My wife, son, and I went to Chingon Taqueria when we saw Agostino's Pizza (my son's favorite in Wilmington, NC) was not open that day.
None of us had ever been to Chingon before and WHAT a great experience we all had. By the time we were done, my son was disappointed that in two weeks, he'd no longer be stationed in the area just for the food we had!
He had the Cali Burrito ($13.49). It was a monster-sized burrito that came with carne asada, queso, Mexican rice, pintos, French fries, pico de gallo, and guacamole. He thought it was very good. The fries were thick enough that he thought they were small potatoes.
My wife got the Fiesta Nachos ($12.99): on a bed of the house-made tortilla chips (dusted with chili and cumin perhaps?), layered with pulled chicken, melted cheese, lettuce, onion, sour cream, tomatoes and cilantro. The chicken was incredibly tender and definitely marinated and perfectly cooked. NOT out of a can, not heated up and ripped up. This protein was made with love. The whole dish was massive. Definitely a "let's order nachos for all four of us as a side."
I got the Taquitos Chingones ($17.49). I've eaten a lot of food in my life. I've eaten a ton of Mexican food in my life. Taco Bell to authentic made on the curb tacos on the South Side of Chicago. This was THE BEST TACOS I've ever had. Four fried tortillas, with succulent short rib barbacoa tacos with oaxacan cheese, onions, and cilantro. They also had a cup of consommé. I don't know if they charged me the menu price for that addition ($3.15), but if they did it was well worth it! I dressed it up a little from their very wide selection at the salsa bar: radishes and a little pico. With or without the extras these tacos were fantastic. The protein was perfectly prepared. The fried tortillas reminded me of the way I first had tacos 50 years ago. It was the kind of meal you want to share (I did) out of love for the experience but also didn't want to share out of love of the experience! The four tacos were a fine serving, but I might have downed six. Maybe eight. They were THAT good.
Midway through the meal, our son got up and ordered a plate of nachos with a heaping bowl of quacamole. The home-made chips are dusted in spices that makes it just that much better. Warm and crisp, a great addition. The quac was pretty standard: cool and fresh. I don't know the price on this item.
We walked in not having a clue what sort of place this would be, and the staff jumped at the chance to walk us through the entire menu. The food came quickly. The salsa bar was terrific. Free refills on pop.
Man, we should have eaten there two more times during our trip.
Wilmington! You are one lucky town! Chingon Taqueria was FANTASTIC!
Five stars. Maybe eight.
Chingon Taqueria
4712 New Centre Drive
Wilmington, NC 28405
Also a location in Leland, North Carolina read more