Chilangos

Sopas and Tostadas


Having a family that has lived in the Southwest for more than forty years, I have had a long love affair with Mexican food.  The simple flavors of tomato and onion, cilantro and avocados, never lose their appeal for me.  I can chow down on the heavy Tex-Mex stuff with the next guy, but I truly appreciate authentic Mexican food that does the same job in a much lighter way.  Chilangos is my go-to place for Mexican food and my favorite by a long shot.  It is not around the corner from where I live, but I head there repeatedly and often, and nearly had a breakdown when they closed down this summer with no information about when and if they would reopen.  Needing my fix, I hit a number of other good spots, but nothing has won my heart away from Chilangos.

For starters, they make the best guacamole around. Loaded with onions and cilantro, fresh tomatoes and lime, it is consistently sensational.  Each table is presented with chips and salsa as soon as the diners sit down.The salsa is very good, but also very hot.  After a few chips, the faint of tastebud fall aside and only the asbestos tongued eaters keep nibbling.   But when the guacamole arrives, there is a whir of hands and attempted politeness as we descend on the bowl, trying not to knock each others' hand out of the way.  We see the bottom of that bowl pretty quickly.





We all have our favorite orders and mine is the Tinga Tostada, which is shredded chicken in a hot (not really) sauce that is served on a crisp corn tortilla with black beans, shredded lettuce, queso fresco and crema.  It never fails to please with the great texture, and marvelous flavors.  My friend Nicky will not leave without her sopa with chorizo and potatoes. A sopa is like a thicker corn tortilla and the chorizo is very good at Chilangos.  The menu is filled with predictable items, burritos, fajitas, tacos and more, each of which is served with simplicity and care.  Tacos can be ordered with a variety of fillings, like chorizo, or lean steak, or chicken and they come with their own pico de gallo and lime and plenty of cilantro.  An especially good dish is the Enchiladas verdes, which is bursting with freshness, although again, not for the faint of tastebud.  If you are up for the spicy stuff and your friend is not, a hamburger is also an option.  The service is excellent and our waitress, Anna, like most of the staff, has been at Chilangos for as long as I have frequented it.

Chilangos is a cute little place with colorful walls and saddles for barstools.  It is so inexpensive that I always give a 40% tip.  Margaritas are sold by the pitcherful and there are plenty of excellent tequilas to sample.  Chilangos is open except Tuesday night and all of Wednesday, but there have been a number of times when we have driven there for lunch and the place is dark despite a posted opening of 11 am.  I don't know what to say about that because it is a royal pain when it happens, but the truth is, I will keep returning and being transported down Mexico way.





Chilangos Taqueria
447 Manton Avenue
Providence RI  02909
401 383 4877