Las Tarascas Restaurant

Words cannot describe how fantastical this place is. I thought this place was just plain good until I tried their chicken flautas. And then the heavens opened up while my mouth celebrated their awesomeness!!! The chicken was so juicy and tender, and the flauta itself was so crunchy, I didn’t realize I had eaten all four of them! I wasn’t able to eat any rice or beans or guacamole bc I was stuffed like a turkey on thanksgiving. My bf ordered his favorite al pastor tacos, which are to SALIVATE over, and a bowl of red pozole soup. The soup was really good, hearty, and spicy; maybe too spicy for me bc I’m kind of a chicken (hence why I ordered chicken flautas duh!). It was really good tho, and it will clear your sinuses until next year’s winter.
I always order their arroz con leche (rice pudding), for snack the next day. That one’s a hit or miss, bc the consistency ranges from liquidy to soft. Still delicious, but I prefer it in a semi-​liquid state.
So if you are reading this, make sure to give them a shot. They were my preferred Mexican place bc they DELIVER (how convenient), but now, it’s more because they really are plain AWESOME!

The only thing I really think is yummy are the homemade tortillas… they have ok Mexican but nothing out of the normal

We live in the neighborhood. We depend on this place for authentic Mexican food. My wife loves the tortas. I go for the fish tacos. btw my wife is Mexican. We run into other parents from the neighborhood here running in for takeout, who are also from Mexico … get it?

Don’t pass this place up. It looks like your typical small neighborhood Mexican restaurant but the food is really special. The tortillas are homemade and the food is very authentic.
Try the quesadillas Tarascas and the quesadiias Michoacanas!
This is a great neighborhood joint with very friendly owners and delicious food.
I think it’s cash only so come with cash.

Okay, I grabbed a quick lunch here because it is sort of in the vicinity of my work. I also heard that they had home-​made fresh tortillas which I was eager to try.
I ordered a taco dinner (al pastor). I wish I had just ordered 3 tacos though instead of the dinner (2 tacos + beans/​rice) because the beans and rice were absolutely flavorless. The tortillas were nothing special in my opinion (though not bad). The al pastor was definitely quite delicious, so that was the main redeeming point of my meal.
In general, I usually don’t care a whole lot about the ambiance of a restaurant — but this place is a bit too much of a grungy hole-​in-​the-​wall for me. The air conditioning either wasn’t on or is non-​existant and there isn’t a whole lot of dining space. I was also quite turned off by the fact that some random woman wandered in off of the street to use the bathroom, and also a group of children (who I’m assuming were relative of the owner or something) kept walking through the space while I was eating. Not a huge deal, but it did make me a bit uncomfortable.

Go to Pepe’s…much better. Heck, Taco Bell is better. Food is very overpriced & portions are skimpy. Food is dry, stale & tastes preprocessed/​prepackaged. Nothing is fresh. Atmosphere is hot, stale, dirty & there is almost no one in this place ever. Handmade signs are the 1^st clue to stay away… especially when they are misspelled.

Yummers! I love their el pastor tacos (thats seasoned pork with pineapples!)
To my suprise they also have calamari and its fantastic GET SOME!
UPDATE*I would give it 5 stars for how yummy the food is, but theres a lady here who doesn’t bother to learn english, she gets my order wrong every time even when I try to order in spanish… I have never had this issue before but it bothered me enough that I wont go back. Communication is #1 problem here.

Why I waited so long, I don’t know. By long, I mean the 4 months since we moved into the neighborhood. Went last night with the wife. I ordered three tacos (asada, al pastor and ground beef). All three were awesome, with only the essential toppings of cilantro and onion. The wife had a michocoan quesadilla with steak and it was on point too (I can attest to it as I ate it for lunch today). The place is affordable, good, and, more importantly, I think I found my neighborhood taco joint!

We went to this place when it first opened and I wasn’t impressed. Zero atmosphere. The place is always empty, a definite sign to me that people are not returning. Get rid of the tacky signs on the windows too. I’ve been to other neighborhood mexican places much better (El Gordo! that place on Austin/​Iriving).

Delicious food, great prices, excellent service!
My husband was reluctant to try Las Tarascas but after our dining experience tonight, we will definitely be back. The salsas were just right, one mild, one spicy. :) We had the Quesadillas Tarascas & Quesadillas Michoacan style both made with homemade tortillas.
My father ordered Corundas and that dinner was very tasty.
I’m so excited to FINALLY have a GO TO Mexican Restaurant so close to home
! :)

Nasty. Nothing was homemade… refried beans were from a can and the chorizo was prepackaged. You could even see the boxes and packaging right out in the open. The tortillas were the size of a drink coaster they were so small. They charge extra for sour cream and they put on such a tiny amount it looks like it was shot through a syringe. The place was hot and dirty and there was an infant sleeping on the table. My friend an I can put away serious amounts of Mexican food and we left without even finishing our lunch. Absolutely awful. We went home and let’s just say I’m glad I have two bathrooms.

Good local place! I’m glad to see businesses like this one popping up in the neighborhood. I will definitely be back!

No clue why everyone is over the moon about the food. Pastor and asada tacos — dry. Nachos, lacking. Beans and rice were okay. So many good choices for everyday Mexican food in the area, no need to come here. Which is a shame since the folks running it seem nice.
Note: no burritos (for those looking for that) and no credit card.

We have ordered take out several times. My daughter hates burgers, but loves the bacon cheeseburger here! Tonight, my husband ordered the fish taco dinner… Oh. My. God… hands down the best thing either one of us ever ate! They come with chipotle sauce and cabbage instead of lettuce. YUM!!!

This is a really nice family type Mexican restaurant right across the street from the newly renovated Patio Theater. A friend brought us here for an early lunch this past week and I must say her enthusiasm for the place was well founded.
We shared some guacamole. I liked the citrus zing to it very much. Christoper had the steak fajitas which were very flavorful and the portion was ample. The beans and rice were average. The best part was the homemade tortillas. That really enhanced the experience.
I had the Quesadilla Michoacan Style. They serve you two of them. After having shared the guacamole, I was stuffed, so I brought one home and had it for supper. Christopher has the horchata, which I agree is a tad thin, but the coconut really gave it a unique twist.
We will be back for sure. This place is a winner. I hope they can do enough business to stick around.
And… as the others have stated, bring cash. They do not take credit cards even though the menu says they do.

Finally, a truly delicious Mexican restaurant!!!
I can say this because I’m Mexican, and rarely do I stray from my parents house, as their food is lovingly and deliciously prepared. Las Tarascas recently opened in my neighborhood, so I thought I’d give it a try. I’m so glad I did!
It’s very small, and casual, and the owners are really nice. The portions are not American huge but are very filling, the quality is astounding.
So far I’ve tried the chicken flautas, the carne asada sopes & gorditas, and the steak milanesa torta (YUM!!!). Everything is prepared when you order it, so it’s nice and hot. I have been twice with friends, and I’ve always had leftovers to take home for lunch. Not everything is served with rice and beans, so make sure you ask, if you must have them.
A great place to eat before going to the show at The Patio Theater across the street. The Patio and Las Tarascas only accept CASH, so be prepared. Tonight my friend and I ordered the gorditas, the milanesa torta, and each of us had horchata. Our total was $ 15.57, which is unheard of for the quality we recieved.
Please give them a try, but don’t expect it to be like the very Americanized Mexican food you find at most restaurants. A nice touch is the open kitchen, so you can see how clean and neat they are when preparing your food.
Happy eating!!!
UPDATED 07÷08÷12
Still love Las Tarascas, we try to go at least twice a month, some months more!
I’m currently enamored with their mole enchiladas with carne asada. Their delicious, hand made tortillas can’t be beat!!!

We’ve been meaning to get here since they opened, an d what with one thing and another just couldn’t seem to find the time. But last night the Housemate and I agreed to have dinner here and then catch a film at the Patio, across the street. It was a good choice.
Las Tarascas is a smallish restaurant but they serve up some big flavors. Their guacamole is a little chunky, just the way I like it, with a nice level of heat and a wonderfully tart flavor. The chips that accompanied it (and which also came with the traditional salsas) were light, crisp and tasty.
The Housemate and I both had the taco dinner. She opted for asada and I for pastor, and we split the pair of tacos so that we had one of each. The asada was tender with a lightly charred flavor, the pastor had a deep, warm flavor that was almost chocolatey. It was some of the best pastor I’ve ever had. The tortillas, which are made there, were delicious! Really, I could have gone through a whole basket of them on my own, they were that good. The rice and beans were good, but nothing special, however I automatically give points when the beans aren’t like soup, and these were lovely and creamy with large hunks of beans.
The Housemate had horchata, and we both thought it was a bit thin. However it had a wonderful flavor that suggested both classic horchata and coconut. By the time we finished our tacos and guacamole we were both stuffed so there was no real chance to try the desserts, but I would love to come back and have their flan.
They’re open 7 days a week and have fantastically long hours, so if you’re having a taco emergency at 10 p.m. you know where you can go to get your fix. One thing I did notice was that though their menu says they take Visa and MC, there’s a sign on the desk that says «No Credit Cards.» I don’t know what’s up with that, if it’s a permanent thing or just a temporary glitch, but that does make it imperative that you bring cash with you. Just FYI

A week later, I just had to return to introduce my husband to this place and try another menu item. I ordered chicken flautas for $ 5.99! ($ 5.99!) Four large flautas wrapped in their homemade tortillas. Chicken is marinated with tomatoes and cilantro and just melts in your mouth. Served with rice and beans. I could only eat three, but my husband scarfed the last one down. Our total bill was $ 16.66 for two entrees and two drinks. Wow.

Thanks Unilocalers for the heads up. I never would have known this place was here and i live a block away. The people here are very friendly and accomadating. The man who served us made us feel like we were guests in his house.
I ordered the taco dinner and it was very good. Steak had a nice char on it and pastor was the best i’ve had in a while. The rice was had that nice soft and light feel to it. My girlfriend had the mole. The chicken legs were fairly large. The mole was much sweeter than I’ve had before and would take some getting used to. She also received some sort of tamale, but with nothing inside. That thing was awesome. The only was i can describe it is a tamale meets corn bread.
Now for the tortillas. The man said they make them fresh. They were very soft and had a chewiness to them. You can’t even compare them to the standard out of the package tortillas served at most restaurants.
Good job, tarascas.

Portage Park welcome Las Tarascas! The minute we walked in we were greeted with friendly service. While the restaurant is small, their charm is big. Since the food is HOMEMADE we started with chips and salsa. They offer 2 Salsas; I thought they were both great. My husband ordered a chicken burrito and I ordered a steak and chicken dinner which is served with rice and beans for $ 6.99. The minute we took our 1^st bite they had us. Their tortillas are out of this world. Maybe because they were made minutes before just for us (lol). The rice and beans were just as good. While my 4 year old son did not eat he had great conversations with our waitress Leticia. If you like quality lean food that tastes great you must give them a try.