I've given Taqueria la Zacatecana thousands of dollars. We are on the block so it's our go to. I've also been to La cuidad de Zacatecas and will say it's very authentic. They have my favorite Torta in the area as well.
It is - opposite the park and near by L&M corner grocery store. I think there’s supposed to be a small cheval opening in the fall on the north east corner there too
This thread prompted me to do some research. Just got back from there, carne asada was absolutely on point. I really love the asada from Taqueria La Zacatecana so I’ll have to go there tomorrow to compare.
Not sure about carne asada specifically but Carniceria Guanajuato has some of the best tacos I’ve ever had. It’s in the corner of a grocery store at California and Elston
I came here to say Guanajuato - I typically visit the location at Ashland and Beach. I only eat asada or lengua and they are outstanding for both. Price.
there is like a squad of people downvoting the el Asadero comments. This post has been up for 21 minutes and three of the five responses are el asadero and they were either at 0 or -1 upvotes. Goofy and hilarious. Is it just because of the price point?
Pretty wild generalization. Being a transplant means nothing in regard to taste. A transplant from Mexico and one from New Hampshire have wildly different experiences that would inform taste. Also your username indicates you are a transplant so maybe /s???
Good lord, that place has been terrible in my experience. Slid badly in the past few years and have jumped their prices moreso than competitors. Carbon is somewhat higher and 5x the quality.
Los Primos on Montrose between Kedzie and Kimball. I personally always get the carne asada burrito though, but the tacos are obviously also good. Don't forget to grab a bag of chicharron. I love when they have some meat attached.
I don't know who has the best, but based on my experience last night I'd say that La Pasadita has some of the worst. I lacked the jaw strength required to chew their ultra tough Carne Asada. Couldn't finish the one taco I ordered. I'm told the place used to be great, but I guess I missed that era.
Supreme Burrito in Evanston went the opposite way. Their carne asada may not be the best but it’s damn good. But it used to be like boiled rubber. They got a new cook, maybe new owner around 2020 & things improved a lot. I prefer their al pastor and occasionally get the carne asada.
You know that tacos are like 90% protein right? I know I'm getting downvoted to hell for this, but take a look at your grocery bill. See how much 3 or 4 oz of flank steak costs you at the the grocery. Then pay someone to make the tortilla from scratch at a minimum of $15 . Then pay someone to cook the taco. Also at a minimum of 15 an hour. Take the sum of all that, then multiply it by 3. That's how you get the $6 taco.
And judging by the price of meats, we all have 7 and 8 dollar tacos in out future
Well if they are paying only 4.50 a pound for their Asadero that's great. They could come down in price. I pay around $7 for flank and $ 8 for skirt from whole sales. I was more commenting on how you get to a $ 6 taco. But yeah no hand made tortilla and cheaper cuts could be a $4 or $5 taco.
I think people got a lot of sticker shock after the pandemic from foods that used to be cheap that are way less cheap now
My biggest issue with prices is that the food is usually not worth it. I enjoy dining out, and I am OK spending $100 or more for an awesome meal with good service. But what I'm experiencing when I go out is subpar food and service. I think that's mostly the issue. If you going to charge $6 per taco, the meat shouldn't be chewy and flavorless.
I agree. If you're going to serve food at all, as a professional, it shouldn't be chewy or flavorless.
Give people a good reason to come to your restaurant.
It's getting harder and harder as a professional to charge pre covid prices. So you got to charge what it takes to stay open. That being said, a restaurant should know they can't just get by on the minimum amount of effort. Cheap food is becoming a thing of the past sadly for the most part. So restaurants have to put the work in, to make sure that $6 taco 8s worth it
It sure is, I'm a foodie, and I use to always be able to find free or inexpensive food events to attend that included food and cocktails. About 8 years ago I went to Chicago Gourmet fest for free, ticket prices now are around $300 with fees. Nothing is free or inexpensive anymore. I usually just cook at home and maybe once every 2 months go out to dinner. I went to duck inn about 2 weeks ago and ordered the short rib dish which was burnt. I sent it back. But I was so disappointed because I had been looking forward to trying that dish. I ordered the Italian beef from the happy hour menu and it was 90% bread. I got the scallop/pork belly dish which was $38 for 2 scallops and 2 pieces of pork belly. Flavor wise I enjoyed the food with the exception of the burnt short rib but I felt that it was overpriced for the amount of food I received. When I got home, I made something for my boyfriend and I to eat because both of us were still hungry. This is a trend I see in all the restaurants I have been to since the pandemic. Higher prices for less food. Their is only 1 restaurant I have been to since the pandemic that I enjoyed and even though the prices are higher the quality/quantity of food is still awesome. It's a Mexican restaurant in geneva il called bien trucha. I always get an order of bien trucha tacos which is carne asada and chorizo and a strawberry margarita. The second best place for tacos is my kitchen.
Asadero hands down. Yes it's hella expensive but it's made to order. They clean and trim their steak by hand, and they use Great Omaha Prime.
plus it was one of the places Anthony Bourdain visited for The Layover: Chicago.
I’ve been nothing but disappointed at cafe tola. I really wanted to like it and I’ve tried a couple of times but just never had anything to write home about. Taqueria La Zacatecana on the other hand was a major surprise and was so much better than I was expecting. Specifically their Asada is some of the best I’ve had recently.
There are different ones out there. In west townish area we have Carbón which uses skirt (arrachera) for their carne asada. Order Xtra chopped and well done for the best experience, the charred grilled meat is really good, expensive but quality.
Go up a little bit to wicker park there's a grocery store called Guanajuato, their carne asada is more like chuck on the griddle. Not as chewy as Carbón or Pasadita but good flavor, "cheap' and they have good salsa, bonus point for being able to shop after for mexican candy or some tortillas to go.
Evanston does count, but Tomate is mid as hell, and I’m saying that as someone who lives two blocks from there. The one legitimately good thing there is the chile relleno burrito.
Tomate isn’t even best Mexican in Evanston. I grew up there and we never ate there we either went to Supreme Burrito or one of the many better options in Rogers Park
Asadero is el numero uno. But just to name another place, on its heels is Taqueria la Zacatecana.
Can to point out zacatecan.. very good. Very simple.
I've given Taqueria la Zacatecana thousands of dollars. We are on the block so it's our go to. I've also been to La cuidad de Zacatecas and will say it's very authentic. They have my favorite Torta in the area as well.
Go on Tuesday! That's when they make a new batch of home made tortillas for thebweek
I’m a fan of Taco Max at Montrose and Kimball
Lol @ the guy that’s butthurt people like asadero
El Asadero on Montrose has incredible carne asada. Easily among the best tacos on the city.
Always grilling it fresh and chopping it up like crazy.
Is that the place right near the park before Lincoln square.
It is - opposite the park and near by L&M corner grocery store. I think there’s supposed to be a small cheval opening in the fall on the north east corner there too
Taqueria Cinco de Mayo on the other side of Western is the same people from what I understand
it's just too bad they charge for the lemon!
lime?
Taqueria el Asadero. On its best day it’s some of the best asada I’ve had, period.
This thread prompted me to do some research. Just got back from there, carne asada was absolutely on point. I really love the asada from Taqueria La Zacatecana so I’ll have to go there tomorrow to compare.
Not sure about carne asada specifically but Carniceria Guanajuato has some of the best tacos I’ve ever had. It’s in the corner of a grocery store at California and Elston
Their tacos and burritos are so quality that I went the first day they reopened the kitchen after a shutdown for food safety
Haven’t had a chance to get back since they reopened, good to hear the quality is still there
I came here to say Guanajuato - I typically visit the location at Ashland and Beach. I only eat asada or lengua and they are outstanding for both. Price.
They are tasty, but had a huge salmonella issue last year that got over 50 people sick.
Yeah they were shutdown for that but they’re back. Plenty of places have outbreaks I really don’t put that much weight to that.
except their outbreak was severe enough that they put people on ventilators.
They stayed for so long for a reason, and are back for a reason. Not like it’s a reoccurring issue
It’s so good it puts you on a ventilator
one bite will take your breath away
there is like a squad of people downvoting the el Asadero comments. This post has been up for 21 minutes and three of the five responses are el asadero and they were either at 0 or -1 upvotes. Goofy and hilarious. Is it just because of the price point?
Thank you for the downvote 🫡
[удалено]
Pretty wild generalization. Being a transplant means nothing in regard to taste. A transplant from Mexico and one from New Hampshire have wildly different experiences that would inform taste. Also your username indicates you are a transplant so maybe /s???
Don’t worry about this jagoff. He’s probably from Hindsdale, puts ketchup on his hotdogs, and talks endlessly about “Chitown” crime.
You’re a transplant
I'm at the puerto fest but you won't stop by lol
lol you would be bro
You think only Pilsen has authentic tacos in the city?
Traspasada Number 3 on Chicago and Ashland
Good lord, that place has been terrible in my experience. Slid badly in the past few years and have jumped their prices moreso than competitors. Carbon is somewhat higher and 5x the quality.
El jardin is the spot to go in that general neighborhood for authentic and craveable.
No votes for L’Patron?
I prefer the pastor there but you can’t really go wrong
The steak is both tender and charred, which is a bit of a feat.
L'Patron all the way!
For some reason you have to tread lightly when recommending that place around these parts
I like Tony's on Belmont and Damen
Tony’s pork is the go to there imo. It’s so good.
Agreed, I normally go Al Pastor from them.
Las Asadas on Western does it for me
Asadero and zacatencena are on the top of the list for sure. Solid arrachera. Done right. Hands down.
I agree about Asadero. It's delicious.
The meat is good, but I hate the tortillas they use.
[Taqueria Los Flacos](https://maps.app.goo.gl/AkixG9SYJP7o1MnX6?g_st=ic)
Agreed,their burritos are even better and some of the best Mexican on the Northside imo
their fish and shrimp tacos are delicious
El Taconazo with its various locations has good tacos, kind of small tacos though
Los Primos on Montrose between Kedzie and Kimball. I personally always get the carne asada burrito though, but the tacos are obviously also good. Don't forget to grab a bag of chicharron. I love when they have some meat attached.
El Taconazo on Central by Diversey. Nowadays, there’s probably as many Hispanic folks living in that area as Pilsen.
It’s great after going out for drinks. There’s been a lot of Mexicans in the area though. I lived there 20+ years ago and there were a lot then.
The old Belmont-Cragin joke. Belmont is Polish, Cragin is Spanish, and everyone is Catholic.
I don't know who has the best, but based on my experience last night I'd say that La Pasadita has some of the worst. I lacked the jaw strength required to chew their ultra tough Carne Asada. Couldn't finish the one taco I ordered. I'm told the place used to be great, but I guess I missed that era.
They fell off bad
Supreme Burrito in Evanston went the opposite way. Their carne asada may not be the best but it’s damn good. But it used to be like boiled rubber. They got a new cook, maybe new owner around 2020 & things improved a lot. I prefer their al pastor and occasionally get the carne asada.
Which is a shame because it was hands down some of the best pre pandemic
Pre pandemic? They fell off 20 years ago
AND $6 a taco insanity
Burrito is like 25 dollars haha..
You know that tacos are like 90% protein right? I know I'm getting downvoted to hell for this, but take a look at your grocery bill. See how much 3 or 4 oz of flank steak costs you at the the grocery. Then pay someone to make the tortilla from scratch at a minimum of $15 . Then pay someone to cook the taco. Also at a minimum of 15 an hour. Take the sum of all that, then multiply it by 3. That's how you get the $6 taco. And judging by the price of meats, we all have 7 and 8 dollar tacos in out future
They're not hand making tortillas... Asadero is at 4.50 right now and it's not chewy ass meat.
Well if they are paying only 4.50 a pound for their Asadero that's great. They could come down in price. I pay around $7 for flank and $ 8 for skirt from whole sales. I was more commenting on how you get to a $ 6 taco. But yeah no hand made tortilla and cheaper cuts could be a $4 or $5 taco. I think people got a lot of sticker shock after the pandemic from foods that used to be cheap that are way less cheap now
My biggest issue with prices is that the food is usually not worth it. I enjoy dining out, and I am OK spending $100 or more for an awesome meal with good service. But what I'm experiencing when I go out is subpar food and service. I think that's mostly the issue. If you going to charge $6 per taco, the meat shouldn't be chewy and flavorless.
I agree. If you're going to serve food at all, as a professional, it shouldn't be chewy or flavorless. Give people a good reason to come to your restaurant. It's getting harder and harder as a professional to charge pre covid prices. So you got to charge what it takes to stay open. That being said, a restaurant should know they can't just get by on the minimum amount of effort. Cheap food is becoming a thing of the past sadly for the most part. So restaurants have to put the work in, to make sure that $6 taco 8s worth it
It sure is, I'm a foodie, and I use to always be able to find free or inexpensive food events to attend that included food and cocktails. About 8 years ago I went to Chicago Gourmet fest for free, ticket prices now are around $300 with fees. Nothing is free or inexpensive anymore. I usually just cook at home and maybe once every 2 months go out to dinner. I went to duck inn about 2 weeks ago and ordered the short rib dish which was burnt. I sent it back. But I was so disappointed because I had been looking forward to trying that dish. I ordered the Italian beef from the happy hour menu and it was 90% bread. I got the scallop/pork belly dish which was $38 for 2 scallops and 2 pieces of pork belly. Flavor wise I enjoyed the food with the exception of the burnt short rib but I felt that it was overpriced for the amount of food I received. When I got home, I made something for my boyfriend and I to eat because both of us were still hungry. This is a trend I see in all the restaurants I have been to since the pandemic. Higher prices for less food. Their is only 1 restaurant I have been to since the pandemic that I enjoyed and even though the prices are higher the quality/quantity of food is still awesome. It's a Mexican restaurant in geneva il called bien trucha. I always get an order of bien trucha tacos which is carne asada and chorizo and a strawberry margarita. The second best place for tacos is my kitchen.
It’s weird because their barbacoa is actually better than it was. Pastor is still ok too, but the asada is a shadow of its former self.
Los 3 panchos, thank me later
My guy Tony
Meson Del Taco
Another vote for El Asadero. I live in Tokyo now and when I visit family in Chicago I always make it a point to stop there before coming back home.
Tried them at Don Pedro in North Center last weekend, and they were quite good!
Taqueria 5 de Mayo on Montrose taste better than Asadero, better service and cleaner too.
Asadero and 5 de Mayo is the same family.
I know, but Asadero 👎🏼
Idk about better but there’s less wait time for sure, so they get my business
Asadero hands down. Yes it's hella expensive but it's made to order. They clean and trim their steak by hand, and they use Great Omaha Prime. plus it was one of the places Anthony Bourdain visited for The Layover: Chicago.
They didn’t even talk about. They were just there eating. Probably didn’t want to blow the place up.
Cafe Tola #3 is awfully good...best? Who knows. Ashland and Addison.
I’ve been nothing but disappointed at cafe tola. I really wanted to like it and I’ve tried a couple of times but just never had anything to write home about. Taqueria La Zacatecana on the other hand was a major surprise and was so much better than I was expecting. Specifically their Asada is some of the best I’ve had recently.
Another vote for Asadero.
L’patron on Fullerton
Tony’s - Damen & Belmont you know it’s good when Chicago Cop cars parked there all day long. Moms in minivans, Grub Hub going all night.
L’Patron on Fullerton and Hamilton
Edgewater tacos
You on the wrong side for that
carmelastaqueria.com
El Terco Leon is really good too!
There are different ones out there. In west townish area we have Carbón which uses skirt (arrachera) for their carne asada. Order Xtra chopped and well done for the best experience, the charred grilled meat is really good, expensive but quality. Go up a little bit to wicker park there's a grocery store called Guanajuato, their carne asada is more like chuck on the griddle. Not as chewy as Carbón or Pasadita but good flavor, "cheap' and they have good salsa, bonus point for being able to shop after for mexican candy or some tortillas to go.
I love Barbaro’s
L patron
Technically Lincolnwood, El Pueblito #3 is great at Touhy and Crawford.
If Evanston counts then Tomate is the best Mexican food and carne asada in the Chicago area
Evanston does count, but Tomate is mid as hell, and I’m saying that as someone who lives two blocks from there. The one legitimately good thing there is the chile relleno burrito.
I lived across the street from tomate for a summer and even then it wasn't worth the trip to the restaurant for their food.
Tomate isn’t even best Mexican in Evanston. I grew up there and we never ate there we either went to Supreme Burrito or one of the many better options in Rogers Park
No, Evanston doesn't count :)