Mystery Diner in Spring Valley: Marichuy’s Taqueria offers homemade Mexican food at good prices

Restaurant has gone from food truck to storefront

A chicken quesadilla from Marichuy’s Taqueria in Spring Valley. The Mexican dishes all are homemade and many, such as the quesadillas, can be customized with a choice of meat.

Know of any restaurants that started as a humble food truck before settling into a brick-and-mortar location?

Here’s an example for you: Head to Marichuy’s Taqueria in Spring Valley for homemade Mexican favorites at reasonable prices.

Though the store boasts of having been established in 2009, this cozy dine-in eatery on Route 89 south of downtown has been open for about a year. Prior to that, owner Marichuy Villagomez of DePue whipped up Mexican dishes from a food truck operated primarily in DePue.

Villagomez has created a restaurant menu that highlights mostly a la carte offerings, rather than including the usual plates that add sides of rice and beans to a dish. The fixed menu showcases burritos, gorditas, flautas, deep-fried tacos and tortas. The eatery also features weekly specials.

Any nitpicking over the non-standard structure of the menu ended when the food arrived.

This Mystery Diner and his companion split a quesadilla with chicken, along with a plate (well, actually a skillet) of loaded nachos, both served on cutting boards with the words “Easy Peasy” etched into the wood.

Loaded nachos from Marichuy’s Taqueria in Spring Valley. Served in a skillet, these nachos come with a choice of beef, pork, chicken or chorizo.

Villagomez is a skilled owner-chef. The shredded chicken was moist and tender, and the quesadilla quarters were quite filling. Loaded nachos come with a choice of meat, and the chicken, our selection, generously was piled onto a skillet groaning with nacho cheese, lettuce, tomato and sour cream.

Though we were too full from dinner to order desserts, Villagomez unexpectedly brought over two sample-size cups of bionico, a combination of homemade yogurt with fresh fruit (blueberries, in this case), topped with chocolate sauce and whipped cream.

Bionico, one of the sweet treats available at Marichuy’s Taqueria. Though Mystery Diner did not order dessert, these samples were served complimentary by the friendly owner-chef.

Marichuy’s Taqueria, after operating as a food truck, has metamorphosed into a dine-in restaurant with drive-up service at the former home of Grandma Rosie’s Sweet Treats.

It is located at 502 S. Spalding St., Spring Valley. Hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information and specials, visit fb.com/marichuystacos or call 815-200-2346.

• The Mystery Diner is an employee at Shaw Media. The diner’s identity is not revealed to the restaurant staff before or during the meal. The Mystery Diner visits a different restaurant and then reports on the experience. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a story.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Marichuy’s Taqueria

WHERE: 502 S. Spalding St., Spring Valley

PHONE: 815-200-2346

INFORMATION: fb.com/marichuystacos

Marichuy’s Taqueria, located at 502 S. Spalding St., Spring Valley, includes outdoor seating as well as a drive-up window.
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