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20 | September 8, 2016 | The lake forest leader dining out
LakeForestLeader.com
Taco Lago spices up Wilmette’s Plaza del Lago
Eric DeGrechie
Managing Editor
Talk to Tim Lenon about
the restaurant industry and
he’ll be quick to mention
taquerias and communal
dining are all the rage.
The longtime local restaurateur,
who owns Fuel
Wilmette and was a former
partner at Wilmette’s
Nick’s Neighborhood Bar
& Grill, decided to combine
the two trends when
he opened Taco Lago earlier
this year. Located in
the Plaza del Lago shopping
center, 1545 Sheridan
Road, Wilmette, Taco
Lago prides itself on “providing
locally sourced
food crafted with love,”
according to its tagline.
“The space was perfect
for what I wanted,” said
Lenon, a native of Lake
Geneva, Wis., on choosing
to open at Plaza del
Lago. “It was a store that
had a bunch of wood in it
already. My whole concept
was to have a place where
everything was reused and
recycled.”
All of the furniture in
Taco Lago was made from
artisan display cases. The
rest of the space was refurbished
and a kitchen was
added.
A group of 22nd Century
Media editors recently
stopped into the establishment
to chat with Lenon
and try some of Taco Lago’s
dishes.
Chef Armando Esquivel,
who moonlights in the
same role at Fuel, grew up
cooking Mexican food and
his attention to every authentic
detail is evident in
the menu choices.
Taco Lago
1545 Sheridan Road,
Wilmette
(847) 926-7593
www.tacolago.com
11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-
Thursday
11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-
Saturday
11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday
The al pastor taco with marinated pork shoulder, grilled
pineapple, onion and cilantro ($9) is a bestseller at
Taco Lago, 1545 Sheridan Road, Wilmette. Courtney
Jacquin/22nd Century Media
“Tacos are food for everybody,”
Lenon said. “It’s
healthy food and there’s
a value there. You don’t
have to live on the lake to
eat here.”
After placing your order
at a large counter in the
front of the restaurant, the
next step is to find a seat,
as your food will be delivered
to you. Taco Lago
features communal seating
throughout the restaurant,
which Lenon said makes it
the first of its kind in Wilmette.
“You can sit with your
neighbor, sit with your
friends or sit with someone
you don’t know,” Lenon
said. “You get to know
people that are in your
neighborhood.”
Chips and salsa are complimentary,
but should definitely
not be just pushed
aside. The salsas — verde,
roja and de mango — are
homemade with varying
degrees of hotness.
As you’re eating your
food, make sure to look
around. The restaurant
walls feature colorful work
from area artists, including
a popular graffiti artist
from Chicago.
The tacos al pastor ($9)
— one of the restaurant’s
bestsellers — are tacos
filled with marinated pork
shoulder spit roasted with
grilled pineapples, onion
and cilantro.
Other tacos on the menu
include hamburgesa ($7),
de pollo (chicken) ($7),
de pescado (fish) ($9), and
carne asada (steak) ($9).
For the vegetarian eater,
the tacos de vejetarianos
($6) include baby romaine,
carrots, celery, jalapeno,
zucchini, avocado and
pico de gallo. Each taco
order comes with two tacos,
but there is no mixing
and matching unless you
want to upgrade your order
to a taco platter ($12.95).