Lazo’s Taco Shack is a Hidden Gem

Lazo’s Taco Shack. Photo by Cari Taylor-Carlson.

Occasionally I come upon a restaurant that’s not a bit familiar, which turns out to be a gem. That was Lazo’s Taco Shack, located just off W. Wisconsin Avenue on N. James Lovell Street, but largely hidden from view on Milwaukee’s main street.

When my companion and I asked our server if the restaurant had a special entrée he would recommend, he suggested Lazo’s signature birria tacos with consommé, the restaurant’s most popular dish. He also added that since it was “Taco Thursday,” we might also want to order tacos.

That was good advice because those birria tacos were extraordinary. There were four, each stuffed with shredded beef that had spent many hours simmering in a flavor-filled liquid that incorporated a variety of chilis and spices to give the meat its deep rich flavor. After the chef filled my tacos, he crisped them on a griddle, added chopped red onion, cheese, and cilantro, and served them with a cup of the braising liquid. I dipped each taco in the braising liquid or consommé and finished the rest of it with my spoon. If you order these tacos as I did, you will know why they are Lazo’s best seller.

My companion’s four tacos, one filled with pastor, one with carnitas and two filled with chicken tinga, were equally delicious. The accompanying green salsa was spicy, but not too spicy for my companion, who tends to be heat-averse. If you want spicy, dig into the complementary pico de gallo that they serve with chips as soon as you are seated. You could also order a small dish of guacamole that served as an antidote to the spicy pico de gallo. Both were very fresh.

The last entrée you would think to order at a Mexican restaurant is a hot dog, but that is what I did when I returned for a second lunch. I found it on the a la carte menu marked with “popular” in red ink. This was not just a hot dog. It was a fat Polish sausage, grilled, wrapped with bacon, and served on a flour tortilla coated with melted cheese. The sausage was topped with ground beef, queso fresco cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream. They transformed an ordinary Polish sausage into something spectacularly delicious, and need I add, unexpected.

My companion’s pastor torta was stuffed and served in a soft bun that soaked up all the meaty flavor from the pastor.

The dessert menu was brief: raspberry chimichanga cheesecake and churros in plain, strawberry, and caramel. My two caramel-stuffed churros were crisp, not at all greasy, and loaded with cinnamon sugar. I wanted more caramel, but it was present, just not enough.

The only thing we ordered that didn’t produce a rave was the non-alcoholic margarita. It was weak passion-fruit juice in a glass rimmed with salt, not a drink my companion would recommend.

There was a lot more on the menu. If you want an appetizer, check out the choriqueso, chorizo topped with melted cheese, Mexican corn in a cup, or the shrimp ceviche tostado. They also serve brunch including their popular chilaquiles, 12 lunch/dinner entrees and a huge platter of sizzling fajitas.

In addition to being tasty, everything we ordered was attractively presented, the portions were generous, the ingredients fresh, our servers were especially friendly and efficient and someone was clearly paying attention to the quality of the ingredients.

Lazo’s was a happy discovery. I look forward to another visit and another Polish sausage with all the trimmings, aka Lazo’s hot dog.

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• Location: 641 N. James Lovell St.
• Phone: 414-988-6567
• Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mon-Sat
• Neighborhood: Westown
• Website: https://lazostacoshackmke.biz
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LazosTacoShack/

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