For the love of all that is mole, Bellavista finally has tacos!
If any Santiago barrio needed a place to get your post-borracha munchies on, it's Bellavista. I've only been to Los Miserables twice, but it certainly satisfies my craving like no other taco I've had yet in Santiago.
Now, I'm not saying this place could compete head-to-head with my favorite taquerias in Dallas or Austin, but for an expat with a powerful taco jones it's the closest I've found here to the real thing. Those of us with first-hand taco knowledge, directly from either the mothership Mexico or her satellites in Texas and New Mexico (sorry, Baja CA, those Californified tacos are delicious but they're not 100% authentic), must be generous when assessing tacos so far from their home turf, but Los Miserables certainly delivers.
The soft corn tortillas are larger, thicker and doughier than I'm used to, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I've had my share of dry, over-limed and just wrong corn tortillas in Chile, so I ain't complaining. After you order at the window of this tiny but sparkling-clean joint at the corner of Pio Nono and Bellavista, your tortillas are thrown on the griddle to await your choice of fillings -- all the better to melt the gooey cheese that you must add because it has ACTUAL CHEESY FLAVOR. (Expats will know what I mean.) Watch as the cocinero piles on the rich, piquant fillings and then passes your order to be garnished -- go all the way: onions, crema, guac and cilantro (mas, por favor).
I've tried the chicken tinga, pastor, carnitas and egg/potato/cheese, and all were flavorful and freshly prepared. On my last visit I finally discovered the 500-peso side of grilled onions and actual FRESH, not pickled, jalapenos (again, expats will know what I mean). The server charmingly warned me it would be picante -- how cute. It added just the zing of taco-ness I'd been seeking and made me a little less homesick. I noticed that they've added a mole taco and a couple of other varieties that I'm going to sample on my next visit.
Now, if they'd just get their beer license, they'd earn that fifth star. read more