This is basically a love letter from my stomach.
April 26, 2013 7:03 AM   Subscribe

Serious Eats tries all the tacos at La Chaparrita. What is this magical place? Well...

La Chaparrita is a tiny tacqueria/grocery store with absolutely amazing food in the Chicago neighborhood Little Village.

Steve Dolinsky (ABC7's Hungry Hound--Chicagoans will recognize him as the guy who has his picture hanging in all of my favorite restaurants) likes La Chaparrita.
LTH Forum likes La Chaparrita.
The Chicago Reader likes La Chaparrita.

For an added bonus, there's a pretty extensive (given the size of the place) Santa Muerte altar to the side of the dining area kept by the owner Angelina.
posted by phunniemee (52 comments total) 15 users marked this as a favorite
 
My personal recommendation: a crispy tripa, a suadero, a cecina, a pastor, a melon agua fresca, and an order of cebollitas.

They just (within the last month) updated their menu to include English translations, so now you have no excuse not to go there.
posted by phunniemee at 7:06 AM on April 26, 2013


One of these days I'm going to try to get telemundo to let me review a pizza hut, and patronizingly explain all the complicated terminology of this exotic new fare that we can now experience ourselves, for the first time.
posted by hobo gitano de queretaro at 7:18 AM on April 26, 2013 [8 favorites]


Longaniza ($1.75)
Think of this as La Chaparrita's interpretation of chorizo


Uh, no. Longaniza is Longaniza, not chorizo.

The cecina is salty and beefy, with a firm but pleasing texture.

Yes, its dried, salted beef. So it is salty and beefy.

The tacos look delicious. I am sure they're good but what inane commentary.
posted by vacapinta at 7:24 AM on April 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


I get where you're coming from, hobo gitano de queretaro, (New Yorkers are always telling us Angelenos what's great or awful about Los Angeles, for example), but you know, taqueria tacos filled with tongue or brain or tripe may in fact be exotic fare for lots of people in Chicago (or anywhere), and they may need a little encouragement to help them broaden their horizons.

But I'd love to learn more about a pizza hut, too.
posted by notyou at 7:27 AM on April 26, 2013 [4 favorites]


But I'd love to learn more about a pizza hut, too.

No you don't.
posted by NoMich at 7:32 AM on April 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


Eating lunch at this place is the only good thing about jury duty at 26th & Cal.
posted by evisceratordeath at 7:33 AM on April 26, 2013 [3 favorites]


I realize a lot of the chatter on Serious Eats is dumb, but the pictures are SO PRETTY, and before La Chaparrita came out with an English menu, it was helpful for me to be able to know definitively which things were made out of brains and which weren't.
posted by phunniemee at 7:33 AM on April 26, 2013


it was helpful for me to be able to know definitively which things were made out of brains and which weren't.

Tune in next week as zombie guest reviewer phunniemee travels to Vancouver to explore the burgeoning Mongolian food scene.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 7:37 AM on April 26, 2013 [1 favorite]



One of these days I'm going to try to get telemundo to let me review a pizza hut, and patronizingly explain all the complicated terminology of this exotic new fare that we can now experience ourselves, for the first time.


You know the concept of Pizza had to be very carefully and patiently explained to Anglo-American audiences in the 50s, right? There are some hilarious back and forth etiquette arguments over weather or not it should be eaten with a knife and fork (and of course, calling it an open-faced pie in the states in order to contextualize it).
posted by The Whelk at 7:47 AM on April 26, 2013 [7 favorites]


These reviews remind me of middle school book reports. A description of the plot, followed by either "I liked it!" or "It was OK."
posted by painquale at 7:50 AM on April 26, 2013 [2 favorites]


The LTH thread was quite informative, IMO, but then again I like LTHForum more than just about any food site.
posted by kmz at 7:53 AM on April 26, 2013 [2 favorites]


Posting this 2 hours before lunchtime was....needlessly cruel.
posted by schmod at 7:53 AM on April 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


tongue or brain or tripe may in fact be exotic fare for lots of people in Chicago

They eat hot dogs in Chicago. I've seen it with my own eyes.
posted by three blind mice at 7:54 AM on April 26, 2013 [8 favorites]


One of these days I'm going to try to get telemundo to let me review a pizza hut, and patronizingly explain all the complicated terminology of this exotic new fare that we can now experience ourselves, for the first time.

Not everybody is born with comprehensive knowledge of all world cuisines. I guess the next time a friend asks me what a dish is when we're at dim sum, I'll just say "well I'm not going to tell you because that would be patronizing, gosh."
posted by kmz at 8:00 AM on April 26, 2013 [3 favorites]


You know the concept of Pizza had to be very carefully and patiently explained to Anglo-American audiences in the 50s, right?

Derail: For those that don't know, this actually hilariously happens in Splendor in the Grass (1961) when Warren Beatty falls for the woman he eventually marries when trying to get over Natalie Wood. He's off at Yale getting drunk rather than attending classes, and the beautiful immigrant, daughter-of-the-restaurant-owners Angelina is waiting his table, trying to sober him up and offers him free pizza because young Warren Beatty is the hot, and he's all "Pizza? What's that?" I know it's set in the late 1920s, but it cracks me up all the same.

Re-rail: La Chaparrita is awesome. If you go, also try the guarapo de piña... though it's apparently an acquired taste too.

Posting this 2 hours before lunchtime was....needlessly cruel.

Seeing this post and working in downtown Chicago, I may or may not have done a transit search to see how long a lunch I might be able to take. Alas, it is not meant to be.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:06 AM on April 26, 2013 [2 favorites]



Tune in next week as zombie guest reviewer phunniemee travels to Vancouver to explore the burgeoning Mongolian food scene.


What do Mongolian zombies crave? KHAAAAAAAANS
posted by curious nu at 8:07 AM on April 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


I used to think I was the shit when it came to authentic Mexican food because I grew up in Arizona. But I haven't even had brains or tripe, so fuck me.
posted by mullacc at 8:09 AM on April 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


It's really interesting that with all those types of tacos, out of the 12 listed in the article, I only see 4 or so with any regularity in my area (basically 15 miles north of Mexico). Carne asada and al pastor are pretty standard things, and every once in a while you'll see lengua or cabeza, but I don't think I've ever seen any of those other things (there might be places in town that do tripa, since they usually serve that anyway in menudo). But then it's also really odd what they don't have at La Chaparrita - no chicken or carnitas? I can understand the lack of fish and shrimp tacos, though.
posted by LionIndex at 8:11 AM on April 26, 2013


Mike! Come to Bombay Wraps (Wells and Lake) at 1pm! There will be a few of us!
posted by phunniemee at 8:13 AM on April 26, 2013


But then it's also really odd what they don't have at La Chaparrita - no chicken or carnitas?

Chicken is the bastard stepchild of the meat world. I feel sorry for anyone who's presented with such a spectacular array of pig and cow and says, "oh, I'll have the chicken." What horrible, repressed evil are you punishing yourself for?
posted by phunniemee at 8:15 AM on April 26, 2013 [4 favorites]


But then it's also really odd what they don't have at La Chaparrita - no chicken or carnitas?

I noticed that too and it struck me as a good sign. Their menu is in line with what you would see in Mexico, at a DF taqueria for example.

Carnitas is not something to attempt unless you have a big copper pot and lots of time. Otherwise you're just passing off stewed pork as carnitas which is what most people have (sadly) ever had.
posted by vacapinta at 8:17 AM on April 26, 2013


Chicken is the bastard stepchild of the meat world. I feel sorry for anyone who's presented with such a spectacular array of pig and cow and says, "oh, I'll have the chicken." What horrible, repressed evil are you punishing yourself for?

Chicken is the vegetable of meats, just like potatoes are the meat of vegetable matter.
posted by FatherDagon at 8:27 AM on April 26, 2013 [4 favorites]


Chicken is the bastard stepchild of the meat world. I feel sorry for anyone who's presented with such a spectacular array of pig and cow and says, "oh, I'll have the chicken." What horrible, repressed evil are you punishing yourself for?

I never get it myself, I'm just saying. But yeah, their list of stuff made me think more "what have I been missing?" instead of "look what y'all have been missing!"
posted by LionIndex at 8:39 AM on April 26, 2013


Looks amazing although usually the best taco places in Mexico and beyond focus on one regional speciality with various variations and additions. Not saying it can't be done, but it's really hard to make lots of different types of tacos well.
posted by chaz at 8:59 AM on April 26, 2013


I feel sorry for anyone who's presented with such a spectacular array of pig and cow and says, "oh, I'll have the chicken." What horrible, repressed evil are you punishing yourself for?

Depends whether you know the place. If walking into an inexpensive eat-it-and-beat-it cold, I find it safe to suppose that the pig or cow will be largely or entirely gristly bits that your teeth bounce off of and if you manage to chew it you'll be clawing it out of your teeth for the rest of the day. The chicken is generally a lot more reliable for dipping your toe in the water without the advice of an experienced customer to guide you. If it's awesome in every other respect -- seasoning, quality, properly cooked with some flavor left in it -- you can venture the pig or cow the next time.
posted by George_Spiggott at 9:06 AM on April 26, 2013


No Barbacoa? Missing out...
posted by Jacob G at 9:15 AM on April 26, 2013


No, one of the reasons I tend to avoid taco shop chicken is that a long time ago I got a chicken burrito that was all skin, fat, and tendon with hardly any actual chicken meat.
posted by LionIndex at 9:16 AM on April 26, 2013


oh man, i get where you are coming from, phunniemee. last weekend i nearly demanded that my boyfriend drive me 45 minutes outside of dc for the BEST TACOS EVER despite there being two perfectly respectable taquerias within 2 blocks of our apartment.

good tacos move mountains. amazing tacos move men.
posted by kerning at 9:18 AM on April 26, 2013


I'm going to be back in Chicago in two weeks. I can't wait. Carnitas are a personal fav, but I do like some cecina or crispy tripas. I was going to hit up El Taco Veloz in my old neighborhood, but I may make a special trip for these ones (the posole is better than the tacos at Veloz anyways).
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:26 AM on April 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


TheWhiteSkull--let us know! We're contemplating a meetup anyway!
posted by phunniemee at 9:33 AM on April 26, 2013


Everything looks yummy. Some of those tacos are hard to come by even here in northern Mexico and are more common in Mexico city. Seems like the menu is very beefy, cause there's definite lack of tacos de chicharrón, my favorite.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 9:42 AM on April 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


So I recently tried cochinita pibil at a Mexican place near me, only to have them simplify their menu about a month later, and drop it from the menu.

I'm kind of in mourning about it.
posted by benito.strauss at 9:55 AM on April 26, 2013


Chicken is the vegetable of meats, just like potatoes are the meat of vegetable matter.

And therefore chicken chips are the vegetablemeat of meatvegetables.
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 10:10 AM on April 26, 2013


Seeing this post and working in downtown Chicago, I may or may not have done a transit search to see how long a lunch I might be able to take. Alas, it is not meant to be.

MIKE LET'S GO

WE'LL CALL IT A BUSINESS LUNCH
posted by shakespeherian at 10:14 AM on April 26, 2013 [2 favorites]


Also oh man I got all excited to see "longaniza" on the menu because Guatemalan longaniza is the best goddamn thing in the world — these badass chubby little coarse-ground fresh pork sausages made with garlic, mint and oregano. No paprika, no chile powder, no creepy bright-orange grease, just delicious pig and herbs. Any place in the US that wants to sell me a couple of those and a stack of tortillas and some grilled green onions, I am there.

But apparently Mexican longaniza is some totally different kinda-linguiçoid/kinda-chorizular thing? Damn. Fucking vagaries of transnational sausage lexicography, all getting my hopes up and shit.
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 10:25 AM on April 26, 2013 [2 favorites]


When I moved from SoCal to Chicago I was so excited to learn they had honest to goodness real and delicious Mexican food. Now that I'm back in SoCal, there are a few Chicago taco joints that were actually better than what we get here. I have lengua tacos at least once a week though. Delicious!
posted by Arbac at 10:31 AM on April 26, 2013


Lengua is decidedly amazing-tasting but still, to this day, mildly unnerving.
posted by shakespeherian at 10:32 AM on April 26, 2013


Little Village? Feh. Multiple meats? Feh.

Birreria Reyes de Ocotlan
posted by cmoj at 10:38 AM on April 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


Lengua is decidedly amazing-tasting but still, to this day, mildly unnerving.

For me it's the idea that while I'm tasting it, it's tasting me.

Next: thinking about sesos.
posted by benito.strauss at 10:41 AM on April 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


Also upsetting: smelling pig snouts; looking at fish eyes; touching pork rinds; digesting tripe; metabolizing chopped liver; experiencing an immune reaction to sweetbreads; taking a leak after eating kidneys...
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 10:53 AM on April 26, 2013 [3 favorites]


For me it's the idea that I might just up and chew my own tongue and swallow it and not notice the difference until it's too late.
posted by shakespeherian at 10:54 AM on April 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


Mmmmmmm lengua.
posted by kmz at 10:59 AM on April 26, 2013


transnational sausage lexicography

New goal: have this on my business card

(Other goal: Friday working lunch with shakespeherian et al. at La Chaparrita... any week but this one... who schedules vital meetings for 2:00 pm on a fucking Friday)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 11:02 AM on April 26, 2013 [2 favorites]


I too mourn the loss of cochinita pibil.
A few years ago, a coworker discovered an extraordinarily authentic Mexican restaurant, and we started going there for tortas at least once a week. Cochinita pibil, which I'd never heard of before, quickly became my favorite.
I occasionally was able to convince my family to go there with me, but then one day I noticed my daughter quietly picking the carne asada out of her meal. This wasn't a huge surprise, because she's semi-vegetarian, so I just rolled my eyes. Then I tried one of the bits, and it was so rubbery that it was inedible. I tried another one, and it was the same. (Restaurant owners: take note) I never went back again, and eventually they closed.
To expand on what George_Spiggott said, there's more difference between good and bad beef than between good and bad chicken.
posted by Tool of the Conspiracy at 11:24 AM on April 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


Tacos in Chicagoland related: Fox Valley Taco Tour.

There's a Fox river bike trail, so put the bikes and the tacos together, and that's an event I expect tiny fix bike gang will put on this summer.
posted by garlic at 12:01 PM on April 26, 2013 [2 favorites]


You know the concept of Pizza had to be very carefully and patiently explained to Anglo-American audiences in the 50s, right?
That reminds me of one my favorite Canadian videos of all time ... a clip from the CBC 1957 Homemakers Audition where she introduces "PIZZA PIE"... you just gotta love that vowel raising, the world would be a better place if more people spoke like that.

I used to think I was the shit when it came to authentic Mexican food because I grew up in Arizona.

I know what you're saying ... I grew up in a southern New Mexican town not 60 miles from the Mexican border... yet for some reason, most of our Mexican food was more similar to Tex Mex than the stuff you could have just south of the border. (Not that there's anything wrong with Tex Mex lest the ANTI-AUTHENTICITY police come after me...)

My personal favorite for tacos in Manhattan is the stand on the corner of Avenue A and Second Street. Better than any of the brick and mortar taco restaurants I have tried in the area. The one all the Chowhounders and Serious Eaters are crazy about is out in Queens though, I think called Taqueria Coatzingo, and there is another one in the Bronx which has gotten a lot of coverage.
posted by pravit at 4:14 PM on April 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


There's some restaurants that even specialize in it! These are called pete zeerias!
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 4:22 PM on April 26, 2013


OK, the crispy tripe taco looks AMAZING. I would like that in my mouth, please.
posted by LMGM at 4:28 PM on April 26, 2013


Also: I really, really miss Chicago's food landscape right now. Berlin is not cutting it in the taco department.
posted by LMGM at 4:30 PM on April 26, 2013


Ah, go have a donner kebab and cry into your beer. Your fresh, delicious beer.
posted by benito.strauss at 4:52 PM on April 26, 2013 [3 favorites]


Two times now I have driven my kids to Pizza Hut with their coupons for a free personal pizza, thanks to reading twenty minutes a day for a month. And twice I have asked, "Who has dog poop on their shoes?" when I smelled the putative pepperoni. Ugh, "Pizza Butt," indeed, as a high school buddy called it.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:55 PM on April 26, 2013


baniak's gasps of delight as I pointed him to this FPP have been amazing.
posted by bibliogrrl at 8:28 AM on April 28, 2013 [1 favorite]


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