When looking for vegan meals at restaurants, Latin American food is always the safest choice. You can choose from tacos to burritos to fajitas to tortas, etc. all filled with colorful vegetables and tasty garnishes like guacamole and pico de gallo. I went to Mago Grill & Cantina in Chicago’s South Loop. The menu included several dishes where meat could have been substituted or take out. And they had quite a few meat-free menu items. They had the Medianoche which has a torta with black bean patty, tomato, avocado, and caramelized onions, two meat-free taco options, salads, and  fajitas. But what peaked my interest were the tacos.

I selected the Hongos (2) and Rajas (1) tacos. The Hongos tacos included portabello mushrooms, roasted plantains, black beans spread and a chipotle salsa, which I had on the side. I really like mushrooms but haven’t had them in a taco before so I was intrigued. The Rajas taco had chile poblano rajas, roasted sweet corn, and pico de gallo, which I also had on the side. I was skeptical about this one because of the corn. I’m not the biggest fan of corn and the chips on top were throwing me off, but hey. Why not give it a try?! Both tacos came with sour cream and chihuahua cheese, which I declined.

So time to eat….. The Hongos tacos were lit. The mushrooms were marinated in something that had them juicy and savory. It was moist and tasty. I added some of the pico de gallo to add some kick and it was so bomb. And plantains on a taco??? Yes. It gave the taco something that I wasn’t even thinking about. I loved it.

But that Rajas taco…. I knew better. I knew I wasn’t gonna like it. The peppers didn’t seem to be cooked or seasoned all the way through. It was like the ingredients didn’t belong together. And there wasn’t really anything to make the shell moist so it ended up being a super dry taco. This taco also reverified that I don’t like corn.

But luckily I had a delicious Strawberry Margarita to wash everything down and give me a slight buzz. The price of the tacos were $4.00 each or $7.00 for two of the same choice.

I will definitely be going back here to try out the rest of the vegan menu options. It wasn’t too expensive, the service was great and the atmosphere had the potential to be poppin. If you’re in Chicago, stop by!!

More restaurants coming soon!!!