There's no shortage of tasty taquerias in the city of Chicago, but this particular little gem - nestled on Milwaukee Ave in Wicker Park - stands out from the rest.
Antique Taco was opened almost one year ago (celebrating their 1st birthday on May 15th!) by husband & wife team
Rick and Ashley Ortiz. Rick serves as head chef, creatively employing his passion for fresh ingredients & his Mexican heritage, while Ashley owns the title of creative director, having spent several years prior to opening AT as an event planner & lover of antiques. However, if you stroll into this bustling, petite taqueria on any given afternoon you'll find both owners working everything from the register to the back of the kitchen & front of the house, ensuring their market-style Mexican fare reaches all who have traveled to enjoy.
The attention to detail at AT is obvious, evidenced by the trove of vintage finds (some even for sale!) and the carefully constructed tacos built with the highest quality fresh ingredients. For those of you out there who know how important it is to
support & source food locally, Antique Taco has your back. In fact, the names & phone numbers of the local farms and producers with whom they work are listed on a big board in the kitchen, visible to all patrons anxiously waiting in line to place an order.
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| Welcome to Antique Taco | Vintage items for sale |
A little about our meal...
After waiting in line for about five minutes (a line that at times snakes all the way out the door-but believe me it's worth it), we placed our order at the adorably adorned counter & grabbed a seat at a high top nearby. Being that it was
Cinco de Mayo we started our meal with the
Rosemary margaritas, which are doled out by the pint or quart in antique glass milk bottle pitchers & garnished with a sprig of fresh Rosemary. Perfectly salted chips & guacamole topped with pickled red onion quickly graced our table - I'm talking less than two minutes after sitting down - and before even 10 full minutes had passed we had our tacos & couldn't wait to dig in.
Each order comes with two tacos, which is why you see prices of around $7 as opposed to the $3 and $4 prices you might see at
Big Star or
Taco Joint,
where tacos come just one per order. If there are two of you dining I suggest ordering at least a couple different types & taco-swapping. My friend Angie wisely ordered the
pork carnitas - tender, tamarind-glazed pork topped with a slice of bacon, sautéed spinach, avocado & queso fresco. Simply delish. I went with the
fish tacos and feel compelled to make a bold statement here after savoring
every bite: BEST fish tacos I've ever had. Period. These little babies were served up tempura-style with sriracha tarter sauce, smoked cabbage, chives & a touch of sesame. The incredible smoky flavor of the cabbage finds its way throughout the entire taco but doesn't overpower - leaving you with a taste that's so incredibly delicious & unique it's hard to describe.
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| Order up | View as we wait in line |
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| Cute little counter | Loving the vintage touches |
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| About to be a full house | Line is out the door, per usual |
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| Fresh guacamole & chips |
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| Rosemary margarita by the pint |
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| Top taco: Pork Carnitas | Bottom taco: Fish Tempura |
I already can't wait to get back to Antique Taco to try their
other offerings, which include items such as Maple Farm duck enchiladas, chili cheese curds, daily special tacos & a horchata milkshake. In addition to AT's unique flavors, my immense appreciation for locally sourced ingredients and my affinity for all things vintage & antique will keep me coming back time and time again. If you haven't yet given this cozy little joint a try then go get you some! There's no better time like the present :)
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