This summer, you’ve got two ways to roll: Hit the phones and try to land a reservation at a trendy new downtown restaurant, or hit the pavement and land mucho eats for a song. When the weather warms up, Chicago’s neighborhoods are literally crawling with diverse, affordable and satisfying street grub — all much easier to score than an 8 p.m. seat at a River North hot spot. New to the street beat? Here’s a primer to get you started.
Note: Prices provided are typical but may vary.
Little Village
Best bet for: Tacos ($1-$2) and aguas frescas ($1-$3). Little Village, or La Villita as it’s known locally, bursts with Mexican treats, from bags of chicharrones de harina (fried flour wheel-shaped snacks, $1.50) to rare goodies such as torta ahogada estilo Guadalajara (French-style hoagie piled with carnitas and dunked in salsa, $3.50). The biggest variety is in tacos: de canasta (filled with potatoes or meat, then steamed), de lengua (beef tongue), dorados (corn tortillas stuffed with chorizo or potatoes, folded, then fried) and more. Wash ’em down with refreshing, chilled aguas frescas (flavored waters made from mixing sugar and the water from steeped, strained fruit) in an array of flavors such as tamarind and watermelon.
Hot spot: Along 26th Street between California and Homan Avenues. The corner of 26th Street and Spaulding Avenue is a taco mecca, with vendors at all corners.
Logan Square
Best bet for: Tamales (75 cents-$1) and atole ($1-$3). Vendors here rock when it comes to heartier fare like earthy tamales (masa, or corn dough, filled with meats or fruits and steamed in a corn husk) and atole, a thick drink made from masa, water and sugar and often flavored with corn, beans or rice, though there are dozens of possible variations. Choose between chicken or pork tamales (such as the mild, red guajillo-pepper style or the spicy raja, with cheese and a slice of jalapeno) and sweet, cinnamony pink ones packed with raisins, pineapple or strawberries.
Hot spot: Try Milwaukee Avenue between California Avenue and Rockwell Street or Palmer Square (Humboldt and Palmer Boulevards) for the elusive blue and maroon vendor vans that have lit up local food blogs for years.
Uptown and Rogers Park
Best bet for: Paletas ($1-$1.50). What they say about it being cooler by the lake is right. Lakeside neighborhoods offer chilled paletas (fresh fruit and milk-based popsicles) in abundance. Traveling vendors dole them out from insulated carts in popular flavors such as icy mango, strawberry and watermelon (with real fruit chunks), and milkier varieties like rice, coconut and even arroz con leche (rice pudding).
Hot spot: Though it’s technically illegal to sell in parks and many paleteros sell along Broadway and Clark Street, some risk-takers go east of Lake Shore Drive to the park between Montrose and Lawrence Avenues where several soccer fields, picnicking families and Wilson Skate Park thrashers ensure brisk sales.
Humboldt Park
Best bet for: Puerto Rican frituras. Chicago is dominated by Mexican and Central American street foods, but in Humboldt Park, Boricua breaks the rule with frituras (literally, “fried foods”). These savory morsels are finger foods that range from platano maduro (fried sweet plantain, $1) and pastelillos (ground beef- or potato-filled empanadas, $1.25) to piononos (fried plantain wrapped around spicy ground beef, $2). They’re so cheap, you can buy a solid spread for a picnic for less than $10.
Hot spot: The freshest frituras hail from the La Esquina del Sabor van, a white lunch truck with a pig painted on its side (Humboldt Drive and North Avenue, inside Humboldt Park). The van runs on a generator, so eats are deep fried on the spot.
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metromix@tribune.com
