Huarache Glory at Huaraches Dona Chio in Chicago
The huarache, sort of like a Mexican version of pizza, is a sandal-shaped flatbread made of corn masa. My favorite is usually from Chicago’s Maxwell Street Market, where sunbaked abuelas hand-pat big balls of corn meal with their crinkly-skinned hands, throwing their efforts on the grill until the air fills with corn perfume. Problem is, the market is only open on Sunday, so if I get a mid-week hankering for a transcendent huarache, I’m out of luck—that is, until I discovered Huaraches Dona Chio.
Located in a basement level storefront, Huaraches Dona Chio is a rock bottom affair decor-wise. There's a big rug that says “copier” with a knit image of a photocopy machine that looks like it was stolem from the set of Office Space. (PC load letter, anyone?)
Unlike the aesthetics inside, the food is top-notch Mexican from the Distrito Federal, also known as Mexico City. From puffy corn picadillo-stuffed gorditas to slightly floppy corn tortilla tacos, they have it all. And the huaraches are a street food lover's dream.
