Really Good Average Mexican Food

Or is it really average good Mexican food? You know things are really crankin' in Chicago's Mexican food scene when you can walk away from a place with hand-made huraches, hand-made tortillas for tacos en canasta and, well not the advertised 10 salsas to try, but 4 very nice ones, and you walk away saying, pretty good. You think about the deliciousness of fresh masa, but you also wonder, were the walls of the gordita just a bit too thick. The hurache is broad and flat and filled with beans that taste better than they look, but the huarache also tastes a bit thin in the mouth. It is not the robust pleasure of chew that is the rico huarache at Maxwell Street. Those crated up tacos have semi-exotic fillings like chicharron in a surprising spicy sauce, whipped potatoes and chorizo blended into one modern contraption and a mixed dice, that included, I believe, hot dogs, but the homemade tortillas were also dunked just a few seconds too long in the grease before hitting the griddle.

I wonder now if I'd be as picky about say, Dona Lois, the very first Mexican place I touted on Chowhound. It's a slightly similar store that also combines folded fresh masa with a bit of grease, but the fact that I can be so picky is a pretty nice thing.

La Chilangueada
5131 W. Fullerton
Chicago, IL
773-237-6638

Sounds good, do you recall what the prices are like?

Thought I'd bump this thread after 9 years. I ordered tonight for the first time from La Chilangueada after it showed up on GrubHub, and I have to say, this is some of the best Mexican food I've had within a deliverable radius of me, which is saying something. The highlight of my order was the huitlacoche quesadilla, which included some mushrooms along with a pretty much perfect proportion of cheese and corn smut. Really surprised me, because I thought I knew how good this particular dish could be based on some other experiences, but this blew those away. I also liked the canasta tacos, which they conveniently let you order as a tasting menu of five varieties. I have had an aversion to these based on how they look in street vendor's displays around the Zocalo in Mexico City, which was my only encounter with them before tonight (nasty and sweaty with grease would be the best way to describe them), but I gave it a whirl and was pleased to find that canasta ("basket") tacos really are just bite-sized tacos; who knew, it's about the size, not the greasiness. Anyway, the name of the store and the style of the food says Mexico City to me (based impressionistically on street food consumed my three or four visits there and no claims of expertise). I liked it a lot and recommend it.

Thanks for the update! Always happy to hear about good Mexican food!

Since making my post above, I've made several more visits to La Chilangueada, as well as just now having delivery (they stopped delivering for a while, but are now back up and running). My admiration for this place just continues to grow. Quesadilla Hongos was magnificent; fresh mushrooms given just the right taste of the grill, with the wonderful masa and plenty of greasy, gooey cheese, it was outstanding. The tacos de canasta continue to be my regular order, and they continue to impress; with fancier plating, these would fit at a place like Frontera seamlessly (but would cost $15, versus the $6 charged here).

Helps that Somethin' Sweet Donuts is directly across the street, too. Took a young professional West Loop dwelling colleague of mine both places this week and blew his mind.

I think this thread might be the correct place to put this. I've wanted to praise Taqeria Mazamitla at the corner of Belmont and Central Park Road for a long time, but I was never sure it could match up to the Mexican heavyweights that are featured on this forum. Mazamitla is just a neighborhood Mexican place with a lot of good items and a few excellent dishes, one of many places like it in Chicago. The highlights are:

1) Perfect tortillas. Not hand made, but they're always fresh and griddled just right, with just enough crispness and grease. I actually like them better than the fresh tortillas at Maxwell St Market.
2) The best pico de gallo I have ever had. They know it, too. If you want to buy this pico separately they'll charge something like $5 a cup but it's well worth it.
3) Picadillo – savory minced beef cooked down with onion and carrot. Excellent.
4) Chicken – juicy dark meat griddled with onions and green chiles, with a hint of smoke. Very good
5) Quesadillas a mano – Imagine a delicious version of a Taco Bell Chalupa, with a freshly handmade and fried corn flour shell. Also, it's even cheaper than a chalupa. These are a part time item that shows up on special for the ridiculous price of $2.50.

Al pastor is not bad, steak and lengua are forgettable, and whatever you do don't get the birria which is like flavorless spent soup meat. So there's a lot of good and some bad. Well worth a visit if you are up in Avondale.

3610 W Belmont Ave