Best Tacos Chicago: ABC7’s Jaisol Martinez goes on a Mexican food tour with Prime Tacos and Tacos Tequilas

Best Tacos Chicago: ABC7’s Jaisol Martinez goes on a Mexican food tour with Prime Tacos and Tacos Tequilas

CHICAGO (WLS) – Like its pizza, Chicago has some incredibly good tacos.

From the very special little hole in the wall to the more expensive gourmet restaurant, everyone has their favorite spot.

ABC7 Chicago’s Jaisol Martinez is celebrating her second anniversary with the station. And the Texas-born, taco-loving meteorologist has embarked on a new mission: to taste the best tacos in Chicago.

Prime Tacos Food Truck, @prime_tacoz

Anthony Solis takes the lead. He is co-owner of the popular food truck Prime Tacos.

“She told me she was new in town and what better way to show her the best tacos in Chicago than with Mr. Prime himself?” Solis said.

Before they headed out, Martinez got a taste of the Prime Tacos truck.

“I tried the arrachera or skirt steak tacos and the cesina or flank steak tacos and they did not disappoint,” Martinez said.

Taquería Victor Bueno, heart of Chicago

From there, the two headed to the Heart of Chicago neighborhood to visit one of Solis’ all-time favorites: Taquería Victor Bueno at 2057 W. Cermak Road.

They were greeted by a bustling lunch crowd that included a table full of Chicago policewomen from the 10th District.

“You can tell they put their heart and soul into everything they serve. You’re going to love it,” one of the officers told Martinez.

And she did. Her favorite taco was the chili relleno taco, served on a tortilla with rice and beans all in one. Chile Relleno is a roasted poblano pepper stuffed with Chihuaha cheese and then covered in a fluffy fried egg batter.

“Taquería Victor Bueno was a touch of home for me. And that’s no wonder because Mr. Bueno, who is from Guerrero, Mexico, says that most of his recipes come directly from his own mother,” Martinez said.

Tacos Tequilas, Logan Square

Next stop was Tacos Tequilas, 2919 N. Milwaukee Ave. at Logan Square.

Co-owner Jorge Pisano treated Martinez and Solis to three of their specialty tacos.

They first tried cochinita pibil, slow-roasted and marinated pork from Yucatán. Next was a crispy rolled taco filled with potatoes and the Mexican herb epazote. And finally there was the Tripitas Doradas Taco, a crispy browned tripe with cilantro and onions.

“Está muy rico,” Martinez announced as she took a bite of the Tripita taco. “And you know it’s a good thing if you accidentally switch to Spanish.”

Last on the list was a more upscale restaurant in the Uptown area.

Carino, Uptown

Cariño at 4266 N. Broadway is owned by chef Norman Fenton.

“We are a Latin American tasting concept with a strong Mexican influence that also specializes in late-night taco omakase,” Fenton said.

Taco Omakase is a variation of Omakase, which literally means “I leave it to you” in Japanese.

Cariño’s Taco Omakase is $125 per person. It includes two cocktails, glasses of wine or soft drinks.

“You get eight courses, from Wagyu beef to Alaskan king crab,” Fenton said.

SEE ALSO: ABC7 celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with the special “Our Chicago: Lideres Innovadores.”

It also showcases all the homemade masa.

“When I say homemade, that means we nixtamalize the corn. We cook it, then we grind it and just have fun,” Fenton said.

He said he wanted to make sure he offered an authentic experience.

“You can look at me: I’m not Mexican, but my wife and kids are,” Fenton said. “I wanted to make sure that when we present a culture that isn’t necessarily mine, if you will, that we take the extra steps to make sure we do it right,” Fenton said.

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