Tio Luis and Brighton Park

I've always been puzzled at how little Tio Luis on Archer pops up here; I think it's one of the best pure taquerias in the city. No great decor, simple booths, wide open kitchen with just a few dilligent grillsman back there, but you can tell that someone has been up since the wee hours getting the big pots of birria going, marinating the steak, stacking the limes and avocados, cleaning the nopales, peeling the potatoes.

Name a central or northern Mexican ingredient and they have it on the menu, fresh and well cooked. From goat to cactus paddles and brain to cured beef, it will be at your table in five minutes with extra tortillas, lime halves, and good table pickles. The salsa is pureed and rather basic, one chink in the armor, but you barely need it with the abundance of citrus and cilantro.

My favorite dishes:

- the $4.95 (small) carne en su jugo, served every day of the week, can feed about three hungry people. It features a whole sliced radish, a whole sliced avocado, lots of bacon, few but very tasty beans, and a generous slice of carne asada, chopped and stirred in at the last minute. Homemade, salty, complex broth.

- the torta de milanesa. This gets raves on Yelp and in my circle of Latino friends. Not quite as savory as a cemita at Puebla, but just as nicely cooked and served.

- the potato and chorizo gordita; this is one of the few places in the city making them. Large chunks of boiled potato, sauteed red pepper, and crisp-fried, coarse-ground chorizo. The quality of the masa shell can vary but the filling is always spot-on.

- the birria, less gamey and a more vegetable-rich stew than even some main-event birririas around the city. Very palatable for beginner Mexican goat-eaters. (TM)

I like the carne asada tacos (rated #1 in the city by the Tribune last year) slightly less than the GNR'd La Pasadita location, and certainly less than build-your-own at Sol de Mexico with the homemade tortillas, but they're still very good. They throw around avocados here (of which Twisted Spoke charges $1.50 to add a few slices to any sandwich) like they were as common as table salt.

As soon as I can find a date, I'll post an event. In the meantime, please add your own thoughts.

Tio Luis
3856 S. Archer
(west of Western on Archer)
BYOB

I have not visited, but want to learn more about:

Los Girasoles
3661 S. Archer

Attractive awning and entryway, and has a good looking menu with huaraches, chicharron, mixed grill, oysters:
http://www.allmenus.com/menus/220658/Los-Girasoles

Don Jose Tamaleria
2000 W. 34th (Damen and Archer)

I see that MJN reviewed this place for Centerstage, and they have rajas and squash blossom tamales and always seem busy when I'm driving past, too full from Tio Luis.

Chop Suey Loh
3825 S. Archer

Admittedly not Mexican. I understand it's been there since the dawn of time, and my neighborhood friends have rumored some Chinese-menu items that sound appealing if true and available consistently.

Next time I'm through the area, I might try to hit all four, either as part of an event or on my own. Brighton Park is a gaping hole on the GNR map and general threads.

I checked it out after the Trib named their tacos best in Chicago last year and have been back maybe 4 or 5 times since. Are they the best in town? I think La Pasadita are better but the extensive, full menu at Tio Luis makes for a better overall meal out experience.

We order Tio Luis tacos every Friday at work. I can't vouch for La Pasadita, but dang these tacos are good.

The carne asada taco is always cooked just right with a bit of char in the meat. The al pastor is a pineapple marinade which makes it taste sweet. You can't go wrong with a chorizo taco if you like grease and some kind of spice. I like the chicken tacos too, but not as much as the first three.

Never tried any other entrees there...but the tacos are muy bueno.

We usually order guacamole and pico de gallo to go with our tortilla chips. The guac needs salt, but the pico is sour--just the way I like it.

Santander wrote:I've always been puzzled at how little Tio Luis on Archer pops up here; I think it's one of the best pure taquerias in the city.

Tio Luis seems more than a taqueria. Mariscos to menudo, flautas to fajitas, pozole to pastor, they try to do it all.

I first went a few years ago, before the Tribune article, and had a torta that didn't inspire me to return. Since the Tribune rated their steak tacos the best in Chicago it's gotten a lot more attention and I'd been thinking I ought to give them another chance. This thread finally got me to revisit.

- the $4.95 (small) carne en su jugo, served every day of the week, can feed about three hungry people. It features a whole sliced radish, a whole sliced avocado, lots of bacon, few but very tasty beans, and a generous slice of carne asada, chopped and stirred in at the last minute. Homemade, salty, complex broth.

Carne en su Jugo


Tio Luis does a respectable meat-heavy version but I was disappointed by how meager the garnishes were. This is a bowl I might order again if the much superior version at Los Gallos wasn't a short distance down the street (4252 S Archer).

- the torta de milanesa. This gets raves on Yelp and in my circle of Latino friends. Not quite as savory as a cemita at Puebla, but just as nicely cooked and served.

Torta de Milanesa


This was definitely better than the one I tried several years ago. The bread is now grilled and pressed which makes a world of difference. The garnishes, especially that unfortunate tomato, were nothing special. I much prefer the versions at La Oaxaqueña (3382 N Milwaukee) or Cemitas Puebla (3619 W North).

- the potato and chorizo gordita; this is one of the few places in the city making them. Large chunks of boiled potato, sauteed red pepper, and crisp-fried, coarse-ground chorizo. The quality of the masa shell can vary but the filling is always spot-on.

Gorditas


This was my least favorite item at Tio Luis. I suspect the shells were made well in advance and warmed up before filling (they were cracked and dry). The filling, too, was dry and lacked any real character (unusual for chorizo). The bland, watery salsa was no help. This has to be one of my least favorite salsas in Chicago. Reliably good freshly-made gorditas can be had at Gorditas Aquascalientes (3132 W 26th; also in Cicero) but chorizo y papas isn't an option (try the lomo de puerco en adobo). For a truly great, if somewhat greasy, example try the stand at the Maxwell Street Market. I'm not sure of the name but it's one of the largest stands at the market usually in the middle of Canal a couple blocks south of Roosevelt. I'm still thinking of the choripapas that filled the pambazo I ate there months ago.

- the birria, less gamey and a more vegetable-rich stew than even some main-event birririas around the city. Very palatable for beginner Mexican goat-eaters. (TM)

Birria


Like the carne en su jugo, I found this to be a decent version but better ones can be had at many dedicated birrierias. I think my current favorites are Birrieria de la Torre (6724 S Pulaski) and the Maxwell Market birria stall. I'd recommend Torre for carne en su jugo, too.

All that probably sounded more negative than I intended. I don't dislike Tio Luis and might well visit again. But for every dish I tried there are other places whose versions I prefer. On the other hand there are many, many other restaurants that do a far worse job. Because of the breadth of the menu it would be a good destination for a group with diverse tastes. The restaurant is bright, clean and welcoming and attracts a pleasantly mixed crowd, from neighborhood toughs to Tribune readers from the suburbs. Tio Luis is often crowded so clearly they're doing a lot right.

Tio Luis Tacos
3856 S Archer Av
Chicago
773-843-0098 (GO-TACOS)
Mon-Thu 7-11, Fri-Sat 8-12, Sun 8-11

Don Jose Tamaleria
2000 W. 34th (Damen and Archer)

I see that MJN reviewed this place for Centerstage, and they have rajas and squash blossom tamales and always seem busy when I'm driving past, too full from Tio Luis.

The tamales at Don Jose are good but somewhat drier than many others. That's not necessarly a bad thing; I don't care for ones that practically drip lard. They make 5 kinds: rojo, verde, queso con rajas, fresa, and piña. As far as I can tell, flor de calabaza is reserved for quesadillas only. I've tried only the savory tamales and prefer the zippier verde to the mild rojo. My favorite filling though is queso con rajas. The cheese melts into and moistens the shell while the jalapeño strips kick in some pleasant heat.

Brighton Park is a gaping hole on the GNR map and general threads.

I agree it would be nice to have more coverage of this area but there's a fair amount of information scattered around LTHForum. Below is an incomplete list of places that have been talked about here. Granted, some receive barely more than a mention, others are barely worth mentioning, and a few might be stretching the neighborhood boundaries a bit. I'm defining Brighton Park as the area bounded by the Stevenson, Western, 51st, and Pulaski.

Huck Finn Donuts (3414 S Archer)
Apachee Grill (3429 S Archer)
New Archview (3480 S Archer)
Los Comales (3623 S Archer)
Lindy's Chili (3689 S Archer)
Restaurante El Salvador (4127 S Archer)
La Poblanita (4171 S Archer) closed
Los Gallos #2 (4252 S Archer)
Paco's Tacos (4311 S Archer)
Frank's Shrimp House (4459 S Archer)
Leon's BBQ #4 (4550 S Archer)
Nicky's (3501 S Western)
Kevin's Hamburger Heaven (4056 S Western)
Great American Cheese Collection (4727 S Talman)
Tom Tom Tamales (4750 S Washtenaw)
La Quebrada (5100 S California)
Dulcelandia (4616 S Kedzie)
Carnitas Don Rafa (4619 S Kedzie)
Pete's Fresh Market (4700 S Kedzie)
Nicky's (4601 S Pulaski)
Las Morelianas (4712 S Pulaski) closed
Falco's Pizza (2806 W 40th)
Chris's Bakery (3000 W 41st)
Birrieria Jalisco (2462 W 47th)
Piezano's Pizza (2601 W 47th)
John's Red Hots (2658 W 47th)
Nicky's (3140 W 47th)

Rene G wrote:

Santander wrote:Brighton Park is a gaping hole on the GNR map and general threads.

I agree it would be nice to have more coverage of this area but there's a fair amount of information scattered around LTHForum. Below is an incomplete list of places that have been talked about here. Granted, some receive barely more than a mention, others are barely worth mentioning, and a few might be stretching the neighborhood boundaries a bit. I'm defining Brighton Park as the area bounded by the Stevenson, Western, 51st, and Pulaski.

Huck Finn Donuts (3414 S Archer)
Apachee Grill (3429 S Archer)
New Archview (3480 S Archer)
Los Comales (3623 S Archer)
Lindy's Chili (3689 S Archer)
Restaurante El Salvador (4127 S Archer)
La Poblanita (4171 S Archer) closed
Los Gallos #2 (4252 S Archer)
Paco's Tacos (4311 S Archer)
Frank's Shrimp House (4459 S Archer)
Leon's BBQ #4 (4550 S Archer)
Nicky's (3501 S Western)
Kevin's Hamburger Heaven (4056 S Western)
Great American Cheese Collection (4727 S Talman)
Tom Tom Tamales (4750 S Washtenaw)
La Quebrada (5100 S California)
Dulcelandia (4616 S Kedzie)
Carnitas Don Rafa (4619 S Kedzie)
Pete's Fresh Market (4700 S Kedzie)
Nicky's (4601 S Pulaski)
Las Morelianas (4712 S Pulaski) closed
Falco's Pizza (2806 W 40th)
Chris's Bakery (3000 W 41st)
Birrieria Jalisco (2462 W 47th)
Piezano's Pizza (2601 W 47th)
John's Red Hots (2658 W 47th)
Nicky's (3140 W 47th)

Rene G,

Very impressive list of offerings in Brighton Park simply to prove it is not really ignored.

Thanks!

Regards,

Bravo, Rene. If your reconaissance garners any more attention to this neighborhood, it will exceed my hopes.

By "pure taquerias," I refer more to the facility, clientele, and main focus, rather than the scope of the menu, since as both you and I mentioned, they do just about everything. I'm glad you were able to sample (and provide pictures for!) most of my favorites there.

I did warn that the gordita shell quality can vary - but I've been there enough times to have a few freshly-cooked masa cakes, and they are dynamite when the filling is on as well. It's hard to trumpet consistency at most places of this ilk (even Xni-Pec, where the panucho shells are sometimes divine and sometimes just passable), but Los Gallos, as you've mentioned, does seem to do it with their core menu items, including the CESJ, but I'll take Tio Luis's any day; that's just personal preference. Those crumbly chiles and tart limes do it for me every time.

Rene G wrote:... others are barely worth mentioning, and a few might be stretching the neighborhood boundaries a bit. I'm defining Brighton Park as the area bounded by the Stevenson, Western, 51st, and Pulaski.

Yeah, some of those are in Archer Heights (Brighton Park ends at Central Park Ave, half-mile east of Pulaski). But nobody's ever heard of Archer Heights, so I'll refer to the neighborhood as Brighton Park as well.

Tio Luis is a perfectly decent taqueria, but my favorite steak taco in the area will always be Zacataco's. In addition, they have those deep-fried tacos filled with mashed potatoes which are one of the most awesome textural and taste experiences I've ever had at a taqueria--they're almost good enough to make me consider vegetarianism. Plus nopales tacos, which I I don't see very often on local menus.

Binko wrote:

...In addition, they have those deep-fried tacos filled with mashed potatoes which are one of the most awesome textural and taste experiences I've ever had at a taqueria--they're almost good enough to make me consider vegetarianism.

One of my guilty little pleasures from the taquerias inside the Jimenez grocery stores when I come across them. These little silly things are just awesome for some reason.

has anyone ever been to the Las Asada's on 47th @:
3834 W 47th St (47th and avers)
Isn't that in the area as well? I have a choice of going to Zacatacos and Asada's about the same distance from my house, and lets just say I haven't been to Zacatacos in two years. Asada's? Anyone? It is run by one of the La Pasadita sons. The only real difference is the meat is not chopped as fine as La P, and there is only one salsa, the La P green stuff.
I have not been to the 47th location, but I have been to three other Las Asada's, and they have all been the same. Char grilled juicy skirt steak. And better than La P if you ask me.

Wow. Las Asadas. That's literally less than three blocks from where I live.

Let's just say I've been there three times, and I never plan on going back. Zaca's (the smaller one) are the only steak tacos that I really like. I find Las Asada's steak tacos very bland. I'll make the drive up Pulaski rather than walk to Las Asadas, unless something has changed in the last year. I definitely prefer Tio Luis and Paco's Tacos to Las Asadas.

It's quite possible we may just like different types of steak tacos. Zaca's (from my regular experience) is much more citrussy and strongly marinated or doused in lime juice. They are exquisitely juicy and perfectly char grilled (although every once in a long while, they have an off day and the steak is slightly dry.) Las Asadas tacos taste very plain to me. I normally like "clean" flavors, but when it comes to carne asada tacos, I like a strong citrus kick. They have also been on the dry side two of the three times I've been there. Among family and a wide swath of friends of various tastes, Zacataco's is pretty much the consensus favorite for southwest side steak tacos. The other great taco place in the area is Altotonilco for their al pastor. I used to love La Poblanita as well but, alas, it has long since gone away.

And I am specifically referring to the smaller Zacataco's on 59 (or whatever) and Pulaski, not the big one by the bridge. The big Zacatacos is definitely, to me at least, not anywhere near as good as the small one.

Binko wrote: I find Las Asada's steak tacos very bland. I'll make the drive up Pulaski rather than walk to Las Asadas, unless something has changed in the last year.

It's quite possible we may just like different types of steak tacos. Zaca's (from my regular experience) is much more citrussy and strongly marinated. They are exquisitely juicy and perfectly char grilled (although every once in a long while, they have an off day and the steak is slightly dry.) Las Asadas tacos taste very plain to me. I normally like "clean" flavors, but when it comes to carne asada tacos, I like a strong citrus kick.

No, sounds like we like the same stuff, and I totally feel you. There must be a big difference in the cooks at each. My zacatacos doesn't hold a candle to my las asadas. Like I said, I've never been to the 47th street Asada's OR Zacatacos for that matter. The Asada's in Brookfield, two in Des Plaines, or the one on Western rarely disappoint me though. I actually was at the one next to the old mcdonald's in des plaines last Saturday for a late lunch. - my mouth is watering right now just thinking about it. Juicy, juicy tangy, char grilled skirt steak, cilantro, onion, super hot limey sauce, and a squeeze of lime on top of it all. Good Eats.

I was happy when my Zacatacos first opened, because it WAS good, but has drastically gone downhill since.

Another place worth checking out is the prepared foods counter at the Pete's Markets. The foods offered change daily, but typical spread might include pollo a la veracruzana (chicken w/ capers and olive sauce), chipotle beef stew, carnitas, a fish or shrimp preparation of some sort, tamales, taquitos, etc. Quite often, I'll just walk over to the Pete's, pick up some fresh corn tortillas (still warm in their packaging), a dish from the counter, and chow down.

Very good to know. I am not a very frequent flyer at the Pete's on Pulaski, but I always like to pop in there when the S/O drags me into that Target. Many a time have I been tempted by their prepared stuff. I'll have to make it a point to get some now. Chipotle beef stew - never seen it. If I had, I would have definitely tried it.

Well, I decided to visit the Las Asadas on Avers again today, just to make sure my opinions haven't changed. Here's my observations:

There's no grill that I could see in the front kitchen area. I think they must have a grill in the back or something, because the meat does have a lightly grilled taste to it, but the charring is very minimal (just light brown grill marks here and there).

The meat is kept in a covered metal container (like the type you would use to store condiments), so the meat ends up having a somewhat slightly steamed character to it as well. Maybe if they had more business the meat wouldn't be kept and just taken off the grill and chopped immediately to order, like most of the grilled steak taco places I like.

The tortillas are heated in the microwave, and not on the griddle, which I prefer.

The taco itself is how I remember it. It was passable, but not something I would go out of my way for or recommend. I've never been to any other Las Asadas, so I'd like to hear whether other locations do things differently.

The two in Des Plaines and the one on Western have a line out the door for lunch on weekdays and Saturdays, so the meat doesn't have a "steamed" quality if you go at peak times. Corn tortillas are microwaved, and that's a big minus for me as well, but the char flavor on the meat more than makes up for it. The corn tortillas soak up the juice from the meat as well, and steam a little in the foil. Still good eats. If you are so inclined to go the burrito route, they will throw the tortilla on the grill (not griddle) and toast it up that way which is a plus. Seriously, the one on 47th just doesn't sound as good as the ones in Des Plaines, or on Western. Both have grills in plain view, fires brimming. In your area, sounds like Zacatacos wins hands down. If you're ever near river rd and rand road, get to Las Asadas if you're hungry. I would bet my life that 7 of ten times, you're going to get some A grade stuff. The other 3 times, it will be B+ grade.

seebee wrote: I would bet my life that 7 of ten times, you're going to get some A grade stuff. The other 3 times, it will be B+ grade.

Oh, I certainly trust you. I just wanted to manage your expectations if you did decide to stop by the Las Asadas on 47th and Avers.

I covered Brighton/McKinley for Time Out last year, you can read about it here...

Brighton/McKinley

Apachee Grill tortas are really good, especially pastor and carne asada.

Frank's Shrimp house,this one in particular (there are others) is the best of the chain and one of the better shrimp houses in Chicago (I ate at 17 over a few days to find out last year). The Chicago style batter is what you want, has a bit of garlic and a thicker crumb.

Restaurant El Salvador has good pupusas.

The rib tip combo at this particular Leon's is really good, and the smoke stack works overtime filling the neighborhood with a nice perfume.

Falco's pizza is an excellent thin crust pie in the Pat's and Vito and Nick's vein.

Finally made it to Tio Luis today. This place has been on my list of carne asada joints to check out ever since they made the Trib's final cut of the best steak taco in the city a few years back. One or two of my other favorite joints made that list as well, so when Tio Luis was named "Best Of," I had high-ish expectations. For some reason, I remember being told that they do not flame broil the steak here, so that threw them down a peg on my list of must tries.
My thoughts:

Today's steak was a little above par of most of the taquerias in the Chicagoland area. I would say that this is not a place to go if you were looking for Asadero, Asadas, or Zacatacos steak goodness. Tio Luis seems more like a place for getting anything else BESIDES the steak, like home-style stews, soups - stuff like that. Today's steak was just dry, chewy, sterile - nothing exciting about it at all. Like, I could not see a reason to return for the steak because it was an off day. I could sense no potential in the carne asada here.

The food was made with care, no doubt. The tortillas were griddled fresh, and were piping hot, the rice and beans were very edible, and the salsas were pretty flippin good. The table pico de gallo that came with the (warm) chips was lackluster, but the squeeze bottle salsas brought with the food were really nice - there was an avocado salsa, a simple salsa verde, and a smooth, pureed, red salsa that was obviously made with some sort of earthy, roasted pepper -nicely hot and earthy-bitter - I loved it.

I kinda hate to say it, but I'll need some steak taco therapy at Las Asadas tomorrow. I'm glad I went to Tio Luis, but it was a little bit of a letdown for carne asada. GRANTED, I have not been to the Las Asadas in that area, and Tio Luis might well be better than that Las Asadas, but the carne asada showing I got from Tio Luis today was pretty blah.

The people there were over the top friendly, lots of attractive servers, ultra nice, super clean too.

Side note: I was there just a touch after high noon, and some very attractive ladies sitting next to me had some absolutely STELLAR looking breakfast platters, pancakes and all.

Hey, if you're in the area, drop me a line and I'll meet you as Las Asadas. I've heard more favorable reviews from there recently, but I haven't been back there since my post back in '08.

This thread hasn't gotten any action in a long time!

After watching the Check Please coverage of Tio Luis, I was hoping go there sometime for breakfast. The dude who chose Tio Luis mentioned in passing how good their breakfast was and I'm a sucker for a good Mexican Breakfast. My go-to currently is the Mexican breakfast at Chuck's in Burbank. I'm going to try and go to Tio Luis tomorrow morning, actually, because I have a day off from work.

Any thoughts on breakfast at Tio Luis from anyone?? Thanks in advance.