When it comes to Mexican food, El Taco Veloz knows how to prepare that south-of-the-border cuisine.

Portraits of Mexican countryside hang along the walls of this Ukrainian Village institution. The sounds of Mariachi music play in the background as they mix with the sounds of the Spanish language spoken at every table. A large portrait of the Virgin Mary, decked with pictures of loved ones, flowers and candles, hang on the back wall. It all adds up to a genuine Mexican restaurant atmosphere.

But let's not forget about the food. The menu is as colorful as its walls and rainbow-tinted fluorescent lights. Warm your soul with a selection of soups ($5) like the pozole and menudo, while gorditas ($1.95-$2.25), burritos ($4) and tortas ($3.25-$4.25) fill the rest of the menu. But if you're looking to fill your stomach with more than a la carte selections, try the dinner dishes ($6-$9.50). The enchilada, with your choice of meat, is a tasty treat drenched in the house red or green sauce and topped with sour cream. It also comes with the standard rice and beans. Its seafood dishes ($9.50-$10.50) include the fried mojarra, a fried fish almost as big as the dinner plate it’s served on.

Finish off, or most likely start, your meal with a fancy margarita or pina colada, or take your pick from any of the wide selection of imported, mostly Mexican, beers.

Centerstage Reviewer: Kimber Solana