Leyva's Tacos, a fine tacos on Av. Revolucion, in Tijuana

Av. Revolucion, in downtown Tijuana, is probably the ultimate tourist destination for 99.99% of norteamericanos who visit Mexico, as it has everything that a tourist could ask for: Safety, security, shopping, clubs, restaurants, shopping, and more shopping. So as you walk up and down avenue, bartering with the vendors, you probably will develop an appetite or a thirst. That's human nature, right? On Av. Revolucion there are many fine taquerias to choose from, but there are none finer than Leyva's Tacos.

Yes, Leyva's Tacos does cater to tourists, as tourists are big business in downtown Tijuana. But the locals eat at the place too, and that's important if your taste caters to authentic food. As a rule, if I see norteamericanos at a taqueria, I will go elsewhere. I make the exception at Leyva's as they serve outstanding, authentic tacos, and the Lavvas are nice people.

Left: The facade of Leyvas, as viewed from Av. Revolucion. Right: Inside Leyva's looking toward the cashiers station and kitchen, not to mention the condiment station to the left of the counter.

Leyva's Tacos is located on Ave. Revolucion, just south of Calle 6A, Flores Magon, in the tourist-oriented heart of downtown Tijuana. It's a typical big-city taco restaurant, in that the whole front of the restaurant is open to the street with the cashier's station, the cooking area and the condiments are all located in the front of the restaurant, near the street, and the picnic tables are inside, to the rear. Leyva's Tacos has all of the ambiance of a typical Tijuana taco restaurant, complete with tile floors, fluorescent lighting, and a friendly staff, not to mention outstanding food.

Left: Inside Leyva's, near the cashier's station where you place your order. Notice the big slab of carne asada is cooking to the left of the photo. Right: Mrs. Leyva works the cashier's station.

You walk up to the counter and tell the cook what type of taco you want. Leyva's specialty is carne asada, but they have any kind of taco that you could ever wish for, including tacos de tripas. My taco of choice for this evening was to be the carne asada sort, so the guy took a knife and cut a piece of a big pre-cooked chunk from a large piece of meat that was already pre-cooked and was in place, near the side of the cooking area. Then, he took the meat and coarsely chopped it with a meat cleaver, and threw it on the griddle to cook.

Left: Friendly Mr. Leyva is relaxing at a table in the dining area of his restaurant, and is ready to serve you your favorite shot of tequilla. Right: Carne asada, roasted vertically, Mexican-style, makes fine tacos at Leyva's Tacos.

Like many taco stands, Leyva's uses a propane-fired stainless steel griddle to cook the meat. The cook puts the meat on the griddle, cooks the meat until it's brown on one side; about 1-1/2 minutes, turns it over with a big spatula, and cooks the meat about another minute. After turning the meat over, corn tortillas are placed on the griddle and cooked until brown spots start to appear on the tortilla, and then the tortilla is turned over once. That insures that the meat and the tortilla are done at the same time.

The fun part is loading up the taco with garnishes. Leyva's offers chopped white onions, diced jalapeno peppers, cilantro, creamy guacamole, thick red salsa, pickled onion rings, and pickled carrot slices for garnishes.

I sat down at a table and started to sip my beer and comtemplate my taco, and a friendly gentleman seated to my right, also drinking beer, started a conversation with me. It turned out tha this gentleman was Mr. Leyva himself, the owner of the business. ly and the price is right. Leyva's tacos is their main business, but the Leyva family also owns the licquor store and the parking lot next door, and the disco above the restaurant. Mr. Leyva operates the licquor store the parking garage, the the Mrs. operates the restaurant, and their children and other employees do whatever else is needed to keep the businesses running smoothly.

Left: If you like to people-watch along Av. Revolucion, Leyva's Tacos is a good place to relax and participate in the activity. Right: Here I am, with a carne asado taco on the counter and a Tecate beer in my hand, enjoying every second of it. This photo was taken during my December 2004 trip to Tijuana.

Mr. Leyva is a very friendly and talkative fellow. He was sipping a shot of tequila, and I asked him where he got it, and he told me from the licqur store he owns next door. I asked him if he could get me a shot, he got up, whent next door, and came back with a bottle! Talk about service! Believe me, the tequila really tastes good as it's washed down by a mouthful of cold, Dos XX beer. Mr. Leyva complimented me on my Spanish, and asked if I was married to an American or a Mexican. I thought that was sort of a funny question. Anyway, when you're in the area, be sure to walk in and say "hello" to Mr. Leyva. He's a good guy.

Left: A Leyva's employee serves up another fine carne asada taco. Right: We get scerenaded by a trio of street musicians. Actually, these guys were very good.

As I was munching my taco, a trio of roving mariachi players wandered into the taqueria and asked me if I'd like them to play me a song. Traveling mariachi bands are a part of the landscape in downtown Tijuana. I was on about my third beer and my second shot of tequila, so a bit of live music sounded like a festive idea. I asked them how much, and they said $3.00 U.S., so they asked me what I wanted to hear, and I couldn't think of anything except Celito Lindo, so they played it for me, complete with lots of ayyyyyyyyyyy-yyyyyyyyyy-yyyy-yys in the chorus. It was a lot of fun, to way the least.

When you're on your next shopping expedition on Ave. Revolucion, and you want a good taco, stop by Leyva's Tacos.

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