Quesadilla la Reina del Sur: What’s Vegetarian Editorial Review

Quesadilla La Reina del Sur is a Mexican restaurant on North Western Avenue in Bucktown, Chicago, and nothing on its menu contains meat. Cooks build the tacos, tortas, burritos, and quesadillas from soy-based fillings that stand in for steak, chicken, chorizo, pork, and lamb. Eggs and dairy cheese appear on the menu, so it’s vegetarian, with plenty of vegan choices and a vegan cheese upgrade.

The soy fillings carry the menu. Asada de soya stands in for steak, pollo de soya for chicken, pastor de soya for marinated pork, tinga de soya for shredded chicken, and barbacoa de soya for roasted lamb. The vegetable-based chicharron replaces pork skin, and carnitas replace roast pork. Every filling works in a burrito, and most burritos cost $16.89 to $18.85 on the Grubhub menu. The Xochimilco Quesadilla ($14.24) combines soy steak with cactus, mushroom, onion, and tomato. Tamales come vegan with green salsa and soy chicken, at $6.49 each.

Breakfast gets its own section. The omelets all give you a choice of vegan or regular cheese. The Hongos Omelette has mushrooms, onions, and tomato. The Tofu con Chorizo Omelette uses soy chorizo, and the Tofu con Tocino Omelette uses soy bacon. Chilaquiles come with a soy chicken patty. Those prices are the delivery-app prices, which run higher than what you’ll pay at the counter.

Platillos serve a bigger meal. Fajitas de Vegetales mix bell peppers and vegetables, and Fajitas de Asada de Soya add soy steak. Chiles Rellenos come stuffed with soy chorizo and mashed potatoes in tomato sauce, and Flautas are three deep-fried tacos stuffed with potatoes. The menu also lists a Hamburguesa Vegetariana and a Sandwich Vegetariano for diners who want something less Mexican.

The restaurant has a loyal following. Spinach, a vegan food guide, rates it 4.4 out of 5 from recent reviews and records 4.5 stars from 1,298 reviews on Google Maps and 4.6 from 70 on HappyCow. Reviewers there single out the oversized super burrito and the Sunday mole. One reviewer orders the super burrito as a bowl without the tortilla.

Vegans need to ask questions. Reviewers mention two vegan cheese options, and the vegan cheese costs extra. One reviewer reported a huarache that tasted of egg and caused a reaction, which is why Spinach tells strict vegans to confirm vegan preparation with the staff. The kitchen cooks eggs and dairy cheese too, so cross-contact can happen, and the restaurant doesn’t publish a cross-contact policy. Tell your server what you need and let them guide the order.

Block Club Chicago covered the restaurant’s move into a renovated space at 2237 N. Western Ave. in 2022. The ordering site’s welcome text still says 2235, but its header and footer say 2237, so use 2237 for directions. Block Club also reported a second location in Pilsen that year. This profile covers the Bucktown restaurant, and we didn’t confirm the Pilsen branch is still open.

The online ordering page lists hours of 10:30 am to 9:45 pm Monday and Wednesday through Friday, and 10 am to 9:45 pm on weekends. The restaurant closes on Tuesdays. Spinach lists 11 am as the weekday opening time, so call (773) 235-8807 if you plan to arrive right at opening. You can order pickup through the restaurant’s online page and sign up for corporate catering through the same page.