Even the bench out front is empty.
Jalapeno Grill just opened up around the corner from me. It’s the newest taco joint around. Who better to take to the newest place around than my oldest friend (in terms of how long we’ve been friends, not his actual age). He also has the hottest name around. They call him Josh….or Chip….but really Josh.
It seems that the word about Jalapeno Grill has spread like whatever the opposite of wildfire is. I go by it a couple times a week. There’s nobody there. Ever.
But that didn’t scare a couple of strapping Josh’s from rolling in.
To start, I like the setup and appreciate the four compartment salad dressing container they use for salsas. It contains a chunky salsa verde, a smooth salsa rojo, pico de gallo and pickled veggies.
The tacos are good, but I think they play it a little safe.
I started with the carne asada. It could use some bolder seasoning and grill flavor. The meat is cooked well, though. I like the lengua taco too, but it looks and tastes very similar to the carne asada. It seems to be a little disguised…maybe for the gringo white boys that come in? Maybe not. The al pastor is good as well, just not great. I could barely taste the pineapple and onion. How dare they?
Oh, and bring all your friends. There’ll be room.
- Location: 2910 W. Armitage Ave., Chicago, IL (Logan Square)
- Tourists: Josh, Josh
- Tacos sampled: carne asada, al pastor, lengua (also have pollo, carnitas, picadillo, barbacoa, tripas, chorizo, chille relleno)
- Toppings: onions and cilantro, lime
- Salsa: salsa verde (chunky), salsa roja, pico de gallo
- Extras: chips and pickled veggies
- Tortillas: corn
- Atmosphere: new, not busy, empty, sterile
- Price: $1.95-$2.05/taco
- OVERALL RATING: 7.5
taco tourist 