Taco Grill on Ogden in Westmont

Taco Grill on Ogden in Westmont. Has anyone been here yet?

This is by far, the best and most authentic Mexican food I can find in the suburbs. The Tortas are out of this world.

I'm going to take a camera by this week and take some pictures.

The Salsa Bar is amazing, up to 15 different salsas in a buffett style, per day.

The owner is friendly and definitely passionate.

Check this place out. It's across from my work (Blockbuster) on Ogden, in Westmont.

Several mentions, no real serious photo post. Here's one post, yours truly.

http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t= ... rill+ogden

Note the url reflects a search for "taco grill" and "ogden"

Good options right there on Ogden near Cass.

I have eaten there about a dozen times, and I think it's very good. I usually stick to the tacos al carbon, which are quite good. I should try a torta next time. I agree about their great salsas and friendly, efficient service.

I have always liked this place, and I'm glad you thought to mention it. It's the one Mexican place in the area where my parents and I can both enjoy ourselves because their less spicy offerings -- (a steak for dad and a quesadilla for mom) are so well prepared. The room is tidy and bright.

I like Taqueria El Pulpo for my Westmont taco fix, but I have not been to Taco Grill so I will check it out. And, despite my continued positive posts, I seem to have convinced no one else to go to El Pulpo, which seems okay because it has not hurt their business.

The only question is - where is it? I am assuming this is Taco Grill & Salsa Bar at 111 W Ogden in Westmont, a block or two west of Cass?

The real problem, then, is if I am within spitting distance of Katie's, will I just stop and have a taco? Hard choice.

Tough choice, only in a certain sense....

Taco Grill may be good, but Katy's is mind-expanding.

I love this web site.

Dickson, yes it is the place on the corner of Ogden and Cass.

Taco Grill has long been my taco of choice in the Westmont area. Personally, I like the Tacos Al Pastor. The trim straight from the cone, then brown the bits on the griddle.

Also if I'm in the mood for gringo Mexican I'll order their nachos. Piled high with that gloppy 'cheese', guac, sour cream, and your choice of salsa.

Flip

I went there for lunch. I always avoided this place, since any place named "Taco Grill & Salsa Bar" had violated almost every rule I have for selecting good places to eat.

I was wrong, so wrong.

Wonderful Milanesa, pretty good salsas, and a very good selection of salsas.

I am happy.

Thank you, Jeff, Flip & Mattmartisek for bringing this to my attention.

As to choosing between Taco Grill and Katy's - yeah, Katy's is a better place in almost every sense, but sometime you need to make those tough choices .

I have been to the Taco Grill twice, once for lunch and once for dinner. I did not like either visit. I thought the selection of different salsas were interesting, but the food was below average. I had some steak tacos each time , and found the meat fatty, with gristle. If I need mexican food for lunch I go to the tacqueria in downtown Westmont on the S. Side of the tracks.

Like others have said with Katy's, and Lao Szechuwan so close by I never have the desire to stop for lunch on my break from work. I alos hit Uncle Bubs, Pauls in Westchester for Italian Beef, & Westmont Brat House as some of my lunchtime regulars

dicksond wrote:And, despite my continued positive posts, I seem to have convinced no one else to go to El Pulpo.

That's not quite true...

dicksond wrote: I always avoided this place, since any place named "Taco Grill & Salsa Bar" had violated almost every rule I have for selecting good places to eat.

Same here. I will put it on the rotation (currently Los Arcos, El Pulpo, and El Tesoro Glendale Heights depending on how far I feel like driving that day) and see what happens.

So I was going from Nature's Best to Trader Joe's at 11:15 this morning, and drove past Taco Grill. Now, I had just blown my diet for the weekend the day before on a misadventure at Bella Pizzeria, but I realized it'd be a couple of weeks before I would be around this part of Westmont again, so I made a U-Turn and pulled in.

Like dickson, I had not partaken of Taco Grill and Salsa bar because of their name... it sounded like something a Greek guy would open.

Oh.
My.
God.

Now, not everything was perfect. My taco al pastor was not great because the meat had no flavor, and I did not finish it because I just wanted a taste anyway. But the cecina taco was excellent, the chips were not stale, and they had bottomless Diet Coke for $1.39.

But the Salsa Bar..... My God, I want these people to cater that for me the next time I have people at the house.

17 items, I think it was 11 sauces and 7 vegetable mixes. I tried three of the sauces. The XXX-Hot one (back row, 2nd from the left, green and smooth) was delicous. And literally all you needed was to dip the corner of your fork in it and put it on your entire taco. It was THAT hot, but still wonderfully flavorful. I almost got faked out because the Latino guy before me took a whole ladle of it. The XX-hot one I tried (back row, this time second from the right), was a red-based sauce whch was similar to the one I had at El Tesoro the previous weekend, and equally delicous. The mild one, well that's just for the kids and the elderly.

The vegetables blew me away. They had the standard jalepeno/carrot mix, but then they had at least four more, in varying degrees of heat. My favorite was the radish and shredded onion mixture. I think I could have just eaten a bowl of that with some tortilla chips, and been perfectly happy.

By the time I left, still before noon, there were five tables with people at them. Not bad for that time of the week, similar to what the El Famous Burrito down the street from my house pulls in.

I will be back to try more things on their menu. The prices are about 10% too high, but that's a minor quibble. It is very different from El Pulpo, or the near-my-house quick fix of Los Arcos, but it's worth checking out if you are a couple of miles away.

I love this place as well. The mole chicken enchalidas are fantastic and their Orchata(sp?) drink is great also. I tell people in my area that this is the best mexican place in the area.

The Pastor was on the top of it's game yesterday when I stopped in for lunch. My standard order is a Torta al pastor. I'm not sure if it was the timing or what the deal was yesterday, but the pastor had some seriously great crust on it. I was the first person there for lunch at 11, so the meat was cut right off the spit and put on the griddle. Sometimes if you go in the middle of the lunch rush they have already cut a bunch off and keep it in a bucket.

I work in Oakbrook so Taco Grill is usually a weekly or every other week lunch visit. While always pretty good, yesterday was awesome.

Since this thread has been so properly promoted once again, let me say that the OPs original thesis, that Taco Grill darned good and definitely better than anything else Mexican within a long distance is still true both happily (because Taco Grill remains quite good) and sadly, because there is so little else that even comes close until you get to the Fox River.

There is a new upscale place on Roosevelt in Lombard, Fonda Isabel, that may have some relationship to Taco Grill since that is where I found out about it. Went there for lunch one day - very serviceable mole, nice little selection of salsas, good tortillas. The whole thing struck me as a bit too precious - not the family-run dive that is my Mexican ideal. That really is unfair, though. The menu is interesting and should be explored more. Lunch prices are a little high, but between the decor and the attention to detail, that is probably justified.

dicksond wrote:Taco Grill darned good and definitely better than anything else Mexican within a long distance is still true both happily (because Taco Grill remains quite good) and sadly, because there is so little else that even comes close until you get to the Fox River.

.

Las Asadas Brookfield location, which I feel is head and shoulders above what Taco Grill is doing, is only 9 or so miles east of here on Ogden. Thats where i go for carne asada, chili rellenos, etc for my lunches.

Been here a few times.

That Al Pastor on a spit is pure porn! I have to agree the prices are a little high; on the other hand the portions (especially the Tortas) are massive and can easily become two meals (this coming from somebody who has no will power!)

Thank god there is a Mexican restaurant where you can turn up the heat when you want to. The triple X salsas are mostly dynamite. I'm not a big fan of the Habanero based salsas - just not a big fan of the taste. But I like everything else. There is one in particular I like that is basically pickled onions and peppers that is just mind blowing. I'm going to recommend to them to come out with a ghost chili concotion for a XXXXX rating

The only way this place could get better IMHO is letting you get unlimited refills on the horchata.

Used to work in the area and Taco Grill was regularly on the lunch rotation. I normally stuck to the tacos, mostly pastor or carnitas, which are average to slightly above. If there’s one reason this place is consistently crowded during lunch, it’s the extensive salsa bar with consistent variety ranging from benign and basic to fierce and unique. I’d love to have a place like this in the loop, because La Cocina just can’t hang.

Been there for lunch many times.....The range of salsas is amazing, and the food is quite good.....I've never been disappointed in the Pastor.....

courtesi wrote:I have to agree the prices are a little high...

The only way this place could get better IMHO is letting you get unlimited refills on the horchata.

If you are agreeing with me, my comment was about Fonda Isabel not Taco Grill. I do not consider Taco Grill to be pricey.

Free refills on horchata would be grand, but is there any place that does this? Of course, they should...

I frequent Taco Grill regularly, but my all-time favorite taco is Las Asadas carne asada. So yesterday I tried the Brookfield location. It was good, but well short of the heights reached consistently by the location on Western Ave. The meat was drier and less flavorful. The beans, which I have never sampled at the Western location, were delicious, however. Could've been an off night for the carne asada, so I'll definitely be giving the place another shot before writing it off and sticking to Taco Grill. Another point against Las Asadas is the lack of al pastor, which varies from decent to outstanding at Taco Grill. I also would be very surprised if their tortas rivaled the ones at TG, particularly their Cubana. Plus yeah, THE SALSA BAR (though one of Las Asadas salsa offerings is nearly perfect).

dicksond wrote:I like Taqueria El Pulpo for my Westmont taco fix, but I have not been to Taco Grill so I will check it out. And, despite my continued positive posts, I seem to have convinced no one else to go to El Pulpo, which seems okay because it has not hurt their business.

I fianlly got to El Pulpo on 63rd street friday afternoon after lunch @ Double Li, and liked what I had. Friendly service, inexpensive tacos, complimentary chips and 2 salsas. The salsa verde was nice, and packed a little heat. The carne asada tacos were good as well. I asked about their al pastor, f was cooked on a spit, and was told no. Not as good as Las Asadas, but better than the rest in the area imho.

ill be back when I dont have time to get over to Brookfield.

El Pulpo
323 W. 63rd
Westmont, IL.

Hit up Taco Grill for lunch today. Went a little after the lunch rush 1pm and the pastor was fresh off the cone. Tons of crispy bits. Standard order of a torta al pastor and added a XX salsa verde. Additionally, I went with my a couple of my favorite salsas. One is a creamy verde that ranges from medium heat to very hot depending on the day. The other is a creamy habanero that is fiery hot. There is another salsa that is basically just habanero and onion chopped up. That one is usually labeled XXXX. I like to take a little bit of that one and mix it up with the mild red salsa.


I really like the different type of roll that they use at Taco Grill. They give you enough meat for 2 sandwiches.


If you stick to the pastor, carnitas or milanesa it's really hard to go wrong here.

Not being by this place is the only thing i miss about my old job, looks like a mighty fine torta.

AlekH wrote:Not being by this place is the only thing i miss about my old job, looks like a mighty fine torta.

Yeah, I'm in the process of looking for a new job. Moving out of the area and not being able to get here for lunch would definitely be about the only thing I'll miss.

The NAV MAN loves nothing more then to load up on the cecina 'cos, go heavy on the XXX salsa and then walk next door to the suburban lanes and fire some rocks. One of the best 1-2 punches on Ogden. (possibly roll by westmont liquors, snake a pint of dimitri and fill up an ice mountain with the good stuff/ nav man is a cost effective roller)

have you tried their torta cubana? a good one from there is a top 5 all-time sandwich for me. sometimes i've gotten not-so-fresh bread, though they seem to have rectified that lately.

NAV MAN lived on the other side of the three radio towers for 18 years. Loved the Taco Grill, but Las Palmas is the spot on that stretch of Ogden.

It's been a while since I've posted in this thread. Just wanted to update that this place is still the place to go for al pastor in the western burbs.

I figure after 4 years someone should post the address

Taco Grill and Salsa Bar
111 W Ogden Ave.
Westmont, IL 60559

I got a flier in the mail the other day that there was a Taco Grill in Lombard now on Roosevelt. Doing a little research, it seems that it is where Fonda Isabel used to be. There's also an article that the owners of Taco Grill and (the now closed) Fonda Isabel are the same. If any of this is inaccurate, please feel free to correct!!

New Taco Grill location...

18W333 Roosevelt Rd., Lombard, IL 60148
Tel:630-691-2222

Yup, the same owners. I saw they still have white tablecloths on the tables, so I'm not sure what's going on inside. I do hope they have new management as Fonda Isabel was run very poorly, hiring untrained servers who doubled as food preps, dirty cluttered bar and no food turnover. Probably best if they don't tell people they are the same owners.