You always hope that little Mexican spot you noticed on your way to work will have life-changing tortillas and carne asada so tender it will stroke your hair and look deep into your eyes before you eat it. But odds are it won’t—unless that little spot happens to be Xocome Antojeria. Because the food at this small counter-service Mexican restaurant in Archer Heights is as exceptional as your most ambitious food-related daydreams. 

If Xocome Antojeria were a movie, then the protagonist would definitely be the unbelievable masa, the base for the restaurant’s incredible tacos, tlacoyos, sopes, enchiladas, tamales, and giant quesadillas (which are really more like machetes). Most of those dishes can be ordered with your choice of blue or yellow masa—the former is a little firmer and nuttier, and the latter a bit fluffier and sweeter. We can’t decide which we like better, and you can’t make us.

photo credit: Kim Kovacik

The fillings aren’t just supporting characters either—they’re stars in their own right. Xocome uses tender filet mignon for their asada, and everything from the rich red mole to the flavorful huitlacoche ongos is perfectly seasoned. The cochinita pibil sauce is tangy and sweet, thickly clinging to melt-in-your-mouth pork. The beef birria has a hint of smoke, and is a wonderful counterpoint to the spicy, herbaceous green salsa.

The menu is long, so plan on having an existential crisis deciding what to get. And everything’s made-to-order, so expect to wait a while for your food. But just sit back in the little dining room, enjoy whatever concert they have on the TV, and get ready for some of the best Mexican food in Chicago.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Kim Kovacik

Tacos

Go ahead, pick your filling-fighter. Whichever you choose–filet mignon, carnitas, flor de calabaza, or one of the other nine options—it will be swaddled in a flavorful, hand-pressed corn tortilla that’s thick enough to hold the filling, but not so thick that all you can taste is tortilla.

photo credit: Kim Kovacik

Tlacoyo

The football-shaped griddled masa is stuffed with refried beans, comes with your choice of topping (our go-to is the cochinita pibil), and is topped with lettuce, tomato, queso fresco, beans, and sour cream. The thick dough is springy, with a little bite on the outside but an incredibly soft interior.

photo credit: Kim Kovacik

Enchiladas

You can’t customize the masa with this dish. All the enchiladas are with yellow corn tortillas. But we don’t care, because each enchilada maintains its wonderful, firm texture even after being blanketed in sauce for hours. We know because we ate our leftovers as a 10pm snack. You can choose between chicken or cheese and red or green mole, and both are (you guessed it) excellent. But we prefer the spicy red.

photo credit: Kim Kovacik

Sope

The sopes are about nine inches in diameter, and filling enough to be a meal. Each one has crispy edges and a bubbled charred bottom that’s pleasantly chewy.

photo credit: Kim Kovacik

Pambazo

Are you hungover and/or planning on lifting something very heavy today? Great, eat this sandwich. It’s a traditional pambazo, meaning a telero roll dipped in guajillo pepper sauce and filled with potatoes and chorizo. It’s delicious, and also what we'd feed Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson before he attempts a world record deadlift.