The Great Taco Crawl

The mission: 6 tacos with bebidas in six different establishments. 

It didn’t start smoothly. I was thrice Watsoned* when three #11 buses mysteriously vanished from the route before reaching my stop. I gave up my dreams of picking up my library books and hiked down to the LRT.

Our next barrier: the server at the completely empty Burrito Borracho informed us they will not sell us individual tacos. We have to buy 4 of the same flavour. Who wants 4 of the same? Someone with no imagination and no will to live, that’s who. We left them to their emptiness and wandered down the block.

Next up is El Camino. Pretentious and hip as hell yes, but they will sell us single tacos and have original options like tempura eggplant or cauliflower. Now I’m bummed that I only get one. The tempura eggplant was crispy perfection. Crunchy, sweet and spicy with smooth avocado on the top. F’s chorizo taco was tall. She had to eat a few inches off the top before attempting to move it to her mouth for a bite. Salty, spicy, crispy, more salty, but in a good way. We washed them down with a piña colada (F) and a breakfast Bourbon Sour (don’t judge there are egg whites which make it breakfast food.) I also like the sign immediately inside their door - Don’t be a dick.

Taco lot wasn’t open despite their posted hours, so we did the longish walk to the Glebe to Banditos. The interior is pure sports bar complete with TVs, neon and dance music. At first I was concerned when all I saw on the menu were mock tails and non-alcoholic drinks, but there was a second, very inventive drinks menu. Tamarindo Gringo was delicious cherry bourbon-ness. There was only one veg taco on the menu so I ordered the fried avocado taco and F had the pulled pork. Mine arrived with a sad half brown avocado slice on the top. The julienne veggie strips in it were crunchy and fresh but the fried avocado itself was mainly deep fried breading with the tiniest hint of green in it. There wasn’t any actual avocado flavour to it. And what’s with the orange mayo in veggie tacos? It’s been in both so far. F’s pulled pork was tasty and vinegary with nice cool crispy sweet garnishes and not spicy at all. Her avocado didn’t have any flavour, either but overall she found the thing delish. It was certainly juicy and required the underneath plate.

La Fiesta Latina on Somerset is kitschy, colourful and fun with a sassy server to make the heart glad. He spoke to me in rapid fire Spanish to which I responded with a wise nod and a wink. F tried not to giggle. Sombreros, clay bulls, plants galore and some sass make it feel warm on a chilly day. It’s not licensed but they have Mexican, Colombian and “white people” pop. I ordered a tofu taco and F had a tinga (chicken) and a pastor (pork) taco. Unlike the fancy tacos in the hip and sports eateries these were just “meat” cooked with onions and spices in blue corn tortillas. There was no lettuce, avocado or orange mayo in sight. The tofu was nicely seasoned but I missed the mix of textures. F found her chicken was very good and the pork was spicy but it was missing something. 

San Jose is just down a block so it’s instant gratification. Again, not licensed, but homey, bright  and comfy. I meant to make it in the summer when they had a patio but, despite having no life, I still didn’t make it down the two blocks. They have an extensive taco menu and a daily special. F ordered carnitas and it was so good she didn’t pause to distinguish the flavours. I had the vegan tinga with mushrooms and chipotle and it was LOVE! Juicy, smokey, spicy and complex with sweaty mushroom meatiness and excellent corn tortillas. So fantastic. And the server sang along quietly with the Spanish language radio station. Happiness inducing all around.

Our next and last stop was to be Eldorado on Preston. I had heard good things about them and was looking forward to a fancy taco and cocktail. Alas, it was not to be. They were not open, despite their posted opening hours. Someone came to the door and said it was closed for a private party. Pooper!

So we managed to get tacos from 4/7 places we tried, 2 tasty cocktails each and I walked 11 km. San Jose had the cheapest and tastiest taco in my opinion. El Camino is the licensed close runner up. The hanging out and chat was the best part and it was all a great way to spend a late autumn Saturday. 

*Being Watsoned is what happens when your mayor and the city staff assign important aspects of city transit to the lowest bidder who doesn’t meet the metrics and then they don’t bother to rigorously test the system so nothing comes when it’s scheduled and you are left stranded on the side of the road.