Huaraches Restaurante & Antojitos Mexicanos

For all the good mexican places around this neighborhood, you can find alot better than this one. Price is more expensive than competitors. The meat tasted like dogfood and overall had very little flavor. The place rarely has more than a couple people in there and that's probably why.

My friend Mary and I had lunch today at Huaraches Restaurant.

First, a word or two about the restaurant's decor. To me, it looked like a restaurant in Mexico, so that's a plus for authenticity, and a minus for anyone who likes designer decor. The walls and ceiling are painted in bright colors, and the walls are dinged all over the place. There are some pictures of Mexican scenes on the walls, and a few paintings that look like the kind of original oil paintings that are sold at the Holiday Inn in Joliet. The TV runs continuously on a Spanish language TV station.

The restaurant is pretty standard tables and chairs, with a few booths along one wall. There is a very basic banquet room in back.

The menu has some interesting different items, things I haven't seen before, and couldn't tell you about here. I think it is pretty authentic. When we were paying, my friend asked the waitress what state of Mexico was this cuisine from, and she said Mexico City.

When you come in, you get a basket of chips and salsa. The salsa didn't have much flavor, but it had a strong chili aftertaste which wasn't bad. Generally, though, I'd say I've had far better.

We were the only non-Hispanic customers today. There were only a couple other tables occupied, and I saw a few people come in for pick-up. To me, this affirms that the food is authentic Mexican.

The waitress was working by herself, but because it wasn't very busy, she had everything under control. She was very nice, very helpful, and was able to answer our questions about the menu.

My friend ordered a Huarache. She said the masa tasted homemade. The huarache was stuffed with a bean filling, and she really liked it. She also said it was incredibly filling. Later in the afternoon, she was saying she thought she'd skip dinner, because she was still full.

I ordered guacamole appetizer and a cheese quesadilla. The guacamole was really nothing special. It tasted like the kind you buy cold in the Jewel vegetable section. The quesadilla was large, a half-pie shape, and didn't have much flavor. You get your money's worth, if you're looking for amount, but not if you're looking for taste. I put guacamole and salsa on each bite to give it flavor. Frankly, I've had better guac, salsa and quesadillas in a lot of other places. It was all only okay.

You have to go to the counter to get your check and pay your bill.

Street parking only.

All in all, it was only okay. I've been to better Mexican restaurants on that strip of Lawerence Avenue. But maybe the food is super authentic, and I am just too middle-aged boring American to appreciate it. I don't think I'll go back, but maybe you will want to try it.