We will decide on tomorrow’s lunch in one of three ways: 1. Akemi will decide based on what we have in the fridge/freezer. 2. Akemi will decide she doesn’t feel like cooking so we should go out instead. 3. We’ll get a hankering for whatever food item is featured on the youtube foodie video we watched before going turning in the night before. In the case of today’s lunch, it was #3 – and tacos specifically. Unfortunately, our favorite taco spot, Campechano, isn’t open for lunch on Tuesdays so, in an attempt to hedge our bets, I suggested we visit Toronto’s Kensington Market neighborhood and hit three different places.
Taco Spot #1: Tacos Gus
I’ve been wanting to check this one out for over a year and, finally, today was the day.
I ordered the pastor (grilled pork) and chilorio (marinated pork). The latter was featured as one of the city’s Top Tacos in a recent online ranking.
Akemi, meanwhile, went with the pollo.
Overall…enh. I had to choke down the first couple of bites and instantly regretted not getting a drink. We both found the tacos surprisingly dry.
Having crossed Tacos Gus off my bucket list, we then moved on to a neighborhood mainstay…
Taco Spot #2: Seven Lives
Alas, the menu used to be a little more adventurous before their move across the street. No cachete on the menu. Instead…
We both did the asada which, in hindsight, was a mistake. Not that the taco wasn’t delicious. It really was – moist and flavorful with a lot of tasty crispy bits – but it was so big that we could have split one. Or, more to the point, we could have split two, meaning we should have ordered the octopus as well. Ah well. Live and learn.
After our stopover at Seven Lives, we were absolutely stuffed. But you can call a Taco Tour a Taco Tour unless you hit three separate spots so….
Taco Spot #3: Pico de Gallo
This one is located in a tightly packed little food alcove with four or five other Mexican-themed food stands. Their suadero (beef brisket and flank taco) was featured in that aforementioned online article so I had to it. And then, looking up at the hand-scrawled menu, I noticed they had lengua as well – so I had to get that too.
In a word: Wow. Despite being absolutely stuffed, and this being the last stop on our tour, these tacos were my favorites by far. I love the fact that they offer off-cuts in addition to your more standard fare.
We concluded our tour with our final stop – our place – where we enjoyed Akemi’s homemade chocolate mousse. As is the tradition.
So, any of you have a favorite taco in your neighborhood? Tell me all about it. I may come visit.
Next time you hit Pico de Gallo, ask whether they have any connection to the Cortez family’s long-standing Pico de Gallo in San Antonio. (When you finally get down here, I’ll recommend Pico de Gallo or one of its sister restaurants for Mexican food downtown.)
https://www.picodegallo.com/
PS: Out here in NE SAT, Eddie’s Taco House is right around the corner and our first choice for convenience and good food.
https://eddiestacohouses.com/
Fast-food Mexican? Taco Cabana is another local chain that’s consistently good.
https://www.tacocabana.com/
And there are probably a thousand single-location Mexican food purveyors around San Antonio…talk about a taco tour!
I think the best place around here is a place called Taco Toro, which is basically a better, local version of Chipotle. To be honest, that place is downtown in SJ and I’ve hardly been around there since COVID started, so I’m not sure it’s even open anymore.
No picture of Akemi’s mousse? All those tacos look delicious. Thanks for the pictures.
What did your heart doctor say? Let me guess. “You’re fine. See you next year.”
Oh, by the way… I picked up some Eggnog today. See what you did.
There’s are no good taco places around me. Now, BBQ is a different answer! 😉
Strangely, there’s a good taco place in the small town my mom lives in. They have a good grilled chicken taco in a town called “Hohenwald, TN” (pronounced by the natives as Horn-wall).
BTW, thanks for the food porn! It all looked delicious! No pictures of the chocolate mousse? 🙁