Tacos El Norte- Lake Bluff

Quatro Estrellas  There are a great number of Mexican restaurants in the “greater Chicago” area. Most people feel that if you want “truly Mexican”, you must go to Pilsen or Little Village/26th Street, or perhaps Cicero. These are areas that are heavily populated with Mexicans, ergo, the food is true. Many also feel that just because an area has a number of Hispanics, doesn’t mean that the food is the best. Lake Bluff ( a North Shore suburb just north of Lake Forest, Deerfield, and East of Libertyville is not what one would call an Hispanic area, yet they have a restaurant that will make you feel as if you were in Mexico ( or one of the previously mentioned areas).

While the restaurant is named Tacos El Norte, they are far more than a “taco place”. Several listeners to my radio show told me about this sterling restaurant, family owned and operated with great food at reasonable prices and the outside option as well as a spacious dining area inside. Located in a big old house that they share with a Panera Bread Restaurant, at the corner of Route 176 and Route 43 ( Waukegan Rd), this is a delightful spot. We were greeted by our hostess Carolina Rodriguez. Jane and I began with their zesty margaritas and Fern had a Corona. Barry just had water as he was waiting for the opportunity to do the Mexican Hot Chocolate for dessert ( he absolutely loved what he sipped very slowly).

We began with the homemade guac and chips, which we also learned were home made ( Jane knew right away that these were not store-bought. The salsa was also very flavorful. The other appetizers we enjoyed were the Cerviche and chips ( we did the shrimp, but one can also do tilapia) and the Nachos ( we did the beef, a little salty). You can do beef, shrimp or cheese. The portions are very decent, so one does not need to order  a meal and appetizer per person. Save room for dessert.

We selected two entrees, The Combo Fajitas: Steak ( very tender and juicy) and chicken- moist and delicious served with rice, refried beans ( as good as I have ever had) and both corn and regular tortillas. We also enjoyed the skirt steak topped with cheese and ranchero sauce. This is called the Bistic Ranchero. The ladies thought the steak in the fajita was far more tender than the  skirt, but as a meat lover, I can tell you that the thickness of the steak does add to the chewiness whereas the slivers in the fajita platter are softer. This also came with rice and beans and of course both platters included  the onion, tomato and bell peppers that are grilled with the meat(s).

The menu is gigantic. Lots of chicken dishes, seafood galore, tortas and family platters. As their name implies, tacos are a specialty. Combos, fish and over twenty varieties await your selection. FYI they have several soups and salads as well as burritos ( they looked amazing going by our table to others. We sat inside, but they have a wonderful outdoor “veranda” ( fancy name for porch) that is covered and yet meets the criteria of being “outdoors”. Next time, I think we will do this. They have a breakfast menu that is worth driving up for and a large selection of both Mexican and domestic beers and the margaritas are sensational.

As long as we are talking sensational, let’s visit the desserts we had. As I said, Barry had the Mexican Chocolate ( nutty hot chocolate) and we all shared the flan ( caramel custard that I could have eaten a few of myself-that good), ice cream ( raisin bran coated fried vanilla ice cream served in a waffle cone bowl and to top it off a plate of churros ( you can dip or eat plain- these are also available with raspberry filling).

The menu is designed to go ( including the margaritas) and they do catering as well.

The location is 305 Waukegan Road in Lake Bluff. There are other Tacos el Norte , but each one is independent, so please understand this is THE one to go for the flavors and service we enjoyed. Our server Lizbeth knew her stuff and made suggestions based on her knowledge of the huge menu. There was no way that four of us could have handled any more that we did. The flavors were wonderful and we know that there is a lot more to taste when we return to Lake Bluff in the future.

Phone number is 224-880-5141

You can order catering or food to go as well. call 847-770-1602

questions about catering, diego.lass@icloud.com

visit www.tacoselnortelb.com

HOURS:

Monday-Thursday  9:30 am- 8:30 p.m.

Friday and Saturday  9 a.m.- 9 p.m.

SUNDAYS: Closed  “familia time!