WOW. Thanks for the heads up. Definitely taking advantage of this as well.

i had both a tacos arabe cemita and a carne enchilada cemita this week and they were as delicious as ever. can't speak to the quality of the tortillas themselves, as i didn't have any tacos, but the quality of the cemitas is still fantastic. i've never had anything less than excellent food here. i'm sorry to hear others have. if you're served tacos arabe without the onions, which are clearly listed on the menu- why not complain on the spot? that's what i'd do....

Was at Cemitas this past weekend and saw they had signs for a BBQ Brisket Cemita @ Smoque on May 15th. From their FB page:

May 15 2012! Two of the best in Chicago hook up for one night! Smoque BBQ and Cemitas Puebla bring you the unique "Brisket Cemita". From 5-9pm, don't miss out! Smoquebbq.com 3800 N. Pulaski! Come early can't guarantee we will have some all night

Apparently this has been done before back in Nov 2011?? I'm going to try to make it there for this one!

WestRidgeFoodie wrote:
Apparently this has been done before back in Nov 2011??

One of the best sandwiches I've ever had. Didn't care for the sides though.

JimInLoganSquare wrote:I discovered this evening that Cemitas Puebla now delivers to my address through GrubHub. I find this is a remarkable and gratifying state of affairs.

Ever since seeing this post, Cemitas Puebla has become my go-to delivery option. Though I love the milanesa, I find the carne enchilada holds up better for delivery. I've also found that cemitas are even better the next day - opened up and toasted under the broiler.

Oh, and papalo is in season, so that's making its seasonal appearance on the sandwiches!

-Dan

dansch wrote:
Oh, and papalo is in season, so that's making its seasonal appearance on the sandwiches!

-Dan

Not to derail the thread, but for all the papalo lovers out there, Fresh Farms is now selling it by the bunch right next to the culantro.

I had papalo for the first time last year. My friends mother grows it in her yard. She made the best salad ever. It had firm mangoes, papalo, the little pepper(red) and just a little oil and lime juice. It's so simple but so so good. I just saw some at the local grocery store by me for $.99 a bunch, that's a great deal.

This post of Gary's is one of the reasons I knew I was in the right place when I joined LTH.

The shameful thing is that it's taken me eight years to actually eat one of those Cemitas. Humboldt Park is just not my neighborhood, not a lot of reasons to go that way. But when we had tickets for The Lumineers in Logan Square, it looked like a quick hop to grab dinner beforehand.

We started with an order of chalupas. Somebody needs to slap that Taco Bell chihuahua, because this has nothing to do with that. Just basically a poor-man's taco when you've got no filling, only salsa and cheese, or perhaps an empty enchilada, since the tortilla is fried briefly. Either way, it's delicious, and a nice way to sample the flavors they provide.

Sue and I split an Al Pastor and a Carne Asada -- I'd forgotten that the drool-worthy photo was a Milanesa. Delicious stuff, great table salsas and great flavors overall. The crisp crust and pillowy inside on the cemita puts it up there in the same rank as Xoco's sandwiches [didn't top the Xoco Ahogada as my nom for best sandwich in the world, though].

I still need more reasons to get to that neighborhood, because, hey, great sandwich!

Note that their menu and signage heavily promotes their As-Seen-On-TV status (Diners, Drive-In's and Dives, Check Please), but not their GNR.

From my visit the other day...all good.

Chalupas



Al Pastor Cemita

I stopped by Cemitas Puebla yesterday, and was excited to be able to eat a cemita, which I had been craving for over 2 yrs since I moved out of LA. This cemita (al pastor) was great! Only minor quibble is I would have liked to have onions. Man, that Oaxacan cheese is addicting.

mdpilam wrote:I stopped by Cemitas Puebla yesterday, and was excited to be able to eat a cemita, which I had been craving for over 2 yrs since I moved out of LA. This cemita (al pastor) was great! Only minor quibble is I would have liked to have onions. Man, that Oaxacan cheese is addicting.

Next time ask for onions - the proprietors are very accommodating. Did you try to tacos arabes/orientales?? Good stuff, mane, nothing even remotely close (in quality) in NYC.

Yeah, I ordered one taco arabe. I think next time I'll order the oriental (same, but on corn tortilla, right?), because I much prefer corn over flour tortillas. I think I just missed it from the spit - looked like they had just taken the spit down to clean or repair it when I got there. It was still good.

Mr. X and I recently had lunch at Cemitas Puebla. His Milanesa and my tacos arabe and taco al pastor were all excellent. I especially enjoyed watching the variety of customers who came through. This is a place that speaks to many types of people.

Cemitas Puebla guru Tony Anteliz says that his highly-anticipated Fulton Market expansion is very close to opening day, terming it "probably about two weeks out."

http://chicago.eater.com/archives/2014/ ... e-more.php

That's bot very good news and very dangerous for my waistline.

can't wait to add cemitas to my work week lunch routine

I made it over to the new West Loop location with a co-worker yesterday and enjoyed an amazing lunch. I have never been to the original location, so cannot compare, but I'd find it hard to believe this location is a downgrade from the original as the sandwich I had was amazing. A beautiful combination of perfectly cooked meats, topped with that rich and delicious Oaxaca cheese and the smoky chipotle sauce was one of the best sandwiches I've had. Side order of guacamole was decent, but needed some salt to elevate the obviously freshly prepared and simple dish. 3 table sauces were all excellent and varied enough to offer an array of flavor profiles. I will definitely be back.

Cemitas Puebla
817 W. Fulton Market

I recently had a nice first visit to the Fulton location. Milanesa cemita hit the spot just like the original. Trompo was glistening as i left and i've been regretting not grabbing a taco arabes to go.

I took a crack at the new Fulton St. outpost today and left pretty disappointed. The space has a little more charm than a Chipotle and I'm usually not sensitive to noise level, but my dining companion and I had a hard time hearing one another. Prices seemed about the same as were the menu offerings with a few sides + the compulsory chips and guac added. Speaking of, the guac was fresh and flavorful and the chips pleasantly greasy from a recent dispatch from the fryer, probably the highlight of the meal. The salsas left something to be desired, the lauded over yellow bottle with the thick chipotle seemed to be on par, but the other two, not so great. The red salsa was a watery tomato based gringo style and the green had a touch of heat but had an unpleasant grayish tone. I remember liking the red salsa at the North Ave. flagship, not this one. My cemita seemed an inch smaller in diameter than the original. My roll was visibly lighter in color than my companion's and lacked any crustiness whatsoever, though this may have been an anomaly based on the color of other sandwich. It had very little character, just kind of a sponge for chipotle salsa. I didn't remember the option of arabe meat on a cemita so I went with that and received unseasoned, unsauced strips of pork with no color nor crisp edges, pretty weak. Even the cheese, which there was too much of, seemed a step or two in quality below the salty, chewy good Oaxacan stuff on North Ave. Its abundance also annoyed since it was served very very cold, dominating the temp of the sandwich. I've noticed some consistency issues at the OG, but this was a shadow of even the worst Cemitas I've had there. With PQM next door and JPG's around the corner, I see no reason to put this in the West Loop lunch rotation.

KSeecs wrote:I'd find it hard to believe this location is a downgrade from the original as the sandwich I had was amazing.

It is a downgrade in at least one key aspect: the bread. The rolls used at the Fulton Market location are different -- thinner, denser, and chewier than the awesome rolls I've come to expect. They may well be house-made, but this is not an improvement; it makes masticating the already thick sandwiches a bit of a chore. Everything else struck me the same as I'd remembered, although I pretty much always stick with the milanesa with their signature salsa. It's open later than PQM, so will do in a pinch, but if I have the time I'd much rather go to the original.

I went to the West Loop location on September 30th and had an Atomica pretty much as good as any I ever had at the original location. The red and green salsas were merely OK but the yellow-bottle chipotle sauce was amazing. The Milanesa was perfect and copious, there could have been more of the carne enchilada but that's a pretty minor quibble. I've been looking forward to getting back again. I haven't been back yet--so many sandwiches, so little time!--but I definitely plan to.

^ that cemita roll looks on point and not much like the pale sponge I was served last Friday.

Ate at the North Ave. location this evening. The roll seemed different from what I remember. Smaller, much less sesame seeds (almost baked into the surface instead of baked on top), but a very nice crisp exterior. I think it was a bit of an improvement. The milanesa was as good as I've ever had there. Perfectly crisp outside and tender inside. Also had a chorizo taco which was quite good. As good of an experience as I've ever had, and I've been going since it was a hybrid Laundromat.

According to their Facebook page, they are now baking their own cemita bread:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cemitas- ... 8116943941

Stopped by the original location Friday evening around 6pm, it was surprisingly slow and they were completely out of rolls.. they mentioned they had more baking from the other location and should delivered in 25 min.. so I decided to swing back.. their tacos are great, but i've been really digging for a Cemita for few weeks now.

I had my favorite, the milanesa, and thought it was constructed a little differently then before, and the roll was slightly changed, but initial impressions, I can't decide if it's better or worse.. I definitely enjoyed it and unsurprisingly it was very fresh, as i've somehow been served stale ones in the past when they brought them in. .. thankfully I wasn't disappointed overall and still remains one of my favorite sandwiches in the city. FWIW the green salsa is always spot on and my favorite.

Was in the neighborhood and ate at the Fulton location earlier this week. Everything we had was delicious and pretty much identical to what I remember having over the years at North Avenue. Cemitas Milanesa and Atomica were every bit as good as at North Ave. Bread itself was textbook. Taco Arabe immediately brought me back to North Ave. All 3 salsas were terrific. Even the chips and salsa (a pico de gallo-type) were excellent and definitely worth ordering. CP-Fulton is a great option and though I'm not in this area too often, it's really nice to have it there.

=R=

Smoque is bringing brisket to Cemitas Puebla's Fulton Market location tomorrow from 5:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. The brisket cemita features Smoque's brisket on Cemitas' bun with Smoque's Carolina sauce and Cemitas' chipotle salsa.

http://chicago.eater.com/2015/5/19/8627 ... laboration

Some sad news to report this late afternoon. The original Cemitas Puebla, which has garnered praise everywhere from the Eater 38 to Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, has closed on North Avenue in Humboldt Park. Owner Tony Anteliz says in a statement that he's "unable to come to terms with the new owner of the building," but believes that it's "only a temporary setback and I'm confident we will find our future Humboldt Park location soon." The last day in business at 3619 W. North Ave was Sunday.

http://chicago.eater.com/2015/5/27/8673861/cemitas-pueblas-shutter-humboldt-park

Landlords on that stretch of North Ave (and Armitage for that matter) must think they are sitting on gold for how many storefronts have been left vacant west of Kimball. I'm sure Cemitas Puebla will find another location...what about the Brown Sack space? Just down the street and I haven't seen any activity there since they closed up.

It is too bad the just recently got the North Ave location looking so nice, investing in all new interior decoration.

It's always been my experience that satellite restaurants never match the original location in quality and ambiance. Hopefully a new location can be found to build on the original.
Really like the dedication of the owner and the food!
The Groupon deal was not bad either!-Richard