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Old 09-21-2010, 09:34 AM
 
320 posts, read 950,231 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MannheimMadman View Post
Wait, Garcia's by Ravenswood and Lawrence? That place is nasty as hell.
Garcia's is on Western and Lawrence.
They have redone the inside, decent Mexican food.
A better, but grungier place is a little taqueira at Lincoln and Montrose next to Apart Pizzaand Drew's Eatery.
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Old 09-21-2010, 10:11 AM
 
Location: Chicago
38,707 posts, read 102,730,225 times
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Garcia's sucks for the most part and relies pretty heavily on late-night drunks who don't know or care what decent Mexican tastes like.

The grungier place in question is El Asadero, prized by foodies because it's one of the few taquerias that flame-broils its carne asada instead of griddle-frying it. But it's not open late like Garcia's is.
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Old 09-21-2010, 11:01 AM
 
320 posts, read 950,231 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Drover View Post
Garcia's sucks for the most part and relies pretty heavily on late-night drunks who don't know or care what decent Mexican tastes like.

The grungier place in question is El Asadero, prized by foodies because it's one of the few taquerias that flame-broils its carne asada instead of griddle-frying it. But it's not open late like Garcia's is.
El Asadero...thats it.

Wow, there must be a lot of late night drunks out with their families at 5pm on a weekend, when Garcia's is packed.

The point is Garcia's is not the best, but it doesn't suck. TBP sucks. LaBamba epically sucks.

We're spoiled in Chicago. You haven't seen bad Mexican food until you live in the middle of nowhere, and people swear by Taco Bell and ChiChi's....
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Old 09-21-2010, 11:13 AM
 
Location: Berwyn, IL
2,418 posts, read 6,224,059 times
Reputation: 1133
Quote:
Originally Posted by slow_nerve_action View Post
El Asadero...thats it.

Wow, there must be a lot of late night drunks out with their families at 5pm on a weekend, when Garcia's is packed.

The point is Garcia's is not the best, but it doesn't suck. TBP sucks. LaBamba epically sucks.

We're spoiled in Chicago. You haven't seen bad Mexican food until you live in the middle of nowhere, and people swear by Taco Bell and ChiChi's....
I don't know man, I think Garcia's is pretty bad. I mean, it's not Taco Bell bad, but for what it is up against (pretty much any local taqueria around me) it isn't so hot.
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Old 09-21-2010, 11:38 AM
 
Location: Chicago
3,569 posts, read 7,158,022 times
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Apparently the guy who wanted to blow up wrigleyville lived in that area
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Old 09-21-2010, 11:46 AM
 
Location: Chicago
38,707 posts, read 102,730,225 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alacran View Post
Apparently the guy who wanted to blow up wrigleyville lived in that area
Yeah, he lived on the corner of Lawrence and Kedzie (or just south) which is a Middle Eastern pocket, particularly Lebanese and the city's only notable (but still very small) pocket of Iraqis.
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Old 09-21-2010, 12:13 PM
 
Location: Chicago
38,707 posts, read 102,730,225 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by slow_nerve_action View Post
El Asadero...thats it.

Wow, there must be a lot of late night drunks out with their families at 5pm on a weekend, when Garcia's is packed.

The point is Garcia's is not the best, but it doesn't suck. TBP sucks. LaBamba epically sucks.

We're spoiled in Chicago. You haven't seen bad Mexican food until you live in the middle of nowhere, and people swear by Taco Bell and ChiChi's....
You wanna see packed, go there at 1AM.

Taco Bell and Chi Chi's is such a low bar that it's not terribly flattering to say Garcia's flies over it. Papa John's leaps above Little Caesar's but I still ain't ordering from them. In a city teeming with Mexican restaurants nearly from end to end, Garcia's is a pitiful example -- dumbed down for a "white" audience and not very skillfully. I don't know how it compares to TBP, never been to one, but best I can tell Burrito House is TBP's equivalent. And as mediocre as Burrito House is, it still has Garcia's beat. At least their meat tastes like something. If I lived that close to El Asadero, there would be no excuse for ever going to Garcia's.
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Old 09-21-2010, 12:16 PM
 
Location: Berwyn, IL
2,418 posts, read 6,224,059 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Drover View Post
Yeah, he lived on the corner of Lawrence and Kedzie (or just south) which is a Middle Eastern pocket, particularly Lebanese and the city's only notable (but still very small) pocket of Iraqis.
Al Amira is nearby too - Iraqi /Afghanistan cuisine. Pretty good stuff in the way of middle-eastern food, if you ask me.
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Old 09-21-2010, 12:18 PM
 
Location: Chicago
38,707 posts, read 102,730,225 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MannheimMadman View Post
Al Amira is nearby too - Iraqi /Afghanistan cuisine. Pretty good stuff in the way of middle-eastern food, if you ask me.
Al-Amira is now Baghdad Kabab. More importantly for us insomniacs, they've reinstated the "24/7" hours that they had previous to becoming Al Amira. They've gone through so many name changes lately I can't even remember what the hell it was before Al Amira but I'm pretty sure it was "Baghdad something-or-other."
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Old 09-21-2010, 12:25 PM
 
Location: Berwyn, IL
2,418 posts, read 6,224,059 times
Reputation: 1133
Quote:
Originally Posted by Drover View Post
Al Amiri is now Baghdad Kebab.
Oh man, you're right. I usually just walk in and order. I guess I never look at the receipt.

But yeah, the more I think about it, this part of Albany Park is amazing for middle-eastern food. I frequent Dawali's as well, and it is excellent. For sweets and treats, try Jaffar. I think these ethnic restraunts make Albany Park pretty special in that sense.

Man, now I'm getting hungry!
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