Good Barbacoa Tacos

We had some good barbacoa tacos from the “Aqui es Tlaxcala” taco stand located on the corner of Calle Brasilia and Calle Ecuador. The stand is on the back side of the Municipal Stadium two blocks from the 8 Tostadas Restaurant. The stand is also located directly in front of my favorite tortilleria in Puerto Vallarta.

Good stuff! Makes you hungry just looking at them. Use the map below to make your way to the taco stand. You might also want to read about my favorite tacos in all of Puerto Vallarta.


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Free Taco Tours for VallartaBlog Readers

A good friend of mine Joel, who is my source for great taco stands, is putting together a specialty tour company to take people to see the real Puerto Vallarta.

One of the tours he is working on right now is a taco stand tour to visit some of the great taco stands around town that a visitor wouldn’t normally have the chance to try. Tacos are the heart and soul of Mexican cuisine.

To get feedback on the new tour, he is offering a free tour to two groups of VallartaBlog readers. On the tour, you will visit 4 different taco stands to try a variety of tacos. The tour lasts about 2 ½ hours.

To get an idea of the types of places you will visit, take a look at some previous posts: Tacos El Carboncito, Tacos Willie, Tacos El Grano de Oro. These aren’t necessarily the places you will visit but it gives you an idea about what to expect.

Joel is offering the free tours until February 21 to the first two groups of people who reply. If you are interested in the free tour, get in contact. Tell us when you are available and if you have any special preferences. Transportation is provided from your hotel or condo. The group limit is 4 people per tour and participants will pay for their own tacos and sodas. Everything else is included. Just to give you an idea of cost, tacos and sodas typically cost less than one dollar apiece.

The taco tour is a really cool way to see another side of Puerto Vallarta. Buen provecho!

Family Style Restaurant – Downtown Puerto Vallarta

The other day while waiting to get a haircut, I found a great little restaurant downtown, two blocks from the main plaza, called Rincon de Tlaquepaque. The sound of the sizzling grill and the amazing smell of meat and chiles pulled me right in.

Rincon de Tlaquepaque specializes in birria (stewed goat’s meat) and tortas ahogadas (drowned sandwiches). They call them drowned sandwiches because the sandwiches are smothered in salsa. Tortas ahogadas is a popular dish from Guadalajara.

I ordered the tacos de birria which were really good. Dishes made from goat’s meat are dishes that that I have to be in the mood to eat. I find the flavor can be too strong for my taste. This time the flavor was very mild.

The restaurant is not much to look at from the outside, but inside it is brightly colored and cheerful. A very typical small family style restaurant. The restaurant was spotlessly clean which is a major plus in my book.

Tacos de birria. Next time I visit, I will try the tortas ahogadas because they looked fantastic. After I finished my tacos, I nearly ordered one just to try it out, but better judgement prevailed.

Prices were reasonable. I paid $40 pesos for 3 tacos and a diet Coke.

The restaurant is easy to find. Just head South 2 blocks from the main plaza and it’s located almost on the corner of Morelos and Libertad streets.

 
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Another good taco place downtown.
More good tacos here.

Taqueria El Grano de Oro – Downtown Puerto Vallarta

I decided to try the Taqueria Grano de Oro, a taco stand that I had noticed a few times in passing.  It is located just behind the Mercado 5 de Diciembre downtown. Every time I passed by, it was always busy which is an excellent sign.

Picking a good taco stand really is simple. Look for a place that is consistently busy and your chances of finding good food is almost guaranteed. My technique didn’t fail me finding Taqueria El Oro Grande.

The staff was very friendly as was the owner. I was curious as to how carnitas are made and the owner graciously explained the process to me. In the photos below, you’ll see the large vats where the carnitas and chicharrones are made.

Their specialty is tacos de carnitas, which are tacos made from pork that has been deep fried in lard until the meat starts to fall apart. Carnitas tacos might not sound very good but they sure taste good.

The tacos they serve at Taqueria Grano de Oro are quite large. I ordered three tacos. I was full by the time I finished the second taco.

They make fresh tortillas on site which adds greatly to the flavor. To spice up your tacos they offer four salsas: three red salsas of varying heat, and a mild green guacamole salsa. You also get onion, cilantro, limes, and jalapenos.

Prices are very reasonable. I paid $40 pesos for three large tacos and a Diet Coke.

The owner, Antonio shows me how chicharrones are made. Pork skins are deep fried in lard and allowed to cool. The same pork skins are placed in the lard a second time which causes them to expand, blister, and become crunchy.

Freshly made chicharrones. To eat them you just grab a piece, put hot sauce on it, and take a bite.

Taqueria Grano de Oro is located on the corner of Guatemala street and Belice street in downtown Puerto Vallarta. They are open daily until 4:00pm.

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Fajita Republic Restaurant – Old Town Puerto Vallarta

One of the restaurants we go to when we are in the mood for fajitas is Fajita Republic located on Basilio Badillo street in Old Town.

Our favorite dish is the Molcajitas – strips of beef and cheese, onion, pineapple and salsa heated in a stone molcajete. They give you a stack of flour tortillas, plus guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, rice and beans to make your own tacos. We are not real big eaters so one order is enough to feed the two of us.

This visit we decided to try something new and we ordered the Shrimp Tacos Pastor. The shrimp are covered in an adobo sauce which is a red tomato based sauce made with chipotle. Adobo can be on the spicy side but the version at Fajita Republic is tasty and mild.

Something new that they are doing is giving you a plate of nachos on the house. They have always started you off with a ton of tortilla chips and homemade salsa plus a plate of jicama sprinkled with chile powder. And, they still do, with a plate of nachos to boot.

Last March, they relocated the restaurant to the other side of the street. They kept the same menu and decor. So if you have been to Fajita Republic before and enjoyed it, you will still find it to your liking.

Service this visit was really quick and friendly, much better than our previous visits. The waitstaff puts on a good show at the tables when they serve the fajita plates flamed in tequila. I kept trying to get a picture of them in action but I was never quite quick enough.

Prices are mid-range and include chips and homemade salsa, a plate of nachos, and a plate of jicama. The Molcajitas cost $134 pesos and the Shrimp Tacos Pastor cost $128 pesos.

Fajita Republic is located at Basilio Badillo #188 in Old Town. Their telephone number is 222-3131. They Also have a location in Nuevo Vallarta at Embarcadero Centro, Paseo Cocoteros Lote 8 Villa 8. The phone number in Nuevo Vallarta is 297-2277.

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Another place you might enjoy in Old Town Puerto Vallarta – El Querreque Restaurant

When you are in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle be sure to go for some tacos at the Taqueria “Los Amigos,” located in front of the main plaza. The tacos are really good and the prices are reasonable. Tacos cost $9.00 pesos each. Sodas cost $10 pesos. We ate really well and our bill came to $75 pesos which is about $7.50 US.

We are ordered carne asada tacos, al pastor tacos, arrechera tacos, and a volcan (Volcano) which is melted cheese, meat, and beans on top of a crispy tortilla.

Taqueria “Los Amigos” is a typical taco stand, small and unassuming. For some unknown reason, the fancier a taco place is the worse the tacos are. It’s as if they wasted the flavor on decor.

Salsa is a critical ingredient to any good taco. My wife is a green salsa person. I’m a red salsa person. Green or red is always a heated debate when discussing tacos.

Nothing satisfies like a good taco. Tacos should be small and full of flavor not jumbo sized and sloppy like you find back home.

After you finish your tacos you can buy some candy or elote desgranado (corn kernals in a cup) from the vendor next door.

Other taco stands you might like:

Tizok Takos in Versalles

Best Tacos in Puerto Vallarta

Great Tacos in Puerto Vallarta

One of the taco places we frequent is Tizok Takos in Versalles. It’s easy to get to. It’s a half a block south of the HSBC bank on the corner of Francisco Medina Ascencio and Francia street. If you are not sure where that is, it’s directly in front of the big Coppel store.

When you walk by there is always a big cloud of smoke coming off the grill. The smell pulls you right into the restaurant.

They grill the onions which I really like. The beans for garnish I don’t much like. These are tacos de asada (grilled beef tacos). Tacos cost about $12 pesos each.

The salsas are good and the chips never-ending.

To drink, they serve horchata and jamaica in the old-fashioned clay mugs, which is a cool touch. Both drinks are traditionally prepared. Unfortunately, many restaurants that serve these drinks have switched over to liquid or powder concentrates for convenience. The taste just isn’t the same.

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Another Puerto Vallarta taco stand you will like
Puerto Vallarta’s Best Tacos – El Carboncito

Best Puerto Vallarta Taco Stand

When you need a late night taco fix, El Carboncito, downtown, is the place to go. El Carboncito is one of the only taco stands that I recommend. Vallarta has many great things to eat but in general I don’t care for the tacos here. I find the tacos in other regions of the country much tastier. El Carboncito is the exception.

Like any good taco stand, El Carboncito is very basic. As a general
rule, the fancier a taco place is the worse the tacos are. I don’t know
why this is, but, the rule holds up throughout Mexico.

Tacos are Mexican fast food. At El Carboncito we never even bother sitting down to eat. Somehow, the tacos taste better standing.

El Carboncito specializes in tacos al pastor (shepard style tacos). If you have never had tacos al pastor, you are missing out on a great Mexican food experience. Chunks of spiced pork are formed into a large piece roughly in the shape of a spinning top and slow-cooked rotisserie style. In other regions of Mexico, tacos al pastor are called tacos de trompo or tacos from a spinning top.

The taquero (taco maker) is poetry in motion. As a final flourish while
preparing a taco, he flicks a piece of pineapple in the air and catches
it with the taco.

The secret to the tacos at El Carboncito is mesquite charcoal. At most taco stands that serve tacos al pastor, the rotisserie is gas-fired which provides a steady even heat and is easy to control. The rotisserie at El Carboncito is charcoal-fired which imparts a great smoky flavor to the meat. A charcoal fired rotisserie is more expensive and more difficult to operate than a gas-fired rotisserie which is why you don’t see them too often.

When you place your order the taquero will ask you “con todo? (with everything?)” Be sure to say yes. A taco al pastor with everything includes two corn tortillas, shaved spiced pork, onion, cilantro, and a chunk of roasted pineapple. You add salsa and lime juice to taste.

Tacos al Pastor

My favorite tacos. I’m getting hungry.

The other secret to great tacos is the salsa. El Carboncito offers four types of salsa, all great. They have a very mild guacamole salsa, a mild tomato based salsa, a hot green salsa, and a fiery red salsa which I believe is made from chiles de arbol.

The two spiciest salsas are nearly fatal. They taste great but you are going to pay for the privilege of eating them. The last time we went, the two of us who ate the spiciest red salsa suffered violent hiccup attacks caused by the chiles in the sauce. I totally recommend the salsa and it’s worth the suffering but you have been forewarned.

Tacos cost $9 pesos each. Four of five tacos makes a very filling meal. El Carboncito serves sodas but no beer. If you want a beer to go with your tacos you can buy one from the mini-mart a couple of doors down.

Business hours: 8:30pm until late. Closed on Mondays.

Location: Honduras street on the north end of downtown, a half block from the Pemex gas station. See the map below.
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More Tacos and Mexican Food
Tacos, Salsas, and Mexican Food at MexicanFoodie