Taquerias of note near Lincoln Square

This might be a question that has been breached a wretched number of times prior, but, with the recent opening (unless i'm mistaken and they just changed the awning) of Los Pinos taqueria on Western besides Garcia's, I was wondering if anyone knew of any Taquerias of note in the area. I've eaten late-night at Taco Loco, which is passably good (i suppose anything at that hour is good), and Garcia's is hardly a taqueria.
Well, just delete this if the subject has been discussed too often before--i'm just fiending for things i can readily find on the South and West sides, but not so much in my enclave of the north.

I haven't explored these taquerias as thoroughly as I'd like, but I really like Taqueria el Asadero on Montrose just west of Lincoln, especially for carne asada tacos and freshly fried chips. Their chicken tacos are also actually quite good.

Kenny from Rogers Park recommends Santa Rita on Lawrence and California for al pastor.

At El Taco Loco, I can recommend (not unreservedly) the guisado de puerco. Once it has been a bit oily, but other than that, I truly enjoy it.

I lived near that area for about 6 months a few years ago and was never that impressed by any Mexican place. I would agree with Aaron that Asadero is about the best of them (they also have Mexican Coke, btw) but I'm much happier with the assortment around Belmont & Lincoln. Harry V. posted something on CH at greater length one time which, I think, came to about the same conclusion.

Taqueria Santa Rita (California/Lawrence) is totally fine--I volunteer for a project in Lincoln Square, and it's the place we go to for tacos--the al pastor is greazy, in a good way.

Similarly, La Amistad (Damen/Montrose) is solid in the same way--steak is freshly griddled, it's all fresh, etc.

I had lunch at Taqueria Santa Rita today. Kenny from Rogers Park's view of the tacos al pastor is on target. The chips arrived warm with 2 salsas. The salsa cruda was very light on the chiles while the cooked salsa was only moderately hot. There is a small parking lot. They stay open to midnight on weekdays and 2 am on weekends.

On my way back east on Lawrence, I was stopped by a man at a new restaurant: The King of Burritos Taqueria and Steak House (2739 W. Lawrence). He said they do not serve pork and was wearing what looked like a yarmulke with Mexican embroidery. From the menu he gave me, it is definitely not Kosher because they use cheese and sour cream with meat. I wonder what lamb barbacoa tacos or tortas tastes like. That will have to wait for another day.

Los Pinos got much more sprucing up than a new awning. I can't recall the former name on the place or find the current name in the telephone book under any of several variations, so I suspect there is new management. The old place was an uninviting dump.

You might want to loosen your geographic limits to include Lawrence and Montrose west to Kedzie. The Mexican places I have been to on Montrose have not been outstanding but better than the Taco Loco that used to be on Lincoln north of Foster. I haven't been too eager to inflict the other location on my stomach, so my information may be outdated.

Of the several small Mexican restaurants on Lawrence between 3000 and 3200 west, I had a good lunch at Huaraches. They have DF-style tortas among other things. A few weeks I had the torta al pastor, which was a slightly crisper and a little oilier than at Santa Rita.

Mike is right in my opinion, I work at the firehouse on Montrose and Kedzie and sample most of the food in the area frequently. The Clark St. Mexican food seems to be a whole level above that of our area. The was a very good gelato and empanada storefront at Lawerence and California, need to remember to go back.

Patrick, I think the storefront to which you're referring is The Penguin, and you remember it correctly--it's a great place.

Ok, so this thread hasn't been posted on in over 3 years, but I lived around the Montrose/Damen area for a year, so have some interest in it. I have to agree with all that there isn't a whole lot of good Mexican food in the vicinity, but have to say that La Amistad (a block or so west of the el) is very good. I lived in California for a few years, and would get down to Mexico on occasion. The tacos at La Amistad seemed to me to hit the mark as an example of that good simple street food.

jcclark33 wrote:. . . but I lived around the Montrose/Damen area for a year. . . I have to agree with all that there isn't a whole lot of good Mexican food in the vicinity, but have to say that La Amistad (a block or so west of the el) is very good.

I've seen La Amistad, but I've never tried it. Sounds like it's time to do just that. Have you ever been to Taqueria El Asadero, 2213 W. Montrose? The al pastor tacos are good (others on this board love them) and the steak tacos fantastic.

The chicken tacos are also excellent. Hattrick!

Although chorizo is not on the menu, it is sometimes available. A coworker used to have them add a little to her steak burrito to spice things up.

Just got back from a late lunch at Asadero; I could kick myself because we lived just blocks from there for eight years and never went in. Excellent little hole in the wall taqueria, great grilled meats. My wife had an al pastor and a barbacoa taco, I had the best steak burrito I've had since Tacos Garcia went south. Washed down with sidral, and the whole shebang less than twelve bucks. I have a feeling that is going to be a stop on the way home from work for take out in the very near future.
La Amistad further east on Montrose is OK, we used to go there from time to time.
We're big fans of Sol de Mexico too, but it's a little far from us and traffic going west in that neck of the woods is a pain.

Thanks for the recommendation;this is the first one that I've acted on since joining recently, and I hope the first of many.

on the note for good lincoln square taquerias. the preparation and care on specific items at Taco Loco are exceptional . the arbol and colorado chili driven salsa rojo that arrives on the table with fresh masa chips is a delight. the real standout here though is a briny, tart and cathartic bowl of pozole verde. huge with mounds of fresh hominy, bright cilantro and pork cooked for hours. topped with some of the complimentary bitter and crisp radish and a few more dashes of winter lime and you have one hell of a meal, or two rather, as the portions are rather large.

they also have quite good pastor, ranging by the day from one of the best i've had in chicago to above the average. tacos tripa are occasionally a perfect mix of fleshy chew and crispy fat but i've found on the wrong day are a bit funky. the chicharon taco is the best i've come across . instead of a standard issue fry-job, these silken pieces of fat are braised in tangy tomatillo and white pepper and picked up texturally by the small dice onion . it's a treat.

i will have to try some of the others on the list. but taqueria uptown had pretty good al pastor and carnitas, but i will admit i was a bit let down after being written up as the heralding pastor taco in publications.

cafe el tapatio has great and cleanly confited carnitas tacos. the al pastor are also standout, the meat embodies a good smoke quality elegant with the fat ribboned meat. the chicken soup is a knock out here. a simple, elegant broth with poached potatoes and carrots in large chunks (get the dark meat - it comes on the leg- from which the broth picks up a great richness). nab it with a side of fresh tortillas and a liberal douse of the namesake hot sauce. it is a true cure to chicago cold. the jicama salad here although overdressed could be one of my favorite cheap bites. standard mesculun greens which are not impressive but fresh, are tossed with copious amounts of fresh cucumber fresh pepper and jicama with a vinaigrette that could make your lips pucker from all the fresh lime, too bad its sister restaurant has better micheladas or might never leave.

Huesb wrote:on the note for good lincoln square taquerias. the preparation and care on specific items at Taco Loco are exceptional .

Taco Loco is an underrated all night treasure. And tremendous value---- the huge burrito is still in the 3 dollar range. Some yuppie area places are double for much worse.

I had passed Taqueria el Asadero a million times before I ever went inside. (I had been deterred by the video game by the front door, which has people hunting virtual deer.) When I finally tried it, I couldn't believe I had avoided it for so long. As to my favorites, I agree that the carne asada tacos and burritos are fresh and flavorful. I also love the guacamole, which is always made fresh to order. Look past the video game and go in!

+1 for El Asadero.

Taqueria el Asadero
2213 W. Montrose Ave.
Chicago, IL

seebee wrote:+1 for El Asadero.

There is an El Asadero-only thread, albeit a short one. I've been there a few times recently and they have really been on their game.

I'm suprised no one mentioned the Lawrence/Montrose Taqueria Project

I have to say that Taqueria AL Asadero is my favorite in the area so far. The pastor and steak burritos are my favorite and they load it up with the meat. Excellent. My only other experience in mexican in this area is Garcia's which is ok and a place at Lawrence and Kedzie that was also ok.[/url]

CTBoss wrote:I have to say that Taqueria AL Asadero is my favorite in the area so far. The pastor and steak burritos are my favorite and they load it up with the meat. Excellent. My only other experience in mexican in this area is Garcia's which is ok and a place at Lawrence and Kedzie that was also ok.[/url]

I'm also a big fan of Asadero for carne asada tacos, but I actually prefer Erik's (on Lawrence just east of Damen) for al pastor.

I just had carne asada tacos for the third time this week. Love that place.

I have to say that I had Asadero once and wasn't impressed. I thought it was maybe a couple of notches above Garcia's (whose only redeeming quality is the option to have a couple of Coronas with your burrito). I much preferred the offerings at La Amistad. But it sounds like I must have caught Asadero on a bad night given the near unanimous praise here. I'll have to give them another try.

Has anybody tried Banderas on the corner of Foster and Lincoln? I went in for breakfast a little while back and it was ok. Just wondering if anybody else had an opinion.

jcclark33 wrote:I have to say that I had Asadero once and wasn't impressed. I thought it was maybe a couple of notches above Garcia's (whose only redeeming quality is the option to have a couple of Coronas with your burrito). I much preferred the offerings at La Amistad.

Please do tell if La Amistad char grills their steak, or pan fries it.

I took the 4 mile round trip walk to make sure the steak was cooked on a grill. It is in fact cooked on a griddle, but is not cooked in a pan.

I had never been to La Amistad as a critic. In that role things didn't change much. The service was prompt and congenial. Chips and salsa were also dispatched promptly.

My total bill was $3.27 for two steak tacos, chips and pico de gallo.

Just came back from a quick late lunch at Taqueria El Asadero.

Excellent food. As noted above, the chips are freshly fried. I believe the tomatillo salsa that is served at each table is made in house. I had a real nice taco al pastor and one with chorizo.

My usual Mexican stops including El Gallo Toño, Mi Rinconcito, Los Nopales, Mixteco, and La Oaxaqueña were all closed for dinner on New Years Day, so after a moderately frustrating attempt to satisfy a Mexican food craving, we ended up at Garcia's. It wasn't quite as bad as I expected. While the tortillas were stale and everything needed an acid punch, it was all edible. So, if you find yourself near Lincoln Square, know that you won't have a particularly good meal at Garcia's, but there are definitely worse options in the area.

As someone who finds himself suckered into Garcia's at least a few times each year, I'm pretty sure the only thing they have going for them is their liquor license.

Greasy (in a bad way) and pretty bland, in my experience. If Los Nopales had a liquor license I'd never go back. Alas, sometimes my party has a hankering for Margaritas and I get taken along for the ride.

Although it's surprising that they were open on New Years Day. When I walked past on my way to the Polkaholics @ DANK Haus around 8:30pm, they were shuttered.

whiskeybent wrote:Although it's surprising that they were open on New Years Day. When I walked past on my way to the Polkaholics @ DANK Haus around 8:30pm, they were shuttered.

Interesting, when we left at about 7:15, they were packed with a wait for a table

Sorry - reread my post and saw how it didn't make sense.

They were closed on New Years Eve, not on New Years Day as my post implied.