A Taco Tour of Rogers Park

August 22, 2017thetipsyhousewife

A collection of tacos and salsas on a wooden board.

Ten Foodie Spots To Visit In Rogers Park For Tacos & Tamales

I moved to a neighborhood of Chicago called Rogers Park over a decade ago. Originally, I planned to stay a year or two, sell my condo, and buy a house back in my old neighborhood. After living here a couple years, however, Rogers Park began to feel like home.

The charm of the old buildings, the easy access to the lakefront and beautiful pocket beaches, the friendly community and most importantly, the food, has kept me here for ten years now, going on eleven.

The R.P. is an eclectic community  filled with all walks of life. Artists, musicians, business people, families, singles, young, old, pretty much any category you can think of.

It is considered one of, if not THE most, diverse community in the city, maybe even the world. These things have made Rogers Park a foodie destination that is often often overlooked.

For those in the know, it is a Mecca for any kind of cuisine you can imagine.

One of my favorite cuisines in Rogers Park is the Mexican Food Scene. From Devon Avenue to Rogers Avenue, on Clark Street, there are countless Mexican Restaurants, Taco Stands, Tamale Carts, and Grocery Stores.

I’ve frequented a lot of these places and of course I have my favorites, but it was time to discover some new ones. Hence the idea of The Clark Street Taco Crawl was born.

I visited ten different places and at each one I tried the steak taco with lettuce or cilantro, onions, and cheese with the exception of the two tamale places I tried.

Here is the comprehensive list of my taco adventure.

Oh, and if you’re looking to make your own tacos, my recipe for Crispy Chicken Tacos is a great place to start!

Now let’s get moving.

1. Supermercado Chapala 

The exterior of Chapala supermarket.

Workers in the kitchen in the back of Chapala's supermarket.
Taco Stand In The Back of A Grocery Store

The lines are long at all times of the day, so you know it’s good. My favorite thing about their taco is the spiced cheese they use.

I also love the ability to grocery shop while I wait for my order. My other favorite thing about Chapala is that it has become an unofficial gathering place of all people from the community.

On any given day you see everyone, from locals to police officers, to delivery people eating here together.

A close up of a steak taco with cheese and cilantro.
Steak Taco from Chapala

2. Rocky’s Tacos The exterior of Rocky's Tacos.

Rocky’s is known for their giant Tortas, but there are tons of great things on their menu.

One of my favorite things about Rocky’s is their pico de gallo. It’s made to order when you dine in. The unique thing about it is that it has little bits of ham in it and an interesting tangy flavor.

They also have some really cool art up on the walls.

Mesoamerican wall art.
Wall Art at Rocky’s Tacos

What I love about Rocky’s Tacos is that every bite is consistent. The meat is perfectly seasoned and in every bite you get the perfect amount of meat, cheese, onion, and cilantro.

A close up shot of a steak taco with onion, cheese, and cilantro.
Rocky’s Tacos Steak Taco, A Perfect Bite Every Time

3.  El Famous Burrito

The exterior of El Famous Burrito.
El Famous has an awesome Taco Tuesday special: $1.50 tacos all day!

They are also open late night. Their tacos are perfect and for $1.50 you can afford to eat ten of them.

A steak taco with shredded lettuce, cilantro, and cheese.
El Famous, Famous $1.50 Taco Tuesday Special

4. Taqueria Hidalgo

The exterior of Tacqueria Hidalgo.
This is a cute little place and they have the kind of tiny tacos you could eat 100 of. The service is always friendly and the place is always packed with locals.

My favorite thing about Tacos Hidalgo is the large shreds of seasoned taco cheese. Every bite is a cheesy bite of goodness.

A steak taco with a lot of onion.
Steak Taco from Hidalgo

5. Tamales Lo Mejor de Guerrero

The exterior of Tamales Lo Mejor de Guerrero.
This was a new stop for me. I’ve been wanting to go here for years, and after visiting today I have no idea why I waited. They have handmade tamales that are $1.75.

I got the spicy pork and it was to die for. They also come in other varieties, both spicy and non spicy with a variety of fillings.

I can’t wait to go back. I will for sure be ordering these in bulk to take to parties.

A close up shot of an open tamale.
Spicy Pork Tamale from Tamales Lo Mejor ~ OMG

6.  Taqueria Hernandez

The exterior of Taqueria Hernandez.
This is an old favorite of mine. I was introduced to this place about 13 years ago by the grandmother of a student of mine and I haven’t stopped coming back for more.

Everything is perfect about this taco. Perfectly seasoned meat, crisp raw onion, fresh cilantro, and huge chunks of delicious cheese.

It would be very hard to choose just one Mexican restaurant on Clark, but if I absolutely could only pick one place to eat steak tacos from for the rest of my life, this would be it.

A close up of a steak taco with onions, cilantro, and cheese.
Taqueria Hernandez

7. Tamales Garibaldi

The Tamales Garibaldi stand.
Across from Taqueria Hernandez is a sweet little man selling the most delicious homemade tamales from his little cart. He didn’t want me to take his picture but he let me take pictures of his cart.

I had the chicken tamale from him and it was incredible. Stop by and see him, you won’t regret it.

Tamales inside a cooler.
Gatorade coolers filled with warm homemade tamales.
A close up of an open chicken tamale.
Delicious Chicken Tamale from Garibaldi Tamales

8.  El Pueblito

The exterior of El Pueblito.
Their standard steak tacos are great. What I like most about these is that they have red onion on them. It adds a nice layer of flavor.

Their menu also features favorites like menudo and great shrimp dishes that I have been told are fantastic! Their creamy salsa verde is also perfection.

A steak taco with cheese and cilantro next to a greenish yellow dip.
Fantastic Salsa Verde from El Pueblito

9. Taqueria Chorrito

The exterior of Taqueria Chorrito.
This was also a new place for me to try. What was awesome about this place is the grilled onions on the taco. It really added a layer of flavor different from the rest.

This taco was also HUGE so you really don’t need to order that many. I will for sure, be back.

A grilled onion steak taco.
Grilled Onions on this Taco from El Chorrito

10. Taqueria El Charro

The exterior of Taqueria El Charro.
This was my last stop on my Taco Tour.  I’ve been told the pozole on the weekends is really great.

Based on their delicious tacos I would have zero doubt that the pozole is as good as they say.

My favorite thing about this taco was the fresh taco shell. I could literally taste that it was freshly made.

I could eat the tortilla alone but the meat and cheese were equally delicious.

A steak taco with onions and cilantro.
Taqueria El Charro

My Taco Tour was a success. I was able to stop in at my old favorites and I discovered so many new places.

There are also so many more to try.  If you decide to come and try some of these places yourself, note that most of the places are BYOB and do not serve alcohol.

I look forward to exploring many more of the cuisines of Rogers Park!

Happy Eating!

2 Comments

  • The Ultimate Food Guide To Cure Your New Years Day Hangover – Influencing Under The Influence

    December 30, 2017 at 3:01 am

    […] To read more about my Taco Tour of Rogers Park and all the fabulous tacos pictured , Click Here […]

  • Easy Al Pastor Tacos – The Tipsy Housewife

    August 9, 2019 at 2:45 am

    […] crawl in my neighborhood and tried an incredible amount of tacos. You can read that blog post here A Taco Tour of Rogers Park. I have yet to meet a taco I didn’t like. One of my most favorite types of taco is Al Pastor. […]

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