Los Chilitos Taco & Tequila House
1309 17th Ave. S.W., Calgary
(403) 228-5528
Signature Dish: Tacos
Signature Drink: Micheladas
Brunch & drinks for two: $45
Rating: ***
Most people think of tacos as coming from a drive-through window, or overflowing with ground beef, lettuce and cheddar cheese with sour cream and chunky salsa from a jar.
Authentic Mexican food in Calgary has been hard to come by but a surge of new taquerias is satiating the craving for real tacos.
Los Chilitos, located in a little yellow house, does tacos the right way, with double corn tortillas holding some meat and sprinkled with fresh cilantro and onion.
That’s it.
The tacos special ($18.95), which comes with six tacos and four salsas, is a good way to sample a variety of what Los Chilitos has to offer.
The juicy flavours of minced chorizo and pastor (pork marinated in adobo) stood out for me, while the carnitas (slow-cooked pork) and carne asada (steak) were a tad dry.
The four homemade salsas we tried (pico de gallo, verde, chipotle and arbol) were all amazing.
The burrito ($12.95) is moderately sized, with some melted queso blanco, and comes with rice and refried beans that were unfortunately not hot enough.
That’s a minor inconvenience when you can wash it away with a refreshing Micheladas ($6.95): beer poured over ice and lime juice, Tabasco, Worcestershire, and Los Chilitos sauce.
Dining out
Valentine’s Day
Treat your sweetheart to dinner at Sugo (1214 Ninth Ave. S.E.). The $75 menu includes choices of lobster bisque, homemade gnocchi and honey caramel cheesecake. It brings the romance and quiet you look for on your special day.
More Valentine’s options
Enjoy a five-course dinner then put on your dancing shoes. You can try out your Latin moves at Soho Bar and Grill (801-Sixth St. S.W.). Dinner and dancing is going for $60/person on Valentine’s Day.