Chicago: Maxwell Street Market (Revisited)

I cannot express how much I love Maxwell Street Market.  Whenever it's a Sunday and the weather is nice, I just get this sudden urge to get some churros and lengua tacos.  Maxwell Street Market is also where I drag all my visiting friends regardless of where they came from ("I don't care if California has awesome Mexican food...we're still going!").

So that's how my friend found herself walking down Desplaines Street after church on Sunday.

When I brought my father here back in November, the blue churro truck (actually the Churro Factory truck, but "blue churro truck" just sounds catchier) was tragically MISSING.  On this particular trip, I was starting to get panicky when I couldn't find the blue truck in its usual parking spot, but was able to breathe a huge sigh of relief when I finally found it a bit further down.

The truck has been revamped!  The menu is now posted on the side of the vehicle and a little funnel cake trailer is attached to the back.  While the funnel cakes were tempting, we were there for the churros:

Stuffed churros.  Freshly fried.  I got a little excited and bit into mine before I remembered to take a picture.  As usual, I ordered the vanilla.  New addition from the last time I saw the truck: chocolate filled churros!  My friend ordered one and while it was scrumptious, I still prefer the vanilla.  My friend loved it so much that she went back for another one on our way out.

I basically have a set route at Maxwell Street Market.  We sort of went out of order, as the churro truck was supposed to be last, but oh well.  My first stop is usually at the end of the street at Lencho's Tacos, which is where we stopped next.

My friend got a chorizo taco:

I got my beloved lengua taco:

Guh.  Heaven on a plate.

Our next stop was Rubi's.  It's really easy to find...just look for the longest line.  I loveLOVElove the tortillas at Rubi's.  Nothing beats tortillas that are handmade on the spot.  Oh, and the cheese is amazing too.

The last time I went I tried to order a lengua quesadilla and was shot down by the lady taking my order.  I couldn't catch everything she said (something about it being spicy and red sauce) and like the chicken I was, I backed down and ordered something else.  This time around, I was adamant that I wasn't going to leave without a lengua quesadilla.  Success!:

Apparently the sauces change from time to time because the lengua was in green sauce this time.  Look how beautiful that is.  The thick tortilla.  The colorful veggies.  The oozing sauce.  It was indeed spicy, but it hurt so good.

The only downside to this trip was the bad horchata we got.  We randomly picked a vendor and obviously picked the wrong one.  Sigh...without good horchata, the Maxwell Street Market experience just isn't complete.  I feel like I need to go again really soon so that I can do it justice.

Check out my post from last year for more extensive photo documentation.


Maxwell Street Market
On Desplaines St between Roosevelt and Polk St