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How many taco carts are there in the City of Tijuana named Tacos Varios? I've encountered several in my travels... all of them serve a variety of tacos, (hence the name Tacos Varios,) and every one of them serves delicious tacos. What sets one Tacos Varios apart from the others? In a word... Rice. Photo: If you've ever walked from downtown Tijuana back to the U.S., you'll recognize this sight, as I'm looking east on Articulo 123, a.k.a., Calle Primera, at Av. Negrete. You'll encounter many street food vendors as you hike down First Street, on your way to downtown Tijuana, and Av. Revolución, and every one of them sell delicious tacos. Editor's note: I've been visiting Tijuana since 1970, and I've never eaten a taco that I didn't love! You'll probably see more than one that sports the name of Tacos Varios painted on the side of his cart, so how do you choose which vendor to patronize? Easy: Patronize every street taco vendor that you encounter! Saturday morning, March 14, 2009, I was facing that dilemma as I hiked west on Articulo 123, on my way to Av. Revolución, for a day of sight seeing and drinking beer. Like always in my life, it was taco time, and I'd already encountered a Tacos Varios the day before, in the Zona Rio, when I spotted another Tacos Varios at the corner of Calle Primera and Av. Negrete, parked in front of a pharmacy, in the Zona Centro. I could easily see that today's vendor wasn't yesterday's, as the differences were numerous, and the location was miles away. But what the heck, I was in the mood for a taco, so despite the common name, I walked up to Manny, the friendly gentleman working the taco cart, and ordered two carne asada tacos from him, with all of the garnishes. Photo: Grinning Manny dishes up a taco for a waiting customer. Tacos Varios is a very busy taco cart, and is blessed with a prime location, along the route that most pedestrian tourists walk from the U.S. border to downtown Tijuana. Considering this prime location, you'd think that Tacos Varios would get most of their business from American tourists, right? In chatting with the friendly owner and operator, Manny, he said that very few tourists stop by, and that most of his business is from Tijuana locals. It seems odd to me that tourists make a beeline for AvRev, to dine at one of the many American fast food outlets, and pass by Tacos Varios, and other street vendors who sell delicious, authentic, Tijuana street food, at a fraction of the price that tourists pay on Av. Revolución. Folks who pass by Tacos Varios, and other Tijuana street taco vendors are missing a delicious and unique part of Mexican culture. Photo: Manny spoons grilled tomatoes on to one of my tacos. Rice is the ingredient that makes Manny's tacos unique. To make a taco, he first places two corn tortillas on the griddle and heats them, until they're soft and pliable. He removes the tortillas from the griddle, holds them in his left hand, then reaches into one of the stainless steel bins and places a scoop of rice on the tortillas, and sort of spreads it around, until its more or less evenly distributed on the tortilla. Then he reaches into another bin and grabs a spoonful of carne asada, and places it on the tortilla. From other bins he adds grilled green and red peppers and grilled onions, and guacamole upon request to complete the taco. He places it on a paper plate and performs an identical routine to make another taco. After removing the tortillas from the grill, it only takes him about ten or fifteen seconds to make a taco... this guy is fast! Photo: Customers can help themselves, if they wish, to additional toppings placed in bowls on the taco cart, as the gentleman to the right of the photo is doing. Most of the ingredients that Manny uses are prepared at home before he sets up his taco cart. Each ingredient is stored in a separate stainless steel bin and kept warm. If he runs out of vegetables, he gets on his cell phone and calls his vegetable supplier, and he'll have vegetables delivered to his location in a matter of minutes. Tacos Varios makes outstanding tacos. The meat was cooked perfectly and very juicy, and the vegetables were perfectly grilled. Each taco used two corn tortillas, which not only added an "earthy" corn taste, but kept the ingredients intact as I ate the tacos. The rice added a nice touch to the taco as well, not to mention Manny's fast and friendly service. Photo: My delicious tacos, loaded with grilled vegetables. The meat hides the rice, but it's there... along with two corn tortillas, which make delicious tacos! Visitors passing by Tacos Varios on their way to downtown Tijuana should do themselves a favor and enjoy a delicious taco or two. At the price of U.S. $1.00 each, they're a real bargain... and Manny is one of the friendlier street food vendors that I've had the pleasure to meet during trips to Tijuana. Highly recommended! Tacos Varios Copyright(c) 2009 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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