Much Improved

Taquería Chapala Jalisco
1902 McCullough

(at Dewey)

This taco house recently moved from a repurposed Pizza Hut across the street into a larger, and much nicer, new building.  The improvement to the atmosphere is more than matched by the improvement in the food on offer, and the service and value remain as good as before.

what's that mean?
The city hasn't inspected this
restaurant since the move.

The chilaquiles, which on a previous visit had been disappointing in every particular, were tremendously improved. The eggs were still moist, the tortilla strips were thin and nicely fried, the vegetables were plentiful and thoroughly cooked but not over-done. The cheese was a fancy-grated Jack, and the recipe included a delicious and only slightly picquant sauce; the very good red salsa from the table made the seasoning exactly to my liking. The flour tortilla surrounding the whole was large and full and pillowy, with good flavour and good texture.

I also tried the machacado, which was well done, with plenty of meat and a similarly superior accompaniment of egg, vegetables and cheese. This was wrapped in a fresh, well-made corn tortilla. I   added a little of the green salsa to give the taco the level of heat I liked, though the green was not as satisfying as the red in this case.

Even the coffee has improved. Where before I noted it was on the acidic side, this time I found it full-bodied and entirely pleasant.