Nuevo Leon en La Villita

Nuevo Leon en La Villita

So far as I know, until today, the restaurant Nuevo Leon – no, not that one, on 18th Street in Pilsen, I mean the Nuevo Leon on 26th Street in La Villita -- has gone unmentioned.* This restaurant is not affiliated with the other of the same name but the two are intimately connected: they are owned by brothers, children of the couple that opened the Pilsen establishment.



The two restaurants are then not surprisingly similar in a number of ways, most notably in the specialties that reflect the family’s norteño background. But as one can perhaps see from the ads on the front of the building, the Nuevo Leon in La Villita has a liquor license.

Some very good salsas are on each table, along with the pickled vegetables.


One of the outstanding meals I’ve had at NL-West was this plate of chuletas – pork chops, which came with nice fried potatoes. Excellent flour tortillas, similar to those at NL-East, are also available here.


Here is Amata’s pozole from one of our visits this past winter; it was quite good.


Offered at both NL restaurants are these delicious tacos de Sabinas.


Earlier today, I posted a picture of this platter of bistec a la Mexicana which came with lots of beans and fideos. This platter was good, though a little on the heavy side, and the fideos were too soft by the time I got my platter.


Here is a very satisfied customer.

According to this fellow, the tacos here are the best (preferred version: taco de carne asada sin nada, that is, with nothin' on it, just a squeeze of lime) and, in fact, Lucantonius shocked us by devouring one whole taco and then ordering a second and devouring all of that one. That second was a first.

My friend, Shakira, is also a big fan of this neighbourhood.


All in all, for a variety of reasons, I think I’ve come to prefer Nuevo Leon in La Villita to the fraternal establishment in Pilsen. They are, as said above, similar in many respects but I think each has some particular strengths. Be that as it may, I really enjoy NL-West, for the food, for the friendly service, for its convenient location in a neighbourhood that we visit often. They're both great, simple norteño restaurants.


Antonius


Nuevo Leon Restaurant
3657 West 26th Street (by S. Millard)
773.522.1515

* I posted a picture from this restaurant today and later, quite independently from my posted picture, David Hammond mentioned NL-West and discussed a couple of items he’s had there:
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=73125#73125

Just a couple of additional notes to Antonius's post:

The quality of ingredients at Nuevo Leon West seems a little higher than in your average Mexican restaurant in town: the beef in Lucantonius's taco was tender and nicely browned; the bowl of pozole pictured above contained some nice chunks of tender pork along with the bony espinazo. It also had a chicken leg in there, too.

Regulars at the Pilsen Nuevo Leon know that meals there start with a complimentary "amuse-bouche" of chicken soup or a little taco of guisado de puerco, or whatever the special is that day. The La Villita one does that too -- and also provides a complimentary small plate of fresh fruit (e.g. cantaloupe, apple) at the end of the meal. A nice touch.

Amata

Curiously, there's a parking lot labeled "Restaurante Nuevo Leon" on 47th. Hard to imagine that it's really parking for either one of the extant NLs... could there have been a third on 47th at one time?

Mike G wrote: Curiously, there's a parking lot labeled "Restaurante Nuevo Leon" on 47th. Hard to imagine that it's really parking for either one of the extant NLs... could there have been a third on 47th at one time?

I wondered that too and looked into it a little. The sign is next to Raul’s Bar & Grill, 3214 W 47th. I think it also goes by the name Raul’s Nuevo Leon. I’m pretty sure it’s unrelated to the restaurants on 18th and 26th. Before Raul took it over, it was Como’s Pizzeria. You can still see an old sign or two on the building.

Amata wrote:The La Villita one does that too -- and also provides a complimentary small plate of fresh fruit (e.g. cantaloupe, apple) at the end of the meal. A nice touch.

This must vary somewhat, based on the time of year. On my last two visits I was served a slice of caramelized sweet potato.

In any event, it is high time that I thanked you and Antonius for bringing this place to my attention. I have now enjoyed a number of meals here.

E.M.

Erik M. wrote:

Amata wrote:The La Villita one does that too -- and also provides a complimentary small plate of fresh fruit (e.g. cantaloupe, apple) at the end of the meal. A nice touch.

This must vary somewhat, based on the time of year. On my last two visits I was served a slice of caramelized sweet potato.

In any event, it is high time that I thanked you and Antonius for bringing this place to my attention. I have now enjoyed a number of meals here.

E.M.

Hey, that's great, Erik. I'm glad you've been enjoying the food there.

The after dinner sweet must be dulce de camote, similar to the dulce de calabaza some of us were discussing back in October.
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=96053#96053

Sounds like it's time for us to get back there ourselves. Thanks for the reminder.

Amata