks for that report. I've eaten at Tecalitian in downtown Aurora for some years and it's really not my favorite place so I have avoided the North Aurora location which isn't too far from me. I'll have to give them a try because I have never had cemita and have been wanting to try.

Hmmmm... It's 10 minutes from my house (if I catch all of the traffic lights when they are red), and my calendar is open for lunch tomorrow.

Coincidence? I think not

Unless something comes up, I'm going to check it out tomorrow. Besides the cemita, is there anything else that you recommend, Mike?

Since I work in Warrenville, and since we have quite a few Mexican places between here and N. Aurora, I tend to drive out that far only if I have a hankering for a Puebla specialty, e.g. cemitas or tacos arabes. As I remember, the tacos arabes were fairly one-dimensional (if that dimension were spicy), and kinda expensive at $3 per. But I haven't ordered them since the name change, so they might be completely different (but still $3 according to the takeout menu).

I've also gotten the tacos al pastor, which are decent, but don't really stand out from the zillions of other taco joints closer to me.

Have fun!

mike

Mikelipino wrote:Since I work in Warrenville, and since we have quite a few Mexican places between here and N. Aurora, I tend to drive out that far only if I have a hankering for a Puebla specialty, e.g. cemitas or tacos arabes. As I remember, the tacos arabes were fairly one-dimensional (if that dimension were spicy), and kinda expensive at $3 per. But I haven't ordered them since the name change, so they might be completely different (but still $3 according to the takeout menu).

I've also gotten the tacos al pastor, which are decent, but don't really stand out from the zillions of other taco joints closer to me.

Have fun!

mike

Hijack alert!

What are your favorite Mexican places around Warrenville? I work in the area now and haven't really seen anything that looked like it stood out.

Here are my Mexican choices, try em out and let us know what you think!

Cemitas
Technochocolate - The only game in town

Quick Lunch
Super Taco - Very well priced. My coworkers swear by their burritos, and their al pastor is pretty good. If you're adventurous, they also have a whole fried fish for pretty cheap!
El Hogar - I like their tortas, and the platos are pretty good

Lavish "boss is out of town" Lunch (or dinner)
La Quebrada - Excellent grilled meats, homemade tortillas
Bien Trucha - Fancy Nuevo-Mexican fare (not New Mexican)

Late Night Tacos
El Hogar - Watch out for the barfolk stumbling home!
Los Burritos Tapatios - Offers a gutbuster of a chilaquiles plate

mike

Mikelipino wrote:Here are my Mexican choices, try em out and let us know what you think!

Cemitas
Technochocolate - The only game in town

Quick Lunch
Super Taco - Very well priced. My coworkers swear by their burritos, and their al pastor is pretty good. If you're adventurous, they also have a whole fried fish for pretty cheap!
El Hogar - I like their tortas, and the platos are pretty good

Lavish "boss is out of town" Lunch (or dinner)
La Quebrada - Excellent grilled meats, homemade tortillas
Bien Trucha - Fancy Nuevo-Mexican fare (not New Mexican)

Late Night Tacos
El Hogar - Watch out for the barfolk stumbling home!
Los Burritos Tapatios - Offers a gutbuster of a chilaquiles plate

mike

Thanks, I've been meaning to check out Super Taco. Do you know if their pastor is off the spit or not? Tapatios in Lisle has been my standby when it comes to tacos and burritos in the area. I haven't been to El Hogar in years, so I'll have to revisit that one as well. As I posted above I did not enjoy the cemita that I had at Tecalitan a year or so ago. Maybe I'll give them a shot some day. It's a bit far for lunch.

Mikelipino wrote:Since I work in Warrenville, and since we have quite a few Mexican places between here and N. Aurora, I tend to drive out that far only if I have a hankering for a Puebla specialty, e.g. cemitas or tacos arabes. As I remember, the tacos arabes were fairly one-dimensional (if that dimension were spicy), and kinda expensive at $3 per. But I haven't ordered them since the name change, so they might be completely different (but still $3 according to the takeout menu).

I've also gotten the tacos al pastor, which are decent, but don't really stand out from the zillions of other taco joints closer to me.

Have fun!

mike

Thanks, Mike! I stuck with the Cemita today and really enjoyed it. The bun was soft and fresh, and the breaded beef and ham had a nice flavor. I also enjoyed the fresh salsa and chip as well as the green and red salsas that they brought out with the cemita.

There was a group of 6 people there who were obviously regulars. One of the guys told the waitress to bring him "that shrimp thing that I had last time" It looked great, but I have no idea what it was I think I'll be going back and I will try the birria.

Here is the cemita...





and the red and green salsas...

Got the taco arabe today, and it was surprisingly good, much better than the "stewed in hot sauce" version I got way back when. Kind of like al pastor, but less seasoned, and with more pork chop flavor. Served with grilled onions on a flour tortilla, and definitely ask for the salsa chipotle to spoon on top.

Still relatively expensive at $3, but if you get one of those and two other tacos at $1.75 each, you have a pretty good cheap meal! And as Ron mentioned if you eat in, you get chips and like four different (and very good) salsas.

Concerning whether the pastor or the tacos arabes come off a spit, I doubt it, I didn't spot one. But if you don't think too much about it, these are still very good tacos

mike

I love me some tacos arabes. Is there anywhere else in the area to get them other than Cemitas Puebla and this place? Both are a bit of a drive for me from the north side of the city.