*** (3 stars)
Expectations are low for airport food but this wasn’t too bad. Refried beans were cold and rice was dry, but Tacos (loaded) were actually pretty good.
Lalo’s Mexican Restaurant Midway
Chicago Midway International Airport (mdw)
5632-5696 S Cicero Ave
Chicago, IL 60638
http://www.yelp.com/biz/lalos-mexican-restaurant-midway-chicago
***** (5 stars)
If there’s any cheaper way to have a tasty meal in River North, I haven’t found it.
The Tacos make up in spiciness what they lack in size. The tortillas are cooked to order, so everything is hot and fresh.
The other entrees are larger, but I thought the taco was just right. And I added (for just two bucks) the kimchi fried rice, which is almost a meal in itself.
For less than $5 I left stuffed.
Seoul Taco
738 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 265-1607
http://www.yelp.com/biz/seoul-taco-chicago-2
**** (4 stars)
This is one of the few good Mexican restaurants in the area. The food is a nice mix of authentic and creative. The focus here is on soft tacos and guacamoles and drinks. There’s a nice vibe from all the funky decorations, and an extensive bar for single businessmen at lunch time.
The Achiote Hummus was an interesting low-cal appetizer. The achiote chili flavor dominated, and the jicama was better for dipping than the cucumber.
Tacos Al Pastor De Pollo were authentically served on double corn tortillas. I’ve had pastor pork, but never chicken, and it was good, but not as rich as some. The traditional pieces of pineapple added a nice sweetness.
I would have liked to have tried more tacos, but each order includes two, and you can’t mix and match, which seems like an arbitrary restriction. The guy next to me wanted to buy three tacos, and you can’t do that, either. I think they’re shooting themselves in the foot with that arbitrary rule.
The highlight of my meal was actually the chips and salsa (sold as an appetizer). The chips were obviously home-made, and had puffed up like pomme souffle to give them a delicate yet somehow hearty crunch. The fact that they were slightly greasy could be forgiven, because of that great consistency. The accompanying green sauce had a slight hint of sweetness, and the red sauce had a strong ginger note that made it quite exotic. I couldn’t stop eating these!
The margarita was good if not remarkable. Service was friendly and attentive. The sidewalk dining is a bit too sunny at lunchtime, but might be nice in the evening.
Broken English Taco Pub
75 E Lake St
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 929-3601
http://www.yelp.com/biz/broken-english-taco-pub-chicago
**** (4 stars)
I’d been to a Cantina Laredo in another city quite a few times, and always thought it was just okay, but this location is exceptional.
First, the interior decor is impressive, with a dramatic open stairway and nice use of woods throughout.
I’ve learned from my other visits to the chain that it’s best to stay with the appetizers, so we shared the tableside guacamole, chili con queso, and ahi tuna tacos. All were excellent, in fact about as good as I’ve had. I particularly liked the tender raw tuna and thin, crisp shells of the tacos.
The ceviche was okay, but not as good as others we’ve had.
The hot and mild salsas are just adequate, but the complementary chips are wonderfully fresh and crisp.
I also want to give a shout out to the 3 Amigos margarita, which is served deconstructed with an upside down mini-bottle of Corona in it, and the tequila on the side. Very interesting and tasty, and I would definitely order it again.
Service was friendly and efficient, and noise levels at lunch time were low, although it looks like it could get loud at night.
Cantina Laredo
508 N State St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 955-0014
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cantina-laredo-chicago
*** (3 stars)
Excellent margaritas are the highlight at this very noisy Mexican hot spot.
The guacamole sampler lets you try several different types. We liked the regular and mango varieties, but our favorite was the ramp version, which was some of the best guac I’ve had.
Tacos are only available in orders of four identical tacos, which seems like a stupid restriction. We tried the snapper, which had a weird sauce, and the pastor, which didn’t taste like authentic pastor seasoning, so we were sorry we had four of each of them.
The real problem here is that even when not full, the absence of any acoustic treatment makes conversation impossible. The best bet is to have a margarita and some guacamole in the sidewalk eating area.
Mercadito
108 W Kinzie St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 329-9555
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mercadito-chicago
*** (3 stars)
A beautiful patio is the highlight of this place. Unfortunately sitting in it means you have to eat their food, which is a mixed blessing at best.
The only particularly good item was the nachos, which were unconventional but good. Each rustic chip was topped with shredded beef, black beens, a little drizzle of cheese, tomatoes, scallions, jalapeños and sour cream.
The fish in the fish tacos was coated with a very strange seasoning that no one at our table liked. And the chilaquiles were a sodden lump, the worst we ever encountered.
Service was friendly and efficient, and as I said, the patio is lovely. My advice: have a sangria and some nachos and call it a day.
Maya Del Sol
144 S Oak Park Ave
Oak Park, IL 60302
(708) 358-9800
http://www.yelp.com/biz/maya-del-sol-oak-park
*** (3 stars)
This is a much better place for a fast Mexican counter service lunch that Chipotle or Adobo Grill. The reasons are the more extensive choices, better ingredients and greater preparation options.
For example, In addition to burritos and quesadillas, you can get tacos, with either soft or crispy corn tortilla shells. I had the crispy tacos, and the double layered shells were fresh, crisp and tasty. They were really good with the spicy barbacoa beef.
Orders also come with excellent tortilla chips.
The chicken quesadilla was also good. The only miss was the nachos, which used movie theater cheese glop and got soggy very quickly.
Burrito Beach
19 S La Salle St
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 578-9340
http://www.yelp.com/biz/burrito-beach-chicago-6
*** (3 stars)
Latinicity is a couple of concepts in one. It’s essentially a mall food court, except that you use a plastic card to keep track of your purchases at the various counters and then pay on the way out.
But the first thing you come to when you enter is a conventional sit down restaurant. Do not eat there! It offers a limited select of mediocre and over-priced Spanish tapas. You will do better at literally any other tapas restaurant in town.
Beyond it, the food counters offer some interesting selections, though, including ceviche (which is really more of a seafood cocktail) and even sushi.
The best choice is Machefe Taqueria, which serves tacos, burritos and cazuelas in a fashion similar to Chipotle, but with actually good ingredients. The corn tortillas are completely authentic, for example. The pastor was not the best in town, but was decent. And at $3 the tacos are certainly reasonable.
A better deal is the burrito, which is served in a flour tortilla the size of a manhole cover for $7.
An even better deal is the cazuela, which is basically an exploded burrito served with three corn tortillas. The attraction here is that it’s the only way to get the chicken mole, a nice slab of breast meat drenched in a very good dark mole sauce. It’s a lot of food for $8.
There’s plenty of seating in the back, but it’s nicer to set near the exit, which is much quieter.
You can get better Mexican food elsewhere, but if you’re in the area it’s a perfectly acceptable choice.
Latinicity
108 N State St
Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 795-4444
http://www.yelp.com/biz/latinicity-chicago-2
***** (5 stars)
This is a terrific pan-Latin restaurant that is a whole lot better than it needs to be in the tourist corridor. In fact, it’s probably the best Latin restaurant in town. (Just to clarify, it is NOT Latin fusion, which would combine the cuisines of different countries; instead, they offer different foods from many Latin countries.)
Although it’s a quick serve concept where you order at the counter and food is delivered to the table, the service is exceptional. The staff is clearly enthusiastic about their food, and is welcoming and anxious to explain the menu, and to promote their favorite items.
My favorite items were the Pandebono, a round, cheesy, and slightly sweet Colombian bread, and the Cachapa, a Venezuelan sweet corn pancake filled with white cheese and (in my case) beef. Both were a complex combination of savory and sweet flavors, with both crisp and chewy textures. I’ve never had a better Chachapa.
I also enjoyed the Venezuelan empanada, although it didn’t have a lot of filling. I was less enthusiastic about the Mini Cheese Tequeños, which were cheese filled pastry rolls without a lot of flavor.
There are a number of interesting beers on tap, South American soft drinks, and excellent Cuban coffee.
If you’re visiting and looking for something non-touristy and a bit different, this is a great choice. And if you’re a local, it’s worth the drive to Lake Buena Vista to get your Latin food fix.
Sofrito Latin Cafe
8607 Palm Pkwy
Orlando, FL 32836
(407) 778-4205
http://www.yelp.com/biz/sofrito-latin-cafe-orlando
**** (4 stars)
This turned out to be a surprisingly good choice for breakfast before our flight. Located in a bright, open space with a nice view of the runway, they offer a short but tasty breakfast menu.
The breakfast burrito was stuffed with fluffy scrambled eggs (although there could have been more bacon). And the yogurt parfait was light and fruity.
We were in and out in thirty minutes.
On The Border
Orlando International Airport
One Jeff Fuqua Blvd
Orlando, FL 32827