Taco Taco

As a child, my favorite pizza came from Little Caesar's. Perhaps it was the cute Roman character, or the fact that I was mesmerized with the fact that you could only pick up your pizza order, and not eat it on the premises.

Or, maybe I loved it because they named it twice. Little Julius Caesar grunted out: "Pizza, Pizza".

This is the thought behind Taco Taco in San Antonio. It's so good, they named it twice.

I am embarrassed to admit that the first time that I heard of Taco Taco, Rob and I were watching the Food Network. They were doing a special on the best foods around the country. Bon Appetit magazine and Food TV rated Taco Taco as the best, uh... tacos in the country. I was so excited, just as I always am when my hometown gets some recognition.

And, ok, it's not a big shock. The best tacos are in San Antonio. It's not as if they revealed that the best shrimp gumbo can be found in Boise or that the best winery is in Orlando.

So, intrepid explorers that we are, we headed to Taco Taco the very next day.

Located at McCullough and Hildebrand, near Monte Vista, we almost missed the modest, white building. Parking was scarce. The door to the restaurant was plastered with magazine articles and various kudos from all over, hailing the almighty Taco Taco. We got excited.

Like the parking lot, space was limited, and seats were full. It looked as if fifty people in this room would be a very tight squeeze. People from all backgrounds were there. Gardeners in jeans and men in high-power suits sat at tables next to each other, speaking the same language - TACO.

We got a seat rather quickly and started perusing the menu.

Not surprisingly, considering that we are ordering tacos, the menu was very inexpensive. But, $1.39 for a meal? That was unexpected. So, we supposed that we had to order several to fill up.

We were so wrong. We ordered several tacos and quickly realized that we would have to loosen our belts. This is no Taco Bell Super Value Menu-sized taco. This is for real.

Everything that we tried was excellent - the famous El Nortena, the chorizo, the bacon and egg. Not one disappointed. We could see why this had garnered so much notoriety.

It was not until my second visit, though, that I really fell in love. I ordered a potato, egg, and salsa taco, and my mom ordred the carne guisada. Oh, the carne guisada. (Angels singing) I quickly coveted my mom's taco, and like any good mom, she offered to split it with me, insisting that she couldn't finish it herself. (Yeah, right.) After that tender meat, perfect gravy, and melt-in-your mouth tortilla, I am now ruined, and cannot ever order carne guisada anywhere else. Nor, will I be likely to be able to order anything BUT carne guisada when I visit Taco Taco again.

Which, of couse, I will, and soon. I am now a missionary for Taco Taco, and will be spreading the word to my friends often. They just have to take me with them.

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Taco Taco
Visit Taco Taco's Website!
145 E. Hildebrand
San Antonio, TX 78212
210-822-9533
Hours: 7am to 2pm every day