Reyna Del Palenque

I didn't go there for the ambiance and I was still disappointed.  With some thought it could be a really nice environment.  On to the food portion of this "blah-view."  I ordered a large coctel de camaron (shrimp cocktail) and it was bigger than any should ever be.  It was in a martini glass that would hold a quart of sauce.  There was lots of shrimp and that was good.  The flavor of the sauce was basically tomato.  My friend ordered the carne asada and shoe leather with taco seasoning would have been more tender and a little better.  We also ordered a torta.  Once again, shoe leather wins the tenderness award.  Kudos for the Horchata though, it's amazing!

Given that the Mayan state of Palenque is older than mistah Christ himself, one might have to take seriously its Queen's claim of  serving the "Best Tacos in Town." But don't they all say that? I think in this case, it's really an abbreviation for "Best Tacos in Town Served from a Yellow Shack that Looks Like a Hot Dog Stand."

This place has something going on, though. An avocado's throw away from Taco Bell, this place is poised to bury them with 99 cent taco deals (from Wednesday to Saturday), and specials potentially including potato huarache or chicken quesadilla under $4 with a drink. 99 cent tacos aren't supposed to be good, but my tacos were pretty darn good- served in a fresh corn tortilla, decent cuts of well-seasoned asada, chicken, and pastor served with the standard solid tortilla chips and green and red salsa. And, unlike restaurants from the ancient Palenque, they take orders via text message. They just need a hit jingle to promote a deal which makes $5 footlongs sound extravagant.

My favorite setup is to sit outside on one of the four blackwashed picnic tables, get an huarache ("shoe" in Spanish, but made of corn instead of leather), and share it with a hovering bumblebee that looks exactly like a miniature version of the taqueria itself. A good huarache is hard to come by, and Palenque does huaraches well. And they provide a mildly pleasant outdoor setting, considering the noise of Belmont and the neighboring auto body shop. All that said, I wouldn't put this place above Avondale joints like Zacatecana (on California) or San Luis (just over the Logan Square border)- just different in some good ways. Everybody can't have the best tacos in town, but this is one of the better ones.