El Porvenir in Cicero

You know what never gets old? Finding another place to get great tacos. In Cicero just 4 blocks from the 54th/Cermak pink line station is El Porvenir Supermercado. On weekdays, it's a decent-sized Mexican grocery store with a quality taqueria in back as well as a bakery that I didn't try. On weekends, thanks to a variety of specials, it's a neighborhood destination.


The line was there when I arrived at 9:30 and when I left at 10:15 (they open at 7:00 on Saturdays). I and apparently everyone else in line was there for carnitas, but there were some other regular specialties as well: barbacoa, a couple of soups, and various tamales.


The carnitas was really great. Juicy, crispy exterior, and well-seasoned, it was everything you'd want. Doing a carnitas tour one day for close comparisons has long been on my to do list. If it ever happens, El Porvenir would get a visit.


Again, I got there at 9:30. This is how much menudo was left. I didn't try it but the people have spoken and declared it delicious.


After getting my couple pounds of carnitas, we headed over to the taqueria. The chili relleno was definitely the best of the bunch; it was actually pretty fantastic. The carne asada taco was also quite good, but the barbacoa was a little dry. I also grabbed a dozen of the very good homemade tortillas to take home.

I've very curious about exploring the rest of the menu, but Cicero is quite a trek and there are so many great Mexican food/grocery options all over Chicagoland. But I'll make it back eventually and will hopefully have other posts in this thread to guide me.

El Porvenir Supermercado
2336 S Laramie Ave
Cicero, IL 60804
(708) 652-6205

That long line in the photo says a lot. Thanks for the post/tip, Dan.