Hamburguesas: El Duranguito, Taco Mex, La Esquina del Sabor

I'm not a burger purist but I usually prefer simpler versions, often without cheese or other distractions like lettuce and tomato. But sometimes the opposite approach is fun, like the overloaded kimchee burger at bopNgrill. This year I've had a few memorable Mexican takes on the hamburger.

In another thread I mentioned the hamburguesa estilo Durango at Maywood's El Duranguito.



This is a great little place that really deserves its own thread. In addition to some well prepared northern Mexican specialties, they offer this absurdly overdressed burger.





It's a good hand-patted burger but it's a little hard to appreciate because of all the ham, bacon, guacamole, jalapeños, lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard, ketchup and mayonnaise. Somehow all this crap works together to produce a surprisingly satisfying, though certainly sloppy, burger.

Taco Mex, in the South Deering neighborhood, is another fine little restaurant that ought to be more widely known. They're popular for an interesting green carne en su jugo and weekend menudo and tamales (some of the best I've had, but they sell out early). Taco Mex actually started out selling hamburgers and they're still proudly featured on the menu. The Baja Burger is a really fine $3.59 hamburger.







The hand-formed patty comes dressed with a smear of beans, lettuce, tomato, red onion, avocado and a bit of mayo on a toasted bun. Add some of their excellent garlicky red salsa and you're in business. The quality of the ingredients, especially the generous slices of avocado, really shines through. In my previous visits I always ignored the burgers in favor of the Mexican specialties but in the future it's going to be a tough choice.

La Esquina del Sabor is a new place in the Gage Park neighborhood. It's more a snack shop than restaurant, specializing in licuados and other drinks and juices. What caught my eye was the mention of Hamburguesas estilo DF on the sign.



I had second thoughts after reading the description—con jamon, queso, piña, tocino, mayonesa, tomate, cebolla, jalapeños—but decided to plunge ahead.



My skepticism about pineapple and mayo on a burger proved to be well founded. This thing was an unholy and unappetizing mess. The many flavors of the low quality ingredients fought without harmonizing. The thick slice of pineapple was particularly unappealing. I suspect someone might be able to make a good burger out of these ingredients but this was a complete failure in my book.

There are so many hamburguesas out there. Anyone tried an interesting one?

El Duranguito
402 Lake St
Maywood IL
708-343-4584

Taco Mex
10658 S Torrence Av
Chicago
773-734-4321

La Esquina del Sabor
3143 W 51st St
Chicago

Rene G wrote:There are so many hamburguesas out there. Anyone tried an interesting one?

Thanks, as always, for showcasing restaurants on the South Side.

I must admit that it almost never occurs to me to order hamburgers anywhere except American restaurants (and even then I tend not to unless burgers are a specialty of the place. This tends to mean that most of the burgers I eat come from bars and places with drive-thru windows).

So that makes me wonder why anyone who could get carnitas or carne en su jugo would order ground beef on a bun. Did you set out to do a hamburguesa survey or was it just happenstance?