“Chicago has good tacos because it has good people.”
Those words are said at the beginning of the new season of “Taco Chronicles,” a Netflix series that explores Mexico’s most beloved tacos and their origin.
The essence of those words are also perfectly echoed throughout the first episode, in which Chicago’s Mexican food and culture are beautifully featured in the show’s third season, where the cameras “cross the border” and show audiences how tacos made their mark in American cities.
So allow us a moment to take a break from serious news and brag about our city and one of its most popular cuisines.
Viewers of the series get to know the owners — and longtime, dedicated food fans — of Carnitas Uruapan, 1725 W. 18th St. in Pilsen; Rubi’s Tacos, 1316 W. 18th St., also in Pilsen; La Chaparrita Grocery, 2500 S. Whipple St. in Little Village; and Birrieria Zaragoza, 4852 S. Pulaski Rd. in Archer Heights.
Each family dives deep into their arrival in Chicago, and their mastery of authentic Mexican cuisine.
Gilberto Ramírez, owner of Rubi’s Tacos, gives a history lesson on the Maxwell Street Market and how his late mother, Basiliza Díaz Galindo, pushed him to serve the best tacos.
“When it came time to make tacos, my mom said it had to be original. The recipe had to be original,” Ramírez said in Spanish. “(She would say), ‘If you are going to eat a taco, taste it yourself. If you don’t like it, nobody will like it.’”
Other cities are featured in this series. But the best “Taco Chronicles” does is show the amazing and passionate people that make Chicago a great city — and a food lover’s paradise.
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