PORTAGE PARK — Tatas Tacos in Portage Park is celebrating Christmas with a special holiday menu.

In the spirit of the 12 Days of Christmas, the restaurant at 4929 W. Irving Park Rd. is offering up the 12 Days of Tacos this month, said Nestor Soto, chef at Tatas.

“We thought it would be a fun and creative way to introduce tacos that aren’t normally on the menu,” Soto said.

Between now and Christmas, the restaurant, which opened on May 5, will add a new specialty taco to its menu every day. The tacos will showcase unique flavors from countries like Argentina, Japan, India and the U.S.



The 12 Days of Tacos menu includes:

• On the 1st Day (Dec. 13) — Chicharron, crispy pork skins simmered in salsa verde, refried beans, fresh cilantro & onions



• On the 2nd Day (Dec. 14) — Gaucho Beef, seared ribeye steak, chimichurri salsa, refried beans, grilled onions & radishes



​• On the 3rd Day (Dec. 15) — The Sweet Hog, coca cola braised pork, refried beans, guacamole, lime pickled onions & peppers



​• On the 4th Day (Dec. 16) — Tamal Taco, red chili pork or chicken tamal, cheese, crema, fresh cilantro & onion, guajillo tortilla



• On the 5th Day (Dec. 17) — Crevettes Etouffee, na’lins style shrimp etouffee, capper & butter white rice, with green onions



​• On the 6th Day (Dec. 18) — The All-American Harley, hickory smoked beef brisket, jalapeno coleslaw, chipotle BBQ with french fries and green onion on top



• On the 7th Day (Dec. 19) — Chicken Curry, slowly simmered, ghee white rice, chili sauce, green onion, on a spinach-avocado paratha tortilla



• On the 8th Day (Dec. 20) — Michelada aka Mexican Bloody Mary, bacon wrapped shrimp, celery slaw, bloody mary sauce, tomato-pickle relish, grilled cheese tortilla



• On the 9th Day (Dec. 21) — The Grinch, roasted turkey simmered in green mole sauce, refried beans, traditional red rice, sesame seeds



​• On the 10th Day (Dec. 22) — Empanada Taco, cheese stuffed, choice of chicken tinga or pork al pastor, lettuce, pico de gallo, crema, cotija cheese​

• On the 11th Day (Dec. 23) — Japanese New Yakitori, marinated skirt steak, teriyaki, siriracha, grilled onion blossoms, white butter rice, sesame seeds



• On the 12th Day (Dec. 24) — Grilled BBQ Glazed Meatloaf, a garlic mash potatoes, chipotle BBQ sauce, topped with traditional street corn-elote, green onion



“And for New Years Eve we’re thinking of making a lobster tail with filet mignon taco,” Soto said. “With a little bit of hollandaise sauce on top of it.”

Holiday dinner at Irving Park Food Pantry



In addition to the 12 Days of Tacos, the restaurant is also collecting donations for a special holiday meal at the Irving Park Food Pantry on Dec. 19.

The restaurant plans to donate dinners for the meal, but they are soliciting donations to fund the effort, too.

To donate to the dinner visit www.tatastacos.com/copy-of-free-nachos. Each $50 donation will feed a family of four.



Marci Berner, owner of Tatas, said she needed the food pantry’s help a few years ago. Now, she wants to pay it forward to the pantry that helped her.

“I was able to provide a holiday family meal for my family that year, [this] is why I’m doing this,” she said.

Do stories like this matter to you? Subscribe to Block Club Chicago. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.