Tijuana has many restaurants, ranging from push-cart street vendors, to elegant, world-class, destination 5-star restaurants that cater to the jet set, movie starts and the rich and famous.  Every restaurant, even if they're a street vendor, hawking their wares from a push cart, must do something to set themselves aside from the competition, as in Tijuana, just like any large city, appealing to the public's taste buds is a very competitive business.  Nearly all restaurants, taquerías or street vendors serve delicious food, but what sets some apart from the crowd?  The staff. Yes, the staff can set the restaurant apart from the competition, either in a good way, or a bad way.  For Tacos Al Vapor, located on Av. Niños Heros, at the corner of Calle Felipe Carrillo, in downtown Tijuana, the staff distances the restaurant from the competition, as Al Vapor is one of the friendliest restaurants that I've ever had the pleasure to visit.

Photo:  Tacos Al Vapor is located inside of this mini mall, in the space just behind the silver car in the center of the photo.

Tacos Al Vapor is a fairly large operation, as their spacious dining room has a couple of dozen tables, and their restrooms are surprisingly clean, although the men's toilet lacks a seat, which is a minor detail.  Three of the prettiest and friendliest young ladies that you'll ever meet stand outside the restaurant, on the street to greet pedestrians, and invite them into the friendly confines of the restaurant.  It didn't take much to get me into their restaurant, as three smiling, beautiful young women go a long ways in my book, but also the hand-lettered signs advertising the fact that they serve pozole brought me in, as I was in the mood for pozole, that Saturday morning, September 28, 2007.  Nancy, who seemed to be the "in-charge" of the wait staff showed me to a table, and asked me, with an adorable smile on her face, if I wanted anything to drink.  Her smile melted me, so I chose an orange soda, which she promptly retrieved from a refrigerator, and brought to my table, with a smile.  I just can't get enough of beautiful women!

Photo:  Dining at Tacos Al Vapor isn't exactly fancy, as you won't find table cloths and fine china, but you'll be treated to delcious food and the friendliest service in town.

Although Tacos Al Vapor is a fairly large operation, like many restaurants in Tijuana has the entire facade open to the street, without windows or doors.  Al Vapor is a sit-down restaurant, as you're escorted to a table, where you can rest your weary bones, and there's a roof over your head, a restroom, and walls on three sides, but the restaurant is open air, and open to the flies, noise and the pedestrians on Av. Niños Heros, in Tijuana's Zona Central.  Like many Mexican restaurants the decor at Tacos Al Vapor could be described as "functional," as the floor is plain white tile, the tables and chairs are made of plastic,  the tables are covered with brightly-colored vinyl table cloths, and the walls are adorned with hand-printed menus, cheap pictures, and a few faux plants that have fallen into disrepair. Look at the ceiling, and as no surprise to a seasoned Mexican diner, you'll find bare fluorescent light fixtures casting a, not-so-romantic light on the dining room.  Add all the components together, and this is the sort of restaurant that I love, as it has personality!  Oh yes, the name of the restaurant loosely translates into English as "Steamed Tacos."  

Photo:  When the girls aren't waiting on customers, they stand on the sidewalk, directing potential customers into the restaurant, or just exchanging gossip.

Don't even think about asking for a menu at Tacos Al Vapor, as a formal menu doesn't exist, but their wares are posted on the walls, counters, and just about everywhere on hand-printed signs.  Al Vapor features such items as pozole, menudo, sopes, tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, birria, and tacos dorados.  Unless the price is printed next to the advertised entrée, a diner on a budget might be wise to enquire before ordering, as few entrées feature quoted prices.  In Mexico, I'm never on a budget, but just for laughs I asked friendly Nancy the price of a bowl of pozole, and she quoted MEX $25.00; how could you resist delicious pozole at that price, served by a beautiful woman?

After I placed my order of pozole, I alternated between sipping on my orange soda, and taking photos inside the restaurant, and the friendly staff going about their jobs.  After I took friendly Nancy's photo, she insisted that I take a photo of "La Jefe," a woman about my age, who must be the owner of the restaurant, with a title like as eloquent as that.  As I was waiting, I got to watch the staff entice customers into the restaurant, seat them, take orders, and even accept a delivery of flowers from a street vendor.  Even if you only speak a small amount of Spanish, and only know a smattering of Mexican culture, a friendly smile and a positive attitude can open doors to you in Mexico beyond your wildest expectations.  As I was alternating between taking photos and waiting for my breakfast to arrive, the other girls would come by and chit-chat, and exchange small talk with me. Tacos Al Vapor must have a rule that they hire only the most beautiful and friendly young women to serve the customers.

 

Fast, friendly service seems to be a trademark at Tacos Al Vapor, as my order of pozole arrived within 10 minutes after placing my order.  At Al Vapor, you just don't get a bowl of pozole, as the order includes a dish of diced white onions and cut key limes on the side, and a plate of crispy-fried corn tortillas.  The pozole arrived from the kitchen in a china bowl, set on a china plate, and the pozole had sliced cabbage and radishes which made for an attractive presentation.  Diced onions and key limes were offered on the side, as was a plate of fried corn tortillas. Mind you, all of this delicious food was served to my by a beautiful woman, with a friendly smile, who just looooooooooooved to chit-chat!  My kind of place!

Photo:  I'm a total sucker for beautiful Mexican women, as I can't help taking a photo of Tacos Al Vapor's wait staff. Beautiful Nancy is on the right; one of the qualifications for Tacos Al Vapor's wait staff must be beauty.

Fast, friendly service from beautiful women aside, what is it like to enjoy a bowl of pozole at Tacos Al Vapor on a Saturday morning in September?  Put it this way, it's worth the walk across the border, or the taxi fare from the border, as their pozole is simply delicious.  There's a nice mixture of pork and chicken, and the soup contains lots of hominy.  I can tell that the stock is made in-house, as its hearty, earthy-tasting, and has just a hint of smoke. Besides the ample servings of pork and chicken, I think the soup is loaded with a special, in-house commodity; love.  The soup tastes like the kind of soup that your grandmother served you, and the pozole served at Tacos Al Vapor is true Mexican comfort food!

Photo:  My bowl of pozole is on the right, already loaced with onions, lettuce and limes.  My what a breakfast!

For the small price of MEX $25.00 for a delicious bowl of pozole, and MEX $10.00 for a orange soda, at Tacos El Vapor, you get a delicious breakfast that will keep you full until dinner, plus you get to enjoy the company of some of the friendliest and most beautiful waitresses in Tijuana.  If you're in the mood for a delicious meal, and some wonderful female company, you can't go wrong when you pay a visit to Tacos El Vapor.

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