10Best: Places to get your taco fix on Cinco de Mayo
Move over hamburger, you have company. “The era of the taco has arrived,” says Aarón Sánchez, a judge on Food Network’s hit culinary competition show Chopped. The Mexican staple appears on menus across the USA, its popularity fueled by the versatility of the dish, which can be endlessly adapted and easily accommodates gluten-free, vegan or other dietary requirements. As Mexico’s Cinco de Mayo holiday approaches, Sánchez shares some favorite spots to order a taco plate with Larry Bleiberg for USA TODAY.
The Original El Taco
Atlanta
You’ll find tacos with a Southern accent at this taqueria with locations in the Virginia-Highland neighborhood and at the airport. El Taco offers unexpected garnishes like fried pickled jalapenos and buttermilk crema. Sánchez is particularly fond of the hickory-smoked chicken. “It’s a great combination using classic Southern methods,” he says. “It’s just a wonderful place.” 404-873-4656; eltaco-atlanta.com
Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ
Austin
Sánchez loves the mesquite-smoked brisket taco served on housemade flour tortillas based on the chef’s grandmother’s recipe. “This for me is a fun taco. It embodies the ideas of Texas barbecue, which is meat all the way — and it’s family owned.” 512-221-4248; valentinastexmexbbq.com
Taco Trio
Portland, Maine
While New England might seem like an unlikely place to find authentic Mexican food, Sánchez swears by the goat tacos. The eatery even serves montalayo, which is a traditional goat dish made with organs cooked in its stomach with chiles and spices. “You don’t see it that often in Mexico, let alone in Portland, Maine. You have all the goat yummy bits cooked and hacked up and put on a taco. If you’re a goat lover, you can’t beat that.” 207-767-9055; taco-trio.com
Lolo
San Francisco
You’ll find fun taco variations at this funky and vibrant Mission District eatery. Sánchez is particularly fond of the Taco Tropical, panko-crusted shrimp served on jicama which takes the place of a tortilla. “It’s got all the components of a taco, but it’s rolled up with jicama. It’s awesome.” 415-643-5656; lolosf.com
Big Star
Chicago
Sánchez says the Windy City has some of the best Mexican food in the country, and he loves this Wicker Park spot housed in a former gas station. “The fish taco is down and dirty and beautiful. It’s crunchy and battered and has a nice acidic slaw, and that for me is where it’s at,” Sánchez says. “It’s elevated street food.” 773-235-4039; bigstarchicago.com
Sancho Pistola’s and Jose Pistola’s
Philadelphia
Talk about fusion. Sánchez found a Pennsylvania Dutch influence at these partnered Mexican restaurants, where several of the tacos are filled with scrapple. The dish, made from pork trimmings mixed with cornmeal, was popularized by German immigrants, but is similar to meat-stretching recipes popular in Mexico. The restaurants offer the tacos as a frequent menu special, serving it in different combinations with fresh salsa and other toppings, but the scrapple is “the star of the taco,” he says. sanchopistolas.com, josepistolas.com
The Painted Burro
Somerville, Mass.
The restaurant, created by a chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America, serves tacos made with impeccable technique, Sánchez says. He’s particularly fond of the spicy Chorizo de la Casa taco, which includes a sunnyside-up egg. “The restaurant is stunning as well,” he says. 617-776-0005; thepaintedburro.com
Chico’s Tacos
El Paso, Texas
An El Paso native, Sánchez remembers coming to this classic spot with his family as a child, and eating crunchy beef tacos topped with tomato jalapeno salsa. “They’re kind of like flautas made with ground beef, rolled and fried. The cheap cheese just makes it. It’s one of those things that’s hard to describe why it’s so tasty, but it is,” he says. “It’s an institution.” 915-533-0975
Mony’s Mexican Food
Santa Barbara, Calif.
Sánchez singles out the el pastor taco at this casual family-owned taqueria. “They switch it up by adding different spices to the pork and cooking it on the griddle with cumin, chocolate and Mexican cinnamon,” he says. 805-895-2978; facebook.com/Monysmexicanfood
Leyenda
New York
When he’s back in his old Brooklyn neighborhood, Sánchez likes to stop by this popular bar and eatery. His order: the Cochinita Pibil, a roasted pork taco with red onion that he says perfectly balances the citrus flavor of a Seville orange with achiote, an earthy spice from the Yucatan. 347-987-3260; leyendabk.com