Hispanic Heritage Month runs September 15 through October 15, and we're continuing our Local's List series with a family that's been feeding Pilsen for more than 50 years.
MARCOS CARBAJAL is the second-generation owner of Carnitas Uruapan, the carnitas institution his dad opened on 18th Street in 1975.
We asked him about growing up above the shop, the recipe his family carried from Michoacán and where he eats when he's not making carnitas.
Growing Up Upstairs
Before it was a Chicago landmark, Carnitas Uruapan was home. The Carbajal family lived in the apartment upstairs, and Marcos' earliest memories are of birthday parties in the dining room.
"Having my childhood birthday parties there after hours and hosting all my friends there," he says. "We're talking like 5 or 6 years old. We lived in an apartment upstairs, and after closing time it always just felt like an extension of our home."
El Güero's Grind
His father, Inocencio Carbajal, known as El Güero, opened the original shop at 1725 W. 18th St. in 1975. Success took years.
"Borrowing money from friends to pay bills, and having to run across the street to the market to buy soft drinks when people ordered them, because he couldn't afford to stock a full fridge, was a regular occurrence," Marcos says. "He taught me early on that success doesn't come easy in this business and to never give up. Ever."
The Road Back to 18th Street
After college, Marcos built a career in finance but never lost touch with the family business, keeping an eye on the restaurant's books from afar.
"That distance gave me a healthy perspective and led me to realize the untapped opportunity that we have to create something larger, something lasting and meaningful," he says. "Slowly but surely, I was drawn to come home."
Since then, Carnitas Uruapan has grown to three locations. A second spot opened in Gage Park in 2019, followed by a flagship in Little Village in January 2025, inside the former Concordia building on 26th Street. In 2024, Marcos was named a James Beard Award semifinalist for outstanding restaurateur.
The Uruapan Way
The recipe goes back two generations before Marcos. His grandfather and great-uncle were butchers in Uruapan, Michoacán, and developed the family's carnitas recipe at their shop in the 1950s and '60s.
"It's a very labor-intensive and slow method for making carnitas and chicharrón," he says. "My dad brought that recipe to Chicago in 1975, and we offer old-style carnitas with no shortcuts taken. Ever. We don't have any other main dishes on our menu. You are tasting carnitas exactly the way they were traditionally made by my family in Uruapan generations ago."
How to Order
First visit? Start with the Carnitas Especial, their weekday lunch special. It comes with a half-pound of carnitas, a half-dozen tortillas, refried beans, chicharrón, a taco dorado and all the salsas you need to build your own tacos.
"It's a taste of a little bit of everything," Marcos says. "Great way to figure out what you like."
Michoacán Lives Here
Every location is intentional, rooted in the neighborhoods the family chose to serve: Pilsen, Gage Park and Little Village.
"We never forget where we came from, and support local causes that keep our culture, food and traditions alive," he says. "Michoacán is alive inside of us, and the restaurants are a constant reflection of the values and culture my parents taught me."
His Top 3
We asked Marcos where he's eating around Chicago and what he'd order at each spot.This reads more naturally and lets the restaurant recommendations speak for themselves.
7544 W. Addison St.
His order: "Literally order everything."
Image via Instagram/Santa Masa Tamaleria
1727 W. 18th St.
His order: Chilaquiles, all the way. Bonus: It's right next door to the original Carnitas Uruapan.
Image via Instagram/Pochos
1316 W. 18th St.
His order: The flor de calabaza (squash blossom) quesadilla and a chilate.
Image via Instagram/Rubi's
And on his day off? "Wherever my three boys and wife wanna go."
What Hispanic Heritage Month Means to Him
"I see it as an opportunity to acknowledge all the contributions that Hispanics and immigrants have made to this country," Marcos says. "We should be proud of our accomplishments, but also mindful of all the work that still needs to be done to advance the way our food, culture and people are viewed in the U.S."
Visit Carnitas Uruapan
Pilsen: 1725 W. 18th St.
Gage Park: 2813 W. 55th St.
Little Village: 3801 W. 26th St.
carnitasuruapanchi.com | @carnitas_uruapanchi
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