Los Huaraches - Home-style Mexican in Northbrook

Based on a recommendation in this thread, we decided to check out Los Huaraches yesterday, when we were in the neighborhood, after a movie. Overall, we really liked it. A few of the dishes were excellent and we were pleased with the selection, which offered some relatively distinctive fare, especially for the 'burbs.

We thought it was a very good sign that, other than us, all the customers in the dining room were Mexican families. In addition to the dine-in business, it seemed that quite a few carry-out orders were being put together, as well.

Unfortunately, I only had my tiny camera with me, so the shots are not exactly optimal . . .


Los Huaraches' exterior. It's in a strip mall at Sanders and Milwaukee (west side of Milwaukee).



The 'specials' board offered quite a few items of interest.



Starters were not bad but nothing special. The chips and salsa were tasty but I wouldn't categorize them as faves.



The salsa was fairly hot. I generally like more balance.



Guacamole, which we ordered for reference, was tasty but a bit creamier in texture than what I'm used to. What I did appreciate was the fine dice (nearly a mince) on the onions and tomatoes.


I was thrilled to see Quesadillas de Huitlacoche on the menu. This was a very simple preparation, which really let the huitlacoche shine through. They were delicious, with an almost meaty front note and pleasantly bitter finish.



Enchiladas de Queso. I thought the salsa roja on the enchiladas was wonderful. It had a bite to it but some sweetness and balance, too. And the beans and rice were both surprisingly tasty (with all the dishes). I appreciated the mixed texture of the beans, which you can see, contained some whole pieces.



Sorry for the lousy focus here. This sandwich, the Torta Cubana (which was recommended in the thread referenced above) was absolutely delicious . . . and gigantic. Yes, those are pieces of hotdog tucked in there under the milanesa.



Carne de Puerco en salsa verde con verdolagas. What a treat to find a dish like this on the menu! The on-the-bone pork was tender and flavorful and the verdolagas were so addictive, they were impossible to resist.

I spoke briefly with the owner, Javier, after our meal and asked him if the huitlacoche was fresh. He confirmed that it was and said that even though it was somewhat hard to find, he'd have it on the menu for about a month. He told me that this was "real Mexican food" and that everything was made from scratch everyday. Tortillas (and chips) aside, that was true and it clearly showed. I really enjoyed our meal and definitely plan to return to Los Huaraches on a regular basis.

=R=

Los Huaraches
3482 Milwaukee Avenue
Northbrook, IL
847 827-8653

Thanks for the report, can't wait to check it out!

Looks great! The refried beans do look particularly tasty--love that they aren't the usual homogenous mush.

Had to look up "verdolagas" since I had never come across them before--looks like they are basically the same thing as purslane. Never had them before--I've had Indian dishes with fenugreek but not sure if verdolagas are as bitter. Since I am a bit fan of bitter/acidic greens I'll have to hunt some down!

Had the puerco con verdolagas today. Decent eats. That and a Jarritos to go set me back $10.54. Tad overpriced IMHO. A healthier portion of the greens may have made up for it, or maybe I'm just not used to paying these Northbrook prices yet. Would I go back? Hmmm. I might try their enchiladas, but some of their prices seem waaay out of whack. Looking at the menu now:
Tostadas: $3.25 each - yes, EACH.
3 Taco Dinner: $8.25
3 Taco Dinner a la carte would be $7.75. (maybe I'll go back and order this meal a la carte.)
Things like that irk me to no avail. Decent food, but the prices are not justified by the product IMO. Granted, not all of the prices are high, but ...whoa. I just looked at the menu again. I just paid $1.75 for a 20 oz Jarritos. LOL.

Um, this place has just been crossed off my list.

salsa looks like something i used to get up in wicker park... very soupy and very hot. ill have to check it out sometime

seebee wrote:Had the puerco con verdolagas today. Decent eats. That and a Jarritos to go set me back $10.54. Tad overpriced IMHO. A healthier portion of the greens may have made up for it, or maybe I'm just not used to paying these Northbrook prices yet. Would I go back? Hmmm. I might try their enchiladas, but some of their prices seem waaay out of whack. Looking at the menu now:
Tostadas: $3.25 each - yes, EACH.
3 Taco Dinner: $8.25
3 Taco Dinner a la carte would be $7.75. (maybe I'll go back and order this meal a la carte.)
Things like that irk me to no avail. Decent food, but the prices are not justified by the product IMO. Granted, not all of the prices are high, but ...whoa. I just looked at the menu again. I just paid $1.75 for a 20 oz Jarritos. LOL.

Um, this place has just been crossed off my list.

Aren't most of the sandwiches in the $4-5 range? I'll admit that I didn't look too closely at the prices but the meal I posted about above (sandwich, carne de puerco con verdolagas, enchiladas, guacamole, quesadilla de huitlacoche and 3 beverages) cost $32 before tip, which seemed very reasonable to me.

=R=

Milanesa, chorizo, asada, pollo, and pastor tortas run 4.50. All other tortas are 5.99 (including the Cubana) according to this to-go menu. Like I said, not all of the prices are high, but I was not impressed w/ 10.54 for the puerco con verdolagas and a Jarritos. It was good, just not 11.00 good. Stewed pork and boiled greens, and not a great portion when I got it (after picking the meat off the bones.) The price point just didn't do it for me. It'd garner some praise from me for a few bux less, since it's basically just bone -in stew in a spicy broth with boiled greens. Reminded me of a small portion of hamhocks and collards. I still might make it back for a torta or those enchiladas, but I've got a few Mex places yet to try a little bit north of there for those types of items.

seebee wrote:Milanesa, chorizo, asada, pollo, and pastor tortas run 4.50. All other tortas are 5.99 (including the Cubana) according to this to-go menu. Like I said, not all of the prices are high, but I was not impressed w/ 10.54 for the puerco con verdolagas and a Jarritos. It was good, just not 11.00 good. Stewed pork and boiled greens, and not a great portion when I got it (after picking the meat off the bones.) The price point just didn't do it for me. It'd garner some praise from me for a few bux less, since it's basically just bone -in stew in a spicy broth with boiled greens. Reminded me of a small portion of hamhocks and collards. I still might make it back for a torta or those enchiladas, but I've got a few Mex places yet to try a little bit north of there for those types of items.

Yeah, I understand what you're saying. And you're right, there are quite a few Mexican spots along Milwaukee (and near it) all the way up to Vernon Hills and beyond. I hope to try a few more of them out myself.

=R=

Correction, the Torta Cubana was actually $6.99. When I went to Los H yesterday, I picked up a menu from the Sushi Box. Notes forthcoming here: http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=8547&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=90

Went back for another taste of Huaraches, and I think I mostly still prefer Monica's. (but see below for exceptional stuff)

Why? The table salsa is "meh" at LH. That's a deal breaker right there. It wasn't the chips, but the red salsa that had that vague fishiness you get from overheated canola oil, just made it unpleasant. Could be something else (I doubt there's dried shrimp in the salsa, but you never know).

Thing2 had his go-to dish: chorizo burrito. It was less greasy than some, and he seemed pretty happy.

I ordered the quesadillas de flor de calabaza (also on the sign on the o.p.), and like the huitlacoche, is one huge corn tortilla surrounding a big mass of cheese and chopped veg. Hard to say if it really is squash blossom, as none of it is yellow, but it is very tasty. This was too much to eat for the appetizer I was expecting, but it'll make a nice lunch.

I also ordered chiles rellenos, my litmus test for Mexican. Somewhat soggy, but oh what a sauce: red-orange and smoky (probably chipotle), it made the dish shine. Accompanied by very pale beans and ordinary rice garnished with two slices of avocado, and served with corn tortillas (commercial, I'm pretty sure). A good deal at $7.50.

Note: Los Huaraches is in the 2008 Entertainment Book, value up to $8.

JoelF wrote:Went back for another taste of Huaraches, and I think I mostly still prefer Monica's. (but see below for exceptional stuff)

Why? The table salsa is "meh" at LH. That's a deal breaker right there. It wasn't the chips, but the red salsa that had that vague fishiness you get from overheated canola oil, just made it unpleasant. Could be something else (I doubt there's dried shrimp in the salsa, but you never know).

Thing2 had his go-to dish: chorizo burrito. It was less greasy than some, and he seemed pretty happy.

I ordered the quesadillas de flor de calabaza (also on the sign on the o.p.), and like the huitlacoche, is one huge corn tortilla surrounding a big mass of cheese and chopped veg. Hard to say if it really is squash blossom, as none of it is yellow, but it is very tasty. This was too much to eat for the appetizer I was expecting, but it'll make a nice lunch.

I also ordered chiles rellenos, my litmus test for Mexican. Somewhat soggy, but oh what a sauce: red-orange and smoky (probably chipotle), it made the dish shine. Accompanied by very pale beans and ordinary rice garnished with two slices of avocado, and served with corn tortillas (commercial, I'm pretty sure). A good deal at $7.50.

Note: Los Huaraches is in the 2008 Entertainment Book, value up to $8.

used to eat here back when it was Tasty Burritto..it was good then..tried it after this palce took over and was very underwhelmed..food was very bland..then i discovered Monica's..blows this place away

hey i found a place that does the "mexican truffle" quesadilla and they make their own tortillas... i had a suadero "rose meat" taco from them yesterday and it was fairly good... came garnished with onions and cilantro. i'll post an address and maybe pics later.

well i tried the mexican truffle and well... its not for me lol. its was good, but not for me... much the same way sesos, lomo and lengua are not for me heh.

Enchiladas de mole Oaxaqueno at Los Huaraches, Northbrook.

Looks like this place has fallen off LTH radar, which is a shame. We had a very good meal here the other day.

The quesadilla de flor de calabaza with cheese was really wonderful, even though we didn't notice the option to upgrade to tortillas hecho a mano till too late. I was less enamored with the Oaxacan-style tamales, which were rather dry.

The mole was a little sweet for me -- we ordered a combination of enchiladas, beef, pork and cheese, and thought the mole worked best with the cheese. The owner said they make the mole from scratch.

It's definitely worth stopping if you're in the area.


Edited to remove photo due to new LTHForum Terms of Service.