Looking for a Mexican restaurant that focuses on authentic, fresh ingredients? Check out Taco Town, located at 7446 W. North Ave., Elmwood Park, on the 75th Avenue side of the building in the former Senor Jefe location, across from Johnnie’s Beef.
Opened in January, it is the dream come true of Diego Silva, who had his eye on this strip of Elmwood Park since he started his career in the food business when he was still a teen. After opening his first Taco Town location in Arlington Heights three years ago, Silva started thinking about expanding. Restaurant Row seemed ripe for his menu.
“We see it as offering more of a variety here,” Silva said. “We like to keep everything served fresh. Everything’s always cycling through. I feel like people love the simple things, so we don’t really have lots of ingredients that go into our meats. It’s just the simple, authentic ingredients.”
Start the day with breakfast burritos, tacos and plates – all of them loaded with eggs and ham, steak or chorizo.
For lunch and supper decisions get serious with a choose-your-own-adventure. First pick your base: taco, torta, burrito, tostada, bowl or salad. Then settle on your protein. There are 16 different options, including vegetarian ones.
“We serve all the basics, from steak to lengua,” said Silva.
Also on the menu is a more tongue-in-cheek offering: the gringo burrito.
“I didn’t expect it to become a favorite, but we sell a lot of them,” Silva said. “It comes with fries inside. It’s really different, but it’s really good.” Crinkle-cut French fries nestle inside a burrito wrap with a protein choice, lettuce, avocado, beans and Taco Town’s special sauce.
“We give it a little spice with Valentina hot sauce. A lot of Mexican people have that in their household,” Silva explained.
Dinner plates come with tortillas and a side of rice, salad and beans. Offerings include steak, chicken, shrimp and chili rellenos.
“We have a couple of different things that come as a twist,” Silva said. “Like the birria ramen, which is basically ramen noodles, and we put our beef in it and we top it up with cilantro onions.” It’s an Asian dish translated into Spanish.
You expect delicious horchata in a place like Taco Town, but the extra surprise is the pineapple water made on site. Notes of cucumber and the slightest hint of jalapeno mix with the crisp, refreshing pineapple juice.
Churros are on the menu. But don’t miss the dessert empanadas and tres leches cake made by Silva’s mother-in-law.
The dining room is on the small side, with only tables for four and a few barstool seats. Most of the business is take-away. If you’ve got a lot of mouths to feed, 20 taco trays are also available.
Taco Town is a dream come true for Diego Silva. Ever since his early days working in restaurants, “I really liked working with food and I really like connecting with people. I just fell in love with the business side, too.”
Lucky for all of us that he brought that passion to Elmwood Park!
More Info:
Hours:
Monday – Thursday 10 A.M. – 9 P.M.
Friday – Saturday 10 A.M. – 10 P.M.
Sunday 12 – 9 P.M.