Two of the most decadent dishes in the local Mexican culinary lexicon are the stars at the six-month-old El Chacho eatery, located next to the Mariana’s supermarket at Flamingo and Eastern. And honestly, it’s impossible to choose, because both make a perfectly delicious lunch right now.
Though you might be tempted to do as I do and not as I say, I won’t recommend you try to take down both the luscious torta ahogada ($9.50) and a few crispy, cheesy birria tacos ($3 each) in one lunch. It’s overkill. Each is rich and satisfying, a meal on its own that deserves to be savored and appreciated. Either can be one of the best lunches in Las Vegas.
The torta ahogada hasn’t achieved anything near the social media phenom status of those tacos, but if you’ve had a taste of the Guadalajaran masterpiece, you understand why it deserves to be celebrated. El Chacho imports bolillos from that huge city in Jalisco to make sure the texture and taste of the sandwich are just right. Melt-in-your-mouth roasted pork and thinly sliced red onions are stuffed inside before the whole thing gets drowned in a simple salsa flavored with tomatoes and chile de arbol. It’s messy but so worth it.
El Chacho makes its birria with beef, and you might want to eat it from a bowl ($13.50 small, $15 large)—served with tortillas, lime, onions with cilantro and fried serrano chilies and onions—if you need a hearty warmup. In taco form, served with ultrasavory consommé for dipping, the tender meat is an over-the-top partner for the gooey cheese and griddle-fried tortillas also drenched in that broth. Birria tacos are a rare example of a first bite meeting the foodie hype.
No matter which road you travel, you’re going to be full and happy when you’re done at El Chacho, and that means we’ll have to go back to try the carnitas, tacos dorados, carne asada, al pastor and jericalla ($4.50), which is a sort of cross between flan and crème brûlée. Or maybe we’ll just stay and have a second lunch.
EL CHACHO 4161 Eastern Ave. #11, 702-832-2683. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
