Las Carnitas Uruapan

Carnitas Uruapan Will Open a Third Restaurant in Little Village | Eater Chicago

"Set to open its third and largest restaurant on a long-vacant corner in Little Village, Carnitas Uruapan is undertaking a “gargantuan” renovation of the three-floor outpost at 3801 W. 26th Street that second-generation owner Marcos Carbajal estimates will take about 10 months to a year. Founded by his father, Inocencio, in 1975 in Pilsen and known for drawing long lines of dedicated fans seeking succulent pork by the pound, the operation already runs a second location in Gage Park. The new space will have roughly 6,000 square feet on each floor plus an extra-wide sidewalk for outdoor seating, and — for the first time at Carnitas Uruapan — a liquor license to serve agave spirits, rum, beer, a very limited menu of tequilas and mezcals, Mexican beers and micheladas. Carbajal plans to introduce charanda, a sugarcane-based spirit from his family’s hometown of Uruapan that is rarely seen in Chicago restaurants, but he emphasizes keeping the place family friendly (there will be no bar) so people can still bring their kids on a Sunday morning. The rehabilitation of the 1920s-era building, formerly La Concordia and once a party-friendly music venue in the 1980s–2000s, is being aided by $250,000 from the city’s Neighborhood Opportunity Fund, and the project is scheduled to open in 2022; “We’ve been serving up the Best Authentic Carnitas in Chicago since 1975!”" - Naomi Waxman