The Guapichosa

Sometimes life imitates art and then life gets even better. That’s what happened the evening Mickey Neely joined the Scofflaw team as Executive Chef. Head bartender Danny Shapiro, along with fellow food enthusiasts Rob Lopata and Peter Engler, took Mickey on a celebratory tour de sandwich of the Southside. (In fact, you may remember Peter as the southern-neighborhood ‘fixer’ from the Chicago episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations.) 

They devoured a veritable who’s-who list of Chicago sammies, including an Italian Beef from Al’s Beef, The Mother-in-Law from Fat Johnnie’s, and the Big Baby at Nickie’s. Appetites dwindling and the finish line in sight, the group closed the night at Dona Torta Chilanga, a tortilleria featuring a menu of 40-50 tortas, each named for a soccer team or Mexican band. In the spirit of ‘go big or go home’ (or maybe ‘go big THEN go home and slip into a food coma'), they ordered ‘La Guapachosa,’ the biggest sandwich on the menu packed with every meat in the house—plus guacamole, beans, and pineapple. 

The result of this culinary pilgrimage? A little indigestion and a lot of inspiration. A few days later, Mickey reached into his meat-clouded memory and came back with The Guapichosa, his tribute to Dona Torta Chilanga’s La Guapachosa. A secret, off-the-menu item that will leave you feeling like you just made a tour de sandwich of your own, Mickey prepares just five servings of The Guapichosa each evening. Check out all nine layers and grab a seat at Scofflaw early enough to enjoy your own Guapachosa (and for only $12!)