Review: After 25 years, Rubi’s Tacos finally has a permanent home for one of Chicago’s best tacos
I swung open the door to the brand-new location for Rubi’s Tacos in Pilsen and the smell of burning charcoal and vaporized pork fat hit my nose like a kiss. Within seconds, I was transported from a dreary below-freezing January day to a cloudless summer afternoon a few years back, where I was waiting in a ludicrously long line for tacos at the Maxwell Street Market.
On that sweltering day on South Desplaines Street, thousands of people milled about the market, shopping at one of the dozens of stalls or picking up lunch from one of the vendors. But no line stretched as long as the one for Rubi’s Tacos, which went on for nearly half a block.
No one in line complained, because we all knew what was coming: tacos served on enormous, freshly made corn tortillas topped with al pastor meat cut from a charcoal-fueled trompo. We could hear Gilberto Ramirez gleefully shouting the names of all the tacos available in rapid-fire succession, as he quickly sharpened his knife to cut more pork. We watched Maria Landa as she pressed balls of masa into large circles and then flicked them elegantly onto the griddle.
That Rubi’s serves one of Chicago’s best tacos is no secret. (They made my list of the top 25 tacos back in 2016.) But for over 20 years, the only way to experience it was at the weekly Maxwell Street Market. The husband-and-wife team of Ramirez and Landa began by selling produce at the Maxwell Street Market with other family members in 1997, before Ramirez’s mother suggested they start selling food.
Evelyn Ramirez-Landa, Ramirez and Landa’s daughter, said her grandmother also gave them one piece of advice. “She told them, ‘You have to do things right. You can’t cut corners here or there, because people will notice,’” said Ramirez-Landa.
Rubi’s may have remained a Maxwell Street Market-only operation had it not been for the pandemic. But in 2020, the city closed the weekly market, leaving the family struggling for money. “We had applied for grants, but we were street vendors, so we didn’t get anything,” Ramirez-Landa said.
Fortunately, social media was part of Ramirez-Landa’s duties for the family business, so she was able to quickly pivot to selling food through the Instagram account. “(Social media) was my thing,” she said. “But honestly, it’s because our customers are very loyal. That’s part of it. That’s why we are still here.”
Instagram was also how Ramirez-Landa found out about DishRoulette Kitchen, which was providing microgrants and training services to small businesses. At first, Rubi’s Tacos worked out of Casa Indigo (1314 W. 18th St.), before moving next door to a shared kitchen space. “It’s like we manifested it through the universe,” Ramirez-Landa said. “It’s been such a huge thing for us.”
Just like at the Maxwell Street Market, Rubi’s cooks al pastor with charcoal, instead of with gas or electric heat, so each juicy nugget of pork is laced with the unmistakable scent of smoke and char. First-timers might balk at the $5 price tag for a taco, but each one requires two hands to eat properly. One taco makes for a hearty snack, while two will leave most people stuffed.
While best known for their al pastor, Rubi’s actually sells more carne asada tacos. It’s good on its own, but I’d advise ordering the campechano taco ($7), which allows you to combine two different fillings. Pair the asada with chicharron. Dig in, and the juicy and salty bits of beef mix with the salsa-soaked fried pork rinds, creating what is currently one of my top 10 tacos in the city.
You’ll also find Rubi’s excellent mole rojo taco ($5), featuring hefty chunks of braised pork in a thick and complex red chile sauce. If it’s available, the jet black huitlacoche (a prized corn fungus) makes for the ideal quesadilla filling ($6), though the flor de calabaza (squash blossom) is not far behind.
Regardless of which filling you choose, you’ll get to experience one of the finest corn tortillas in the city. Honestly, they should be inducted into some kind of Chicago food hall of fame. I usually prefer thin corn tortillas, because when too thick they tend to turn stodgy and crack. But not these. Each oversized tortilla feels as comforting and tender as a grandmother’s hug. “A lot of it has to do with how you treat the masa,” Ramirez-Landa said. “You have to massage and love the masa before you go ahead and make your tortillas.”
Currently, the operation is takeout only, though the family hopes to open the dining area very soon. Also be on the lookout for pozole specials, which usually happen on Thursdays. “Where my parents come from in Guerrero, it’s traditional to have pozole on Thursday,” Ramirez-Landa said. “We want to bring that to Pilsen.”
The space is technically a shared kitchen, so another concept will eventually be in the same space. But the family couldn’t be more excited to finally have a place to call their own.
“We plan to be here for a while,” Ramirez-Landa said. “For now, this is home.”
nkindelsperger@chicagotribune.com
Rubi’s Tacos on 18th St.
1316 W. 18th St.
773-318-9526
Tribune rating: 2 ½ stars, between excellent and very good
Open: Thursday and Friday, 12 to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Prices: $5 to $7
Noise: conversation-friendly
Accessibility: wheelchair accessible with restroom on single level
Ratings key: Four stars, outstanding; three stars, excellent; two stars, very good; one star, good; no stars, unsatisfactory. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.
