- Mike Sula
- Shrimp taco special at Antique Taco
It seemed for a brief time earlier this century that boutiques specializing in rusty buckets, obsolete farm implements, and hand soap outnumbered taquerias in Wicker Park. Now, uniting the two is Antique Taco, a counter-service concept from husband-and-wife duo Rick (chef) and Ashley (designer) Ortiz that marries upmarket tacos to a “vintage” aesthetic incorporating a smattering of reclaimed items for sale (paint-chipped wooden chairs, milky glass receptacles, $20 used Better Homes & Gardens cookbook).
I was prepared to be thoroughly annoyed by this, but it turns out it’s not as twee as you’d imagine. The retail element is subdued, limited to few spots in an otherwise airy, spacious room—plenty of space to contemplate Ortiz’s appealing menu of five tacos and other novel dishes.