I used to hit that place on 16th, Panther.
I could also hit up Freddie's on my way home.

Wimperoo:
If you like Torres, then stick with it. Check their price at the deli counter, and ask them if you'll need to special order.

I'm pretty fond of Familia Food's Carnitas on Oak Park Ave, across the street from the hospital (they never seem to be oversalted, which I LOVE) and before then, Berwyn Fruit Market's carnitas.

I'd also suggest checking the joints in Pilsen / Little Village which are a very quick drive on early wknd mornings. When I was going through a big tamale phase, I used to hit up La Casa Del Pueblo, and El Milagro, and would drive past a few Carnitas places. Maybe if you want some tamales to go with your carnitas, and you're an early riser - you could make it an am mission.

I'll bet my life that Valles on 26th has carnitas on wknds as well, and they'll prolly have some other guisados and snacks as well. I actually popped into Valles for salsa on Sunday around lunchtime, and they had an offer I couldn't refuse:
6 cheese enchiladas, with rice and beans for 4.99. AND IT WAS GOOD!

Good luck.

seebee wrote:I actually popped into Valles for salsa on Sunday around lunchtime, and they had an offer I couldn't refuse:
6 cheese enchiladas, with rice and beans for 4.99. AND IT WAS GOOD!

The old self quote. But, in case evidence is needed:


The enchiladas came straight out of a hotel pan. A spatula scooped up 6 in a melted cheese topped conjoined row, and then they were folded over to fit in the clamshell. Funny story, when the counterman was pointing and listing all of the stuff in the hot case for me, when he pointed to the enchiladas, and told me the price, I thought I misheard him when he said 6 for 4.99. I assumed he had it backwards like it should have been 4 for 6.99 or something. When he confirmed it was 6 for 4.99 - lol ... I didn't even ask him wtf KIND of enchiladas they were. I just said, give me two orders. I followed him to the other counter where he slapped the price tag on them, and lo and behold, there was a customer facing sign, "Today's Special: 6 cheese enchiladas, rice & beans 4.99"

Got em home, and divvied em up:


Best enchiladas on the planet? NOPE
Worst enchiladas on the planet? NOPE. Not even close to the worst.

I've had far worse enchiladas for more than twice the price. These were actually pretty good, tbh.

If you can fit Valles in on a Sat or Sun, their salsas rarely disappoint, but you might have a good chance at scoring some sneaky good eats on the way cheap. Just remember, this place is a tiny little bodega. It's not bright and airy, it's small, and packed tight. The people are all super friendly, and the salsa selection/price/quality is generally great.

Just saw this on Facebook...

Congratulations to the newest Berwyn business on Ridgeland Ave!

Cien 100% Naturalisimo
2709 S Ridgeland Ave

... is a plant-based eatery that offers only the healthiest options for your mind, body, and soul! They offer a wide selection of various vegan options, as well as consultations with an in-house health coach. Start your healthy lifestyle this summer in Berwyn!

We could use a few more vegetarian options.

Panther in the Den wrote:

the wimperoo wrote:Taco Bout It appears to have changed its name to Xelva Mayan Cuisine. I'm not sure anything else has changed though.

Their Facebook Page wrote:Good afternoon loyal customers, friends ,and family of taco bout it . With this post we hope to address all questions and concerns about the name changed (rebranding). No we are not closing our doors . No it’s not a new owner or new restaurant. Yes we have the same menu and staff . The name change is simple. Their happens to be another restaurant within 15 miles from us that has the slogan let’s taco about it. They reach out to our lawyer . After talking to a lawyer he recommended the name change. To avoid the legal battle. The name changed is to XELVA . With this said we hope to continue to serve all of you guys and the Brookfield Community .

More changes? Maybe if they cooked the tortillas?

https://www.oakparkeats.com/food-news/n ... ue-eatery/

I Xelva'd last night.
A buddy of mine has been screaming about their steak, and salsa verde. The counterman pulled out slabs of skirt, and threw them on the live fire grill after I ordered, so there's some serious promise here.

The rundown:
Steak - tonight's was too chewy, and overcooked. I know the deal tho. The cow was not their fault. Overcooking was. My preference would be higher flame, more char, and less done. There was not a lot of char, and it was cooked well done. Higher heat and less time on the plancha would have been better, imo. Also, it was cut in larger pieces. My guess would be that smaller pieces would yield a little more tenderness. No big deal, though. I will get their steak again, without question. There is real promise.

Beef Barbacoa - Not good. It was actually dry. It was obviously held in a liquidy, stewy, jus. But, the meat itself was dry once chewed. Me and Jr both took one bite, and were done with the barbacoa tacos, which is an oddity. We dig on some unctuous barbacoa over here. Fattier the better. I wonder if this barbacoa was made with a cut of meat that doesn't lend it self to long cooking, OR, we are just gringos, and we expect juicy, fatty, barbacoa, incorrectly. kinda seemed like the texture of something like a sirloin that was stewed.

Al Pastor - decent. A dry version of spice, not the wet, red pasty stuff. Had a definite touch of sweetness from pineapple.

They had a tinga quesadilla special, so I snagged one. GOOD cheese. There was definitely tinga on the quesadilla in spots. I couldn't taste anything from it tho. It's like it wasn't even there.

Chapulines: Jr was a very firm NO.

The salsa verde was very limey/tangy/fresh. Not hot, but it had a warmth from pepper.

I will say this:
Jr and I both agreed on the horchata. WAAAAAY better than I think I've ever had, and Jr was a definite on calling it "the best." I'd imagine that their horchata would fit right in at La Chaparrita. I've never had horchata from La Chaparrita, but whoever made the horchata at Xelva has some serious passion. I'll verify that last night's horchata was a standard prep, because I'll definitely go back pretty soon to test the steak again. The horchata was VERY rich, VERY creamy. It was serious. You could easily taste that someone gave a crap about what they were creating, and not just opening a packet.

Steak tacos and horchata for me next time are a definite.
I'd say if you give this place a try, don't miss on the horchata.

I ate there on Tuesday after not having been there for awhile (not in my normal path)...

I had the chicken mole taco and the pastor. Pastor was good not great, I think I'll try the steak next time. The mole was really tasty and a definite reorder.

It was the end of lunch rush and they had a room full (small place) - that was good to see after the last 3-4 places there couldn't survive.

stoutisgoodfood wrote:I ate there on Tuesday after not having been there for awhile (not in my normal path)...

I'd guess there = Xelva.
Folks, please mention the name of the restaurant?
Get off My Lawn!
Not directing this at Stout but, having minor interest in Berwyn I don't quite remember details from Seebee's prior post.
Also, and this is not directed to Seebee, there are a few posters who make a practice of posting bunches of restaurants in an odd disjointed fashion, with blurry pics, and then the followup simply says, I ate there.
Get off my Lawn!

seebee wrote:I Xelva'd last night.
A buddy of mine has been screaming about their steak, and salsa verde. The counterman pulled out slabs of skirt, and threw them on the live fire grill after I ordered, so there's some serious promise here.

The rundown:
Steak - tonight's was too chewy, and overcooked. I know the deal tho. The cow was not their fault. Overcooking was. My preference would be higher flame, more char, and less done. There was not a lot of char, and it was cooked well done. Higher heat and less time on the plancha would have been better, imo. Also, it was cut in larger pieces. My guess would be that smaller pieces would yield a little more tenderness. No big deal, though. I will get their steak again, without question. There is real promise.

<snip>

Steak tacos and horchata for me next time are a definite.
I'd say if you give this place a try, don't miss on the horchata.

Xelva
8819 Ogden Ave, Brookfield


I wasn’t impressed with anything during my visit. Maybe the uncooked tortilla?


The steak itself failed to impress me as well.

Looking at the other area places (mostly in The Kingdom) that are also charging $3.50 for a taco you can do much better.

Hecho en Oak Park, Chirrion, Gringo & Blondie, Tacabron ($2.75). Even Cactus Grill or Taco Tu at their lower price point is better.

It will take more than horchata to get me to visit again.

Yet another evolution at...

6836 Windsor Ave, Berwyn


https://m.facebook.com/CafeMediaNoche/

Not sure about the days shown. They usually post. No post for today.

Another coffee shop/cafe opening on the 21st. Some light dishes too as far as I can tell...

La Borra del Cafe
6801 Stanley Ave, Berwyn

the wimperoo wrote:Taco Bout It appears to have changed its name to Xelva Mayan Cuisine. I'm not sure anything else has changed though.

Now Xocalo.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday service.

In search of an identity.

Looking online you will see references to Taco Bout It, Xelva Mayan Cuisine and not much about the new name.

Speaking of that new coffee shop Panther mentioned (La Borra del Cafe...)

If anyone has gluten issues, there's a small gym / coffee shop basically next door to La Borra del Cafe, called, "Lunges N Lattes." They have a few foods on offer, coffee drinks, and smoothies, but...

Wherever this place is getting its gluten free muffins from, they are damn good.
I don't have much experience with gluten free anything, and what I have had in the past from other places has not been good. I'll even admit that my wife has been taking exercise classes at Lunges N Lattes since they opened, and she's brought home plenty of gluten free clunker trial muffins in the past, but they have CLEARLY upped their game. These muffins are moist, flavorful, (a little on the sweet side, but I'm guessing that's a trade-off the bakery has to make to get them the right consistency.) If you're in the area, try a few if this interests you. I recommend chocolate, banana, and blueberry lemon. I think they run about 4 bux per, but definitely don't quote me. none of us in our household are G.F. but these are pretty decent. More like a dessert, tbh.

https://lungesnlattes.com/
6805 Stanley Avenue
Berwyn, IL 60402