Have not tried Zacatacos. That's on my list. I passed Torres market but have not stopped in there. Must do so.

Recently moved to La Grange Park, and have been trying to find a go-to Mexican grocery store. Torres Market in Berwyn has been my choice so far. They have a nice selection of perfectly ripe avocados. House made salsas are good. Good selection of super fresh tortillas. Chicharrons with meat still attached are quite nice. Churros were delicious. Haven't eaten in the taqueria yet, but plan to do so soon.

the wimperoo wrote:Recently moved to La Grange Park, and have been trying to find a go-to Mexican grocery store. Torres Market in Berwyn has been my choice so far. They have a nice selection of perfectly ripe avocados. House made salsas are good. Good selection of super fresh tortillas. Chicharrons with meat still attached are quite nice. Churros were delicious. Haven't eaten in the taqueria yet, but plan to do so soon.

Berwyn Fruit & Vegetable
3811 Harlem Ave, Berwyn

... also has a nice and fresh selection of their namesake. Their butcher counter rocks as well.

I'll second Berwyn Fruit Market. The place is so busy, everything is fresh. Interesting imported beer selection too. An added benefit, there is a Zacotacos, right next door.

Zacotacos
3837 S. Harlem
Berwyn

I used to love BFM as well.
I like Familia MUCH more. I rarely, if ever, do BFM these days. Both have their strengths.

Torres I love for after kids' game quick meal AND ice cream all in one stop, and both things are pretty darn good, not just convenient.

the wimperoo wrote:Recently moved to La Grange Park, and have been trying to find a go-to Mexican grocery store. Torres Market in Berwyn has been my choice so far. They have a nice selection of perfectly ripe avocados. House made salsas are good. Good selection of super fresh tortillas. Chicharrons with meat still attached are quite nice. Churros were delicious. Haven't eaten in the taqueria yet, but plan to do so soon.

If you are ever there on a Saturday....
Pop into Valles Produce "La Casa Del Arrachera." It's on 26th on your way home from Torres. Just West of East avenue on the N side of the street. Blink and you'll miss it.

If you want salsa from a grocery store? FIRE.
They have at least 5 diff salsas on offer every day.
Weekends they have a decent selection of prepared foods including potato and chorizo tortas which might be the best value in town. The store itself is pretty dank and tiny, but everyone who works there could not be more friendly.

The salsas though? FIRE. ABSOLUTE FIRE.
Generally, green avocado, roasted tomato, tomatillo verde, and pico de gallo are once a week or so pickups for my fridge. They have a red avocado salsa, it had a kind of menthol-ish tinge to it. I didn't much care for it, but they always have it, so I'm guessing plenty of ppl love it.

Pop in whenever you have a chance. I'm guessing you've passed it a bunch of times. It's no bright and airy place, just be warned. I love that place to death.

seebee wrote:

the wimperoo wrote:Recently moved to La Grange Park, and have been trying to find a go-to Mexican grocery store. Torres Market in Berwyn has been my choice so far. They have a nice selection of perfectly ripe avocados. House made salsas are good. Good selection of super fresh tortillas. Chicharrons with meat still attached are quite nice. Churros were delicious. Haven't eaten in the taqueria yet, but plan to do so soon.

If you are ever there on a Saturday....
Pop into Valles Produce "La Casa Del Arrachera." It's on 26th on your way home from Torres. Just West of East avenue on the N side of the street. Blink and you'll miss it.

If you want salsa from a grocery store? FIRE.
They have at least 5 diff salsas on offer every day.
Weekends they have a decent selection of prepared foods including potato and chorizo tortas which might be the best value in town. The store itself is pretty dank and tiny, but everyone who works there could not be more friendly.

The salsas though? FIRE. ABSOLUTE FIRE.
Generally, green avocado, roasted tomato, tomatillo verde, and pico de gallo are once a week or so pickups for my fridge. They have a red avocado salsa, it had a kind of menthol-ish tinge to it. I didn't much care for it, but they always have it, so I'm guessing plenty of ppl love it.

Pop in whenever you have a chance. I'm guessing you've passed it a bunch of times. It's no bright and airy place, just be warned. I love that place to death.

Thanks for the tip. I've definitely driven past there quite a few times. Will plan on checking it out soon.

The rye bread at Czech plaza was amazing. The owner said they make it there. I'd kill for the recipe.

zoid wrote:

Panther in the Den wrote:They do have a bar.

Hmmm...
OP Boys?

Oak Park invades Berwyn!

Story at 10.

seebee wrote:We hit up Las Vegas Vietnamese food, and left thoroughly impressed. Immediately goes into the rotation. Only had the cell phone, the work cell phone at that, so I think I might leave some pics off. Looks like I got a few decent ones, at least.

Bright and airy space. Decent amount of room. Their previous incarnation was much smaller, and only four or five cheap tables. I'd guess triple the space in the new diggs.
Tables are each equipped with a caddy that holds plasticware and chopsticks. Bottle of sriaracha, too.

...

Website from the old location:
http://lasvegasrest.com/
New address:
6723 Cermak Rd, Berwyn, IL 60402

I was waiting a while before visiting and after the above visit I figured it was time.

Started off with the highly recommended Jasmine tea. I liked the clear cups. There was no ginger tea that I enjoyed so much further north.



Rather than go with the traditional spring rolls we went with the egg rolls which as many know are not the traditional Cantonese style. Everything fresh, served hot, pretty darn good for this style.



Crispy Pancake - Mild flavor with a Big Crunch from the sprouts. Added some of the hoisin sauce that was on the table for a flavor boost.

A little too loose to eat as a taco I would grab a fingers full of pancake, top it with the plentiful greens, a squirt of sauce. Very tasty.



My Bride opted for the Pork Bánh Mì. This sandwich does have a moderate level of heat and even after removing the jalapeños it was still a bit much for her.

I enjoyed the sandwich very much! The marinated and fried pork had a great flavor, the greens and bread a good crunch. I would return for this sandwich alone.



Besides the sandwich and as expected the true standout was the Special Phở.

Deep rich broth, 3 meats tender and flavorful and the veggies plentiful and fresh. A squirt of Sriracha and you are good to go.




All in all a great visit! Best in the West? I don’t know but a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

A little too loose to eat as a taco I would grab a fingers full of pancake, top it with the plentiful greens, a squirt of sauce. Very tasty.

We use the large lettuce leaves as the 'taco shell' and load the pancake and other veggies into it with a dollop of nuoc chom. Still messy, but that's the way I was taught by locals many years ago....

seebee wrote:

the wimperoo wrote:Recently moved to La Grange Park, and have been trying to find a go-to Mexican grocery store. Torres Market in Berwyn has been my choice so far. They have a nice selection of perfectly ripe avocados. House made salsas are good. Good selection of super fresh tortillas. Chicharrons with meat still attached are quite nice. Churros were delicious. Haven't eaten in the taqueria yet, but plan to do so soon.

If you are ever there on a Saturday....
Pop into Valles Produce "La Casa Del Arrachera." It's on 26th on your way home from Torres. Just West of East avenue on the N side of the street. Blink and you'll miss it.

If you want salsa from a grocery store? FIRE.
They have at least 5 diff salsas on offer every day.
Weekends they have a decent selection of prepared foods including potato and chorizo tortas which might be the best value in town. The store itself is pretty dank and tiny, but everyone who works there could not be more friendly.

The salsas though? FIRE. ABSOLUTE FIRE.
Generally, green avocado, roasted tomato, tomatillo verde, and pico de gallo are once a week or so pickups for my fridge. They have a red avocado salsa, it had a kind of menthol-ish tinge to it. I didn't much care for it, but they always have it, so I'm guessing plenty of ppl love it.

Pop in whenever you have a chance. I'm guessing you've passed it a bunch of times. It's no bright and airy place, just be warned. I love that place to death.

Good call, Seebee. I stopped in on Saturday morning and picked up a couple of salsas. The Green Avocado is fire. Not sure what exactly the other one is, but it had a nice fruity character and moderate heat.

I popped in on Sunday and got a lackluster-ish batch.
It's still quite decent, mind you.
If it was leftover from what you got on Saturday, you might even get a better batch next time you try it. The other one you got looks like the standard roasted salsa which, is my secondary go to, but sometimes it's outstanding. Their tomatillo verde is surprisingly, my favorite of the style I've had anywhere. Usually just not a fan, but theirs pops. I honestly had never even tried it until my brother in law went in a, "I want to try everything in this store" kid in a candy shop mode when I took him there for the first time.

Also on Sunday, I went when it was pretty slow, so I chatted up the guy behind the hot counter, who, if I were to guess, was the owner. He told me that the red avocado salsa was avocado and chile arbol, and it's very spicy. He started chatting me up because everyone freaks out when they hear my spanglish, and they ask where I'm from, how did I learn so well, I MUST be from Columbia, etc. I asked the lady at the front register if they have the tortas every Sat, and she said, no - "he" only makes them when he feels like it, and she looked the way of the guy at the hot counter I was talking to, BUT, she also said, "He will make them if you call or stop in on Friday and ask, no problem."

If you ever wanna try them, just say the word. I have no issue popping in and asking, and maybe there would be some left for you or whatever, or I could order more for you, specifically. Also, they were technically pambazos. Chorizo and potato sandwiches easy drenched in a mild/spicy tomato sauce. They weren't totally drenched, like messy, but I guess that could easily vary. IIRC, they were like 2 bucks each, not STUFFED, I bet I could eat 3 of em. They were darned simple, but darned good.

Sunday's haul:


50 cent fried potato tacos were greasily awesome.
Guac was a little on the lackluster side, too.
Their stuff is usually on point. I know it'll be better next time.
That cantaloupe, was courtesy of Familia, and had NO business being as sweet as it was in April. It was eaten in about 10 minutes. That was my 79c find of the day. Probably going back tomorrow to buy two more.

El Nuevo Vallarta, Sports Bar & Grill, Seafood and Mexican Grill
6801 Cermak Rd, Berwyn


... which used to be 35 Sports Bar & Grill

... which used to be Big Hurt Brewhouse

... has opened to the fanfare of Mariachi bands.

No further information.

El Nuevo Vallarta Sports Bar & Grill, Seafood and Mexican Grill

I saw a small sign on one of their windows that said "Sushi."

I'll have to try the Valles place. I pass it all the time, only three blocks from my two flat on 23rd and Scoville. My husband likes hot. So we shall try it. Keep the rec's coming!

My Bride was off to brunch with her daughter and I was left to my own devices.

There is this place I have been meaning to try...

Mis Chilaquiles
(the name on the windows and menu)
Otherwise Los or Fabrosos Chilaquiles
5735 W 16th St, Cicero
https://www.facebook.com/Mis-Chilaquile ... 213642139/

The place was packed at 11 am on a Sunday! 10 tables with half pushed together to make larger ones.

Sat in the window seat and a table opened up in around 10 minutes. Steady stream of carry out and people waiting for tables.

They started me off with...

The red and dark green started off mild but the heat grew. Preference goes to the green.

Of course I did a little research and my order was the namesake...

Chips initially a bit stale and the Verde seemed different than what was served with the chips. A little bland.

While it has been a long, long time since I have had them at...

Nuevo Leon Restaurant
3657 W 26th St, Chicago

... but I seem to remember they were better, more flavorful there.

As I was eating I noticed several tables were ordering...


... so I got some to go. Very tasty! You can get them with a variety of toppings but I went with just the plain (cheese and bean).

seebee wrote:Finer Dining:
Oliver's -
The newcomer. Heard nothing but good things so far, but only been for brunch. VERY solid brunch showing.

Closed for good.

Olive or Twist (the connected bar) is still open.

A little coffee cafe (1890 Cafe) is opening in the Harlem Ave Metra station (FWIW).

seebee wrote:El Nuevo Vallarta Sports Bar & Grill, Seafood and Mexican Grill

I saw a small sign on one of their windows that said "Sushi."

Planning to visit tomorrow for brunch and looking at the menu they indeed have a page dedicated to Sushi.

Interesting! It is a seafood restaurant after all and with the popularity...

Panther in the Den wrote:
El Nuevo Vallarta, Sports Bar & Grill, Seafood and Mexican Grill
6801 Cermak Rd, Berwyn

0F1C773E-483A-4890-9ECA-B0A1A008836D.jpeg

... which used to be 35 Sports Bar & Grill

... which used to be Big Hurt Brewhouse

... has opened to the fanfare of Mariachi bands.

No further information.

Panther in the Den wrote:

seebee wrote:El Nuevo Vallarta Sports Bar & Grill, Seafood and Mexican Grill

I saw a small sign on one of their windows that said "Sushi."

Planning to visit tomorrow for brunch and looking at the menu they indeed have a page dedicated to Sushi.

Interesting! It is a seafood restaurant after all and with the popularity...

Well we did stop by as promised.

What an odd foodie visit!

I had perused the menu before heading out and seeing that 95% of the menu was seafood (not a fan other than a good perch) so I was content on ordering one of the very few non-seafood items, Steak Fajitas.

My Bride often does enjoy seafood but for some reason decided to order (maybe the other non-seafood item) Chicken Alfredo???

Our friend who joined us has been going through a medical situation and kept it simple with and order of refried beans and rice with a side of tortillas.

What! We got a seafood restaurant and nobody orders seafood? Weird. Well anyway...

Nothing was particularly photogenic so no photos. I am sure if we had ordered seafood it would of been a different story . We saw several whole fish dished come out to other tables that were drop dead beautiful. Golden brown, crusted with salt and spices, whole fish from head to tail on a large platter.

Starting the meal was the traditional (?) chips and salsa, brightly colored chips (green, red and yellow) and a green salsa which appeared (and tasted) to be chopped peppers in a light clear liquid. A very good hit of heat that demanded it to be used sparingly and a second, seafood based (no surprise there), almost as paste, that had a light heat to it. Our friend enjoyed it very much and put a pretty good dent in it.

We also ordered Queso Fundido with Chorizo. Seemed to be preprepared as the cheese had set up a bit and was sticking to the pan. Would of preferred it fresh and a touch gooey.

My Steak Fajitas were standard version (onions and green pepper). An interesting exchange happened when it was delivered... I received chicken and discussed with my table mates and they confirmed I ordered steak and when the waitress stopped by and mentioned her error she said I was mistaken, she writes down the orders as we say them and there was no way she could make a mistake.

Looking at me in defiance I told her flat out that is was not what I ordered and I was not going to eat it and she begrudgingly finally took it back. For a minute I thought we would have to leave.

When it finally came it was piping hot, sizzling strongly and pretty good.

My Bride mentioned that her Chicken Alfredo (the server who delivered it called it something else but I did catch it) was one of the best renditions she had ever had! A strong hit of garlic and nicely grilled chicken.

Our friends Refried Beans and Rice with tortillas was, well, beans and rice. The beans were a little looser version (not the traditional paste) and the rice had peas in it. Tasty enough.

After we had packed up and were about to go the owner stopped by. He mentioned he was the chief chef of the previous incarnation (35) and actually had a part of the ownership along with Frank Thomas and Buona Beef. I didn't know Buona had a hand in it. I should of ordered the beef back then.

All in all, everything looks like it is doing well, Mariachi Band often (reports it can get loud) and a steady business. It was half full at lunchtime on Sunday with a steady crowd coming and going.

Wished the owner luck and congratulated him of finally hitting a theme that seems to work well in this beautiful building.

Not Berwyn but close enough. Maybe I should annex Brookfield in to The Kingdom of Oak Park too.

At a cursed location...

8819 Ogden Ave, Brookfield

The latest victim...

Taco Bout It

At first thought and glance, typical taco place?

See if you can spot the uniqueness...



Can’t spot it? The second page puts it front and center...



That’s right, Grasshopper Tacos . I’m sure it is a gimmick but I’m not going to try it.

Hoping to stop by tomorrow and we’ll see how it is.

Chapuline (grasshopper) tacos are pretty normal street food, but the pb&j ones caught my eye as being pretty odd.

stevez wrote:Chapuline (grasshopper) tacos are pretty normal street food, but the pb&j ones caught my eye as being pretty odd.

P, B & J Chicken.

Panther in the Den wrote:At a cursed location...

8819 Ogden Ave, Brookfield
Taco Bout It

Not too bad! A unique twist on many of the favorites. $4 tacos and $8 burritos (some cheaper) joining the upscale taco joints that have opened recently. Still only stools along the window counter.

Kept it simple and basic.



Good flavor! Tender meat and the cabbage topping was fresh.

Meat was room temperature and the tortilla fresh out of the package.

Simple to prepare?



Both of these were well received. Good amount of chicken with a very light mole flavor. The quesadilla was maybe the standout being freshly grilled, big and chock filled. I might ask for a side of mole for dipping.

Sides? Rice and beans (pictured above). Tasty! Black beans with good flavor.



A little too soupy and sweet for my taste. Well prepared with a nice amount of cheese on top.

Last but not the least...


Turns out the owner is rarely on the premises. He designed the menu and the recipes and is sitting back raking in the profits.

Difficult on a low volume business with 2 employees. Third week of business

Good Luck!

Question is....can they stay open long enough to replace my regular Las Asadas taco run?
Even though they went downhill at the end, the convenience and salsas were key.

I've been really digging the pork tacos (among other things) at La Estancia in downtown Riverside - and Tony's puts up a pretty big challenge as well.

stoutisgoodfood wrote:Question is....can they stay open long enough to replace my regular Las Asadas taco run?
Even though they went downhill at the end, the convenience and salsas were key.

I've been really digging the pork tacos (among other things) at La Estancia in downtown Riverside - and Tony's puts up a pretty big challenge as well.

I would recommend you give them a try just to form your own opinion (also if you have a strong desire to try grasshopper ) but the room temperature steak and ‘raw’ tortilla put me off. It is standard practice to let them hit the griddle before plating.

Like I mentioned the quesadilla was decent enough coming off the grill. Salsa’s were good.

I really liked La Estancia. The personable staff, owner on premises checking on customers. Good food. Goes a long way.

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

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 .

Looking to pick up 10 or so lbs of Carnitas for a party on Saturday. Any recommendations in Berwyn or Cicero? Initial plan is to just get it from Torres as I've really enjoyed their carnitas when dining in at taqueria. But I'm open to other suggestions.

Not that I have any experience with bulk carnitas but I would go with a restaurant with a lot of volume.

Maybe the busiest restaurant in my opinion would be...

Taqueria Aguascalientes
2106 S Cicero Ave, Cicero

While they are best known for their Gorditas their meats are also very good.

There are a few restaurants that specialize in carnitas...

There used to be a carnitas place at 58th court and 16th but they closed. I never made it in there.

If you are willing to range a bit I've always had excellent product from...

Carnitas Don Alfredo
... with two locations...
15 N 1st Ave, Maywood in the gas station (more of a satellite location)
2501 Lake St, Melrose Park The primary location. Probably provides the other location with product.

Tender, unctuous with a few tasty outer pieces.