The weather is finally consistently nice, and so begins the season of Chicago food adventures! Being half-Mexican has made me pretty particular when it comes to authentic Mexican cuisine (I won’t touch taco bell with a 10 ft pole), but the flip side is that when I find a really good Mexican restaurant I tend to go back. Often. Cemitas Puebla is a restaurant that exceeds even my high standards, and has become a staple that my friends try to visit at least every few months. The restaurant itself is a bit out of the way and most easily accessible by car, but the sandwiches more than make up for it.
The term “cemita” is a trademarked version of a Mexican torta, consisting of a sesame-covered fresh loaf of bread with avocado, fresh Oaxaca cheese, and your choice of meat. I was particularly hungry and opted to get the Cemita Atómica, which is filled with ham and a generous helping of pork milanesa (fried breaded pork cutlet).
I hadn’t eaten breakfast in anticipation of this meal, so the cemita, consumed with several varieties of homemade salsa and washed down with a bottle of Mexican soda, really hit the spot.
They also have more traditional fare such as burritos and tacos, but as one of our group was told by the friendly proprietor: “burrito? You can get a burrito anywhere. These guys? [pointing to two of my friends] they come here for the cemitas.” And we certainly plan to come back.
Hungry Grad Student 