Anyone who’s ever had REAL Mexican food will tell you: The best Mexican is from a taco truck!

Sadly, we don’t have those in Dubai (and no, those ridiculous high-tech van thingies that are better equipped than a fast food chain do NOT count… ESPECIALLY not those overpriced Food Truck Park things that keep popping up, with truck versions of the same fast food joints found everywhere else! Hell, they even have a STARBUCKS truck!!)… Phew… sorry, had that on my chest for a while.

So NO! There are no “food trucks” in Dubai… However, here is the next best thing…

As I’ve mentioned (just in case you hadn’t figured it out already… ahum) I LOVE FOOD! And one of those cuisines that I love is Mexican. Of course “Mexican” is a broad term that includes many different things, however, I am mainly referring to good ol’ delicious street-style Mexican food; tacos, burritos, tortillas, enchiladas, chili con carne…etc.

A lot of places claim to make good Mexican, and a lot of people will swear that one place or another makes the best tacos or burritos they’ve ever had.

Bottom Line: I have visited MANY… I was not impressed by ANY.

Side Note/Rant: TBF, if you are impressed by a 5-Star Hotel restaurant that makes Mexican food, and makes you pay AED 70+ per platter for sample sizes of Mexican that looks fancy and tastes “gourmet”, then this blog is probably not for you… because, THAT is not Mexican street food, even if they do call it a “taco”.

I’ve been to a lot of these Mexican food joints, fast food and otherwise, looking for the good stuff and had honestly given up on it; until one day just a few months ago I stumbled upon a pearl. A fellow Dubex (aka Dubai Expat) from California messaged saying that there was a tiny little place that had JUST opened, and that she hears it is “GREAT” (not “good” mind you… but GREAT). Needless to say I was a fair bit skeptical, especially given that this mystical little place was supposedly just around the corner in JLT.

Could it be? Was it possible that my bad luck with Mexican food had finally changed in the form of a tiny little place upon the Lakes of Jumeirah?

Of course, I had to go see (and taste) for myself! Immediately!

Surely enough, Cali-Girl and I, and a couple of others quickly set a plan in motion for a lunch-break fiesta. We arrived to find a very simple yet charming little shop with a few tables & chairs outside, and a shop-sign on the ground that apparently had not even been setup yet.

The sign read “Chalco’s Grill”, and I will honestly tell you that Chalco’s… MADE - MY - DAY.

There it was, this petite place with no more than 4 tables and a queue on the food counter. 2 staff members hustling and bustling in the front, putting together your choices of beef, chicken, chili con carne and whatever other ingredients you so desire, and instantly making them into proper tacos, burritos, nachos, and quesadillas with fresh tortillas & taco shells made right on the spot in front of you; 3 cooks in the back, busy making fresh heavenly smelling batches of meats and fillings, and bringing them out to the counter, to cater to the hungry train of lunchtime-munchers.

It was a beautiful busy site, with a constant organized rhythm, and a gorgeous toasted tortilla filled with colorful fresh goodness as a result… and I was dying to try it.

I finally sat down outside, unwrapped my burrito, and took a nice big monstrous bite… and it was DELICIOUS!

Of course, I was trying this place for the first time, so in typical “JP fashion” I had also ordered 3 tacos with 3 different fillings as well! So I wolfed down half of my huge burrito (just leaving the rest aside in case the tacos aren’t as good. One must always leave the best for last, of course!) and started working my way through each of what turned out to be yummy flavorsome tacos, each with different combinations of ingredients; from chicken, to beef, to avocado, to sour cream, to beans, to lettuce, to cheese, to jalapenos, to different of levels of spicy salsa, each combo giving a different variety of taste in every bite… I was in heaven.

I honestly had a problem. There was no “best” to leave for last! It was all big, fresh and tasty; and I couldn’t choose a favorite, so I just kept jumping from one to the other until I was STUFFED and couldn’t take another bite. I finally had to take my walk of shame back into the shop, with my tray held high and my head held low… and ask for the “rest-to-go”.

But it didn’t matter. Because, later on in the day - much MUCH later in the day - I would get to taste all those delicious flavors one-more-time.

I don’t really have anything left to say, but “Thank You, Chalco’s, and hope you keep it up and never change. You are, in my humble opinion, the best Mexican food in Dubai".

Until my next find, I hope you try out Chaloc’s Grill and tell me about your experience; and let me know if you know any other new/urban/ethnic places you think I should try. I’m always looking… Because, I’m JP and I’m out to find the food & places you’ll love ;)

>Recommendations below<

Taco Meal

Burrito Bowl

Chips n Salsa

My Order

Burrito Bowl

Burrito

The Menu

Price Range: AED 30 – 40 PP

Recommended Dishes:

• Carne Asada Burrito

• Pulled Chicken & Chili Con Carne Tacos

• Chicken Quesadilla

• Chili Con Carne Burrito Bowl

• Honestly, every combo I’ve tried was really good!

Location: Jmeirah Lake Towers (JLT) – Cluster D, Dubai, UAE.

Additional Tips:

• Keep in mind that the place is tiny and has become a popular lunch-break venue, so if you’re going around lunchtime you better get there early (or late) to beat the Lunch-Rush.

• Chalco’s is minimally staffed, and is hence open at certain times that cater more to lunch-hour breaks. So better check before you go. Also, they are closed on Fridays.