Overview

Papi Chulo's Street Tacos is a standout Mexican eatery nestled in the heart of St John, Indiana. This modest spot at 10861 Wicker Ave offers an authentic taste of Mexican street food, with a focus on bold flavors and fresh ingredients. The atmosphere is casual and inviting, encouraging both families and food lovers looking for a genuine, no-frills dining experience.

The menu is thoughtfully curated, featuring a variety of tacos that shine with vibrant, well-balanced flavors. Favorites include the Carne Asada and Pastor tacos, which consistently delight with their tender, seasoned meats and fresh toppings. For those seeking heartier options, the burritos and plates—especially the birria—deliver hearty portions and rich, slow-cooked flavors that earn rave reviews from locals and first-timers alike.

At Papi Chulo's, the food preparation is an experience itself. The open kitchen concept allows diners to watch their meals come to life, providing transparency and a connection to the cooking craft. This openness complements the friendly service, with the owner often engaging guests personally, sharing insights about dishes like the birria that elevate the authentic appeal.

One of the most praised elements at Papi Chulo's is the homemade touches—particularly the horchata, which many describe as exceptional. The salsas deserve mention too: from mild avocado to intensely flavorful hot sauces, they add customizable layers to every bite.

Overall, Papi Chulo’s caters to anyone craving genuine Mexican street food, welcoming families, casual diners, and fans of quality, bold-flavored cuisine. The combination of fresh ingredients, generous portions, and attentive service creates a memorable dining experience that promises to keep guests returning for more.


Amenities & Services

Popular for
Lunch
Dinner
Solo dining
Offerings
Comfort food
Food
Quick bite
Small plates
Atmosphere
Casual
Quiet

What Customers Say

Carrie Meyer
Dec 3,2025
5/5
SO SO SOOOO GOOD!!! I ordered the steak street taco dinner, elote, kids beef taco dinner and a steak burrito. Everything was so fresh and authentic! I was fortunate to meet the owner, and he begins to talk about featuring birria and my eyes lit up! I was able to sample it, and you NEED to run!! It was the freshest, tastiest, authentic birria I have ever tasted! It had the perfect spice, and I will be so excited to order this in the future!! Do yourself a favor and stop in!! The horchata is also to die for!!! So happy to have such great authentic food in the area!!
nikki mehta
Dec 3,2025
5/5
Service was great. The staff was very helpful. The chicken burrito was very large. The chicken in it was delicious. You get a filling mean for about $13 a person. For the tacos, we ate a carne asada, pastor, and chicken. The chicken was the favorite, then the carne asada, then the pastor. We will definitely eat here again if we're in the area.
M P
Dec 3,2025
5/5
The steak tacos and chicken tacos were the bomb! The steak fries were very good as well! Homemade Horchata! The staff and owner are very friendly. We'll be back for sure!
Mark Ritter
Dec 3,2025
5/5
We were recommended to come here by a few friends so we decided to take the leap and drive down the street to try it out and we were not disappointed at all. The staff was very welcoming and helpful with menu suggestions. They let us try some of the watermelon strawberry drink as well as their horchata that they had available and they were delicious. I ended up getting the birria tacos and they were awesome and super hot and fresh. The cilantro and lime tasted great with the tacos. My wife got the steak quesadilla which was even better in my opinion and I'll definitely have to try that in the future.
Joe Aeh
Dec 3,2025
5/5
Ok, I want to say I've been giving reviews for a while now and I want to let everyone know this place won my heart (stomach, wallet)! We decided to swing in and try Papi Chulo's at lunch on a Sunday. Always driving by to get to the gym. We had been wanting to stop and finally did. Thank goodness! We were impressed by their simplistic menu with enough choices to make for multiple people to have different options. The cooking line is wide open so you can see all the ingredients and the process of your food being cooked right there. The gentleman at the register was clean and friendly. Very polite and didn't rush us at all. The "cook", who turned out to be none other than Papi himself, was very friendly and communicated with us as well! We were delivered out order and were immediately surprised with the SIZE of everything and pleased with the price/size comparison!!! ( Come hungry!!). The food had a very pleasant look and smell!! So excited to bite into this authentic yet appealing looking dish at this point!! Then we did..... OMG! Flavor EXPLOSION in our mouths!! We like food and we were both pleasantly surprised and excited in the flavors quickly sharing bites back and forth! It was NOT really spicy even for someone who didn't like heat, her not me lol... I added some of their HOME MADE sauces to a few bites. The avocado salsa was great, the red HOT was spicy but full of great flavors. They had 2 others I didn't try! I got wrapped up in the awesome flavors and ate my whole meal and didn't get to them.... Oh darn!! Will have to come back!!! Woohoo!!! While eating, we were checked on a few times and asked if everything was good and if we needed anything!!! We finished our meals, leftovers for her and a greasy stain on my shirt! Lol. The owner made sure to thank us and I felt obliged to walk over and tell him how impressed we were with this establishment. The food, price, and service were all great. Papi, we WILL be back and we enjoyed our meal here!!! Sincerely, Joe
Valerie Perez
Dec 3,2025
5/5
Not a small taco! As you can see, the portion sizes are fantastic, better than most sit down restaurants. The meat and seafood are seasoned and cooked to perfection and our order was done in mere minutes! Yes, there are a few other Mexican/Hispanic food places nearby, but they all have different menus and none of them have this level of quality with the speed of preparation similar to that of a fast food place. And being a spicy food lover, I always appreciate a hot salsa to compliment my food Yum! I didn't even realize this place existed, but I happened to be getting gas, and noticed the sign. Definitely, worth stopping in. We'll be back!
Jose R
Dec 3,2025
5/5
I’ve been to some spots in Chicago that would rival street tacos in Mexico so it’s very crazy for me to say this but after one quick visit to try this spot located next to a gas station blew my mind after one carry out order. That is because they provided hands down THE BEST pastor tacos I have ever tried in my life!!! Lord almighty they were so juicy and succulent. I cannot wait to go back and try some other things on their menu.
Jesus Angel Zuniga
Dec 3,2025
5/5
I got one pastor taco and a steak torta ! So good and the three sauces they gave you are also good especially the red one spicy but just right , fast and friendly service as well will definitely be back soon!

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Location

Opening Hours

Monday 10:00 AM - 09:00 PM
Tuesday 10:00 AM - 09:00 PM
Wednesday 10:00 AM - 09:00 PM
Thursday 10:00 AM - 09:00 PM
Friday 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday 10:00 AM - 08:00 PM
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