Tacos de Panza at Big Star
From the taco ladies hand-patting masa balls for fresh tortillas to the spray-painted Spanish phrases on the building, everything about Big Star seems like an exploitative rip-off of Chicago’s corner taquerias by a bunch of white dudes: aka Paul Kahan, Donnie Madia and Terry Alexander. But what you realize while chowing down on scintillating mouth-coating pork belly slathered in tangy tomatillo guajillo salsa and a snow of salty fluffy queso fresco is that the corner taqueria itself is a rip-off. For as purveyors of over-steamed grayish mystery meats wrapped in a taco shell as big as your head, none of them has ever produced anything this tasty.
1531 North Damen
(773)235-4039
bigstarchicago.com
Audience choice:
Big Star
Best of Chicago 2010
