Taquería El Pastor — Restaurant in Lake Township

Fresh, Clean Taquería Reasonably Priced, Delicious

If Netflix taught us anything (Taco Chronicles) there are DIFFERENT TYPES of tacos Al Pastor.

Yes, food preferences vary, and maybe tacos are not Mexico's national dish. But, it's more than reasonable to say, Al Pastor is crown jewel of tacos.

Tacos Al Pastor brings out fervent opinions unmatched compared to the much simpler prepared carne asada.

Therefore, just because this place makes Al Pastor in a style that is not your favorite, does not warrant saying the food is not good.

In fact, the crowds that have regularly fill this place for years will definitely disagree.

Al Pastor starts with the Pork. Who can write the pork here is not always fresh, moist and somewhat charred?

The Al Pastor is served hot, with soft tortillas that are fresh and strong, along with 2 choices of specially made house sauces that are full of ingredients.

Tacos Al Pastor is, and has long been, the specialty of this restaurant.

But, there is more...

The restaurant is spotlessly clean. See the photo. It's an operating room.

With Chicago's taco prices soaring, the prices here are fair.

You still get the standard 2 sauces, limón and FREE chips (which some places are now charging 1$ per basket! (Zaca you know who)

The restaurant is confortable, spacious and the large tables are spaced out, not crammed together.

There is free parking.

Look at the uncensored photos their customers have posted. Nothing is out of place. The plates of food look delicious, and the restaurant is...

We were looking for al pastor burritos so we placed an order for pick up. When we got home, we got comfortable and sat down to have dinner; then my partner asked me why I ordered him a steak burrito knowing he wanted al pastor? I told him that I did order an al pastor burrito dinner for him and two lengua tacos for me. He then showed me the meat and said that it didn’t look like al pastor, and it didn’t taste like al pastor. I immediately called the restaurant to tell them about the meat and they wanted us to come back. The issue was that we’d been out the whole day and after getting comfortable, we weren’t about to get dressed again. The manager said that if we could take pictures of the meat , that we could come back the next day. I honestly thought that they would remediate the issue; instead, the manager looked at the picture and said that the meat was al pastor and dismissed our claim. I am not happy about his decision because he didn’t even offer to give my partner at least a taco with their al pastor meat to taste and convince him that we were in the wrong; which we would have paid for if we would have been proven wrong, and we still would have eaten there. Instead, they lost a customer because as you can see from the picture, the meat ISN’T al pastor. The color is wrong, and the taste certainly was steak and not al pastor. The only reason I give three stars and not one is because when I placed the original order and when I came in to pick it up, the young ladies there, were very nice...

As soon as you step into Taquería El Pastor, the aroma of sizzling meat fills the air, wrapping you in the promise of something truly delicious. The scent of the trompo slowly turning, the juices of the al pastor dripping onto the hot griddle, immediately sets the tone for an authentic and mouth watering experience.

I ordered two tacos, one barbacoa and one al pastor, a duo that turned out to be an explosion of flavor. The barbacoa taco was a masterpiece of tenderness, the meat slow-cooked to perfection, falling apart with each bite. It had that rich, deep flavor that only comes from hours of careful preparation, balanced beautifully with the soft, warm corn tortilla that cradled it. A touch of cilantro and onion added brightness, while a squeeze of lime brought out the meat’s natural juices.

The al pastor taco was equally magnificent. The pork, shaved straight from the glistening trompo, had a perfect blend of sweet, smoky, and slightly charred edges, giving it an irresistible depth of flavor. Each bite revealed hints of the marinade's citrus and spice, with a texture that was both tender and slightly crispy on the edges.

Every bite was a reminder of why this place is so good. The tacos weren’t just food, they were an experience. If you're looking for authentic, well-prepared Mexican street tacos with flavor, Taquería El Pastor is a spot you...