Homemade tortila chips in Pilsen area restaurants?

Hi all,
I'm looking for other good Mexican/Latino restaurants that serve great food in general and homemade (= fried up fresh at the restaurant that serves them) tortilla chips in particular. Favorite spots I've found so far include:

1. Taco Bueno, 2057 W.Cermak
A great yet inexpensive hole in the wall with fresh chips, plus wonderful meat stews in various sauces that you can point to and order made into tacos/burritos.

2. Rudy's Taste Cafe, 1024 N. Ashland


Since I live close to the Pilsen area, places around there would be especially appreciated, but others are cool too.

Thanks,
Kaybee

If a Mexican restaurant in Pilsen happens to have chips, the chance that they are not fried in house is extremely slim. I'm not sure I've ever had chips from a bag at any Mexican restaurant in Chicago.

So I should mention at least one place. I sense that you are sort of new to Mexican food at the authentic, everyday ("hole-in-the-wall") level. Nuevo Leon seems like a natural choice. Regarding the meats that go into tacos, you should be able to put names to meats after reading a bit here. Before you know it, you can achieve taqueria proficiency Spanish if you want. It makes for a much better experience. Welcome.

Thanks, JeffB!

I enjoyed Nuevo Leon when I visited a few months ago, though can't recall their chips either way. My out-of-the-bag chip experience happened yesterday at a place called Sabor Latino, 1236 W. 18th: cute decor, nice waitress, but mediocre food, and bag chips!! Though I love La Condesa (both at Cermak and up around Agusta)in general, their chips have a baked/bag taste to me.

I'm actually happier with hole-in-the-wall Mexican/Latino cuisine than with commercial, places ( have never eaten at Chipotle, though folks at work love it), especially since I'm a big fan of carnitas en salsa verde, pupusas, nacatamales, and cool organ meet tacos (e.g. buche is a favorite) and other items that I had easy access to working in San Francisco's mission district, but haven't yet found favorite versions of in Chicago.

I'm planning to try each place that's convenient walking distance for me in Pilsen, starting mostly with those reviewed in the 01/13/06 food section of The Reader, but generally hoping to hit every restaurant along 18th St. between Morgan and Ashland, then south along Ashland to Cermak, then along Cermak between Ashland and Western before the end of the year.

I'm happy to know about this forum, and will check out the reviews here, post my own if I stumble across something good!

Kaybee

You should be very happy with Pilsen if the Mission is your benchmark for Mexican -- unless you are looking for those Cal-Mex burritos. Some of the things you mentioned are not actually Mexican, so you will probably need to leave Pilsen for the Salvadoran and other C. American fare. Carnitas-- well, you aren't going to find better in the US than what's in Pilsen. It's the real deal, down to the huge, hand-hammered copper casos (cauldrons). Please keep us informed about your taco crawl through the neighborhood.