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For many years, as I emerged from the turnstile on to Av. De La Amistad, I walked right past the taco stands that greet you, as you "officially" enter Tijuana from the U.S.A. Like most tourists, I was moving on to other destinations, such as the honky-tonk bars and street food vendors that populate the Zona Norte and other parts of Tijuana, and I just never paid the initial food vendors any mind. Then I got to thinking, why not stop by and check them out during my next visit to Tijuana? The rubber hit the road on Friday, March 13, 2009, when I paid a visit to Tacos Varios, as soon as I passed through the tourist corridor and entered Zona Rio through the turnstile.
Photo: Tacos Various is located in a wide spot in the sidewalk, where Av. Larroque runs into Av. Amistad. Note the two plastic chairs, which are the only creature comforts the restaurant offers. Ernie's brown Trooper is in the backgound, as he unloads supplies for the restaurant. Tacos Varios is one of three taco stands that populate the northeast corner of Av. Jose M.A. Larroque and Av. De La Amistad in the Zona Rio. Varios is easy to find; as soon as you emerge from the pedestrian turnstile, look to your right, and it's there. You don't even have to cross the street. Labeling Tacos Varios as a restaurant would be a stretch of the imagination, as it is a taco cart with a couple of umbrellas placed against it to provide shade for the staff, and the customers. Creature-comforts are minimal, as two plastic chairs are provided for the comfort and relaxation of the diners - that's it - and they also provide a place to sit down for the staff when they're between customers. On the subject of staff, the restaurant is family owned and operated by the Ramirez family, Ernie and Brenda, while their son, Ernesto, does the cooking duties.
Photo: Ernie grins for the camera as I snap his photo, along with a customer behind him who is enjoying a delicious taco. The name Tacos Varios implies that the cart serves a variety of tacos, and it truly does, as the Ramirez family offer tacos de pescado, birria, lengua and milanesa, plus breakfast favorites such as nopales con huevos and chiles rellenos, and much more. Of interest is the logistical aspects that keep the restaurant operating, as Ernie and Brenda supply the cart from their Isuzu Trooper, and Ernesto drives his fire engine red Ford Ranger to work. I noticed that Ernie does the cooking, Brenda makes change and salsa (not at the same time!) and Ernie greets customers, cleans, and provides "logistical transport" of goods and services, which is fancy talk for go-fer work.
Photo: Brenda chats with Ernesto as he puts corn tortillas on the griddle for my tacos. As I walked up to Tacos Varios, I was warmly greeted in passable English by both Brenda and Ernie, but I immediately returned the greeting in Spanish, and continued to converse in Spanish. When I visit Mexico, I'm a huge fan of using Spanish, even if the person I'm speaking to understands English, as Spanish is the language of Mexico, and it allows me to keep in practice. I seemed to have made an impression on Brenda and Ernie, as they were dumbfounded at my ability to converse in Spanish, and commented that very few gringos can speak the language, much less even make an attempt when they pass through the turnstile. They also mentioned that very few gringos stop by their taco cart, which is no surprise to me, as their business definitely caters to the taste of the Tijuana locals.
Photo: Ernesto has placed my order of tacos de birria on the counter, and is about ready to ask me what condiments I want. You can have him apply them, or you can dish them up yourself from the condiment trays on the counter. After looking over the offerings painted on the side of the cart, I chose to order two tacos de birria. In talking with Brenda, she told me that they use locally-obtained fresh ingredients, and they make everything on-site, at the cart, including the masa dough for the corn tortillas, and the filling for the tacos. I joked to her that I didn't see a hog or a cow tied up in back, nor did I see a vegetable garden, and everybody got a laugh out my wisecrack. Ernie explained that he goes over to the market, a couple of miles away on Av. Constituión, to obtain supplies when they run out; hence his nearby parked Trooper.
Photo: My order of juicy, delicious tacos de birria. Note each one uses two corn tortillas, which makes them quite filling. With that, Ernesto placed four corn tortillas on the griddle and started heating them, in preparation for my tacos de birria. When they were soft and pliable, he removed them from the griddle, and placed each of them onto an individual piece of butcher paper, and placed the butcher paper-wrapped tortillas on a plastic plate, covered with a plastic baggie. The idea is that after you're finished eating your tacos, you simply remove the baggie and throw it into the trash can, to save the task of doing dishes. There is no running water on the streets of Tijuana, so this makes sense... Next, he reached into a pot that was heating on the cart and spooned a large spoonful of juicy birria on each taco, and asked me what I wanted on my tacos. "Everything," I said, as per my usual, so he spooned guacamole, diced white onions, chopped tomatoes and chopped cilantro on my tacos, and handed me the plate. Great tacos! The birria was juicy and delicious, the garnishes fresh and crisp, and the on-site made corn tortillas, toasted on the griddle, were out of this world! Combine the delicious food and the friendly folks who run the restaurant, and you've got a winner in Tacos Varios.
Photo: I asked Ernie if he'd snap my photo, holding my delicious tacos de birria. Look mom, I'm really in Tijuana! The bare hills in the background of the photo are in the U.S. A. When I finished enjoying my delicious tacos, I asked Brenda how much I owed her, and she said U.S. $2.00, which is a reasonable price for two delicious tacos. All I can say is when you emerge from the turnstile on to Av. De La Amistad and you're in the mood for delicious tacos, turn to your right, and Tacos Varios will be waiting for you. Tacos Varios Copyright(c) 2009 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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