The Search For The Best Tacos Takes Us To Taqueria And BBQ Del Rancho

by

Taco Tuesday

This week our search for the best taco in Chatt Town brought us back to my neighborhood off Rossville Blvd.

You can’t miss the massive wood smoker sitting outside Taqueria and BBQ Del Rancho as well as the neon green menu banner hanging from the fence. Next to the smoker is a small food trailer (likely how they got their start) and then the brick-and-mortar building of the restaurant.

Inside is a spacious dining room with a checkboard patterned flooring and ceiling. A large screen TV was playing tranquil music, and the owner is quick to greet you and go over their menu.

I knew this place was going to be special when I saw they had goat and lamb on the menu. I asked the owner if he was from Mexico or Guatemala. He chuckled and said he was the real deal from the Sonora region of Mexico and his co-owner, his wife and chef, was from Veracruz.

“I know why you asked that,” he said. “There are tons of Mexican restaurants here on Rossville that are owned by Guatemalans. That’s okay but I’m the real deal. This is where you get truly authentic Mexican food.”

I had no doubt since he offered the specialty meats that are traditional for the Northwest region of Mexico which borders California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Goats and sheep are big in this area followed by pork.

He asked me what I wanted to drink and went over his huge list of Aqua Frescas. I normally order Sprite but when he said he has strawberry aqua fresca, I decided to give it a try.

We were conversing in Spanglish, half in English and half in Spanish, and he asked me where I was from. “Originally from Miami,” I said. “My parents left Cuba before Fidel Castro’s regime.” He brought over my strawberry drink and said, “My parents were from Havana Cuba too. They left and moved to Mexico where I was born. I love Cuban food. I even use Mojo to marinate some of the meats.”

I ordered a lamb taco, asada taco and knew this would be another good place to order a beef tongue taco. He handed my order to his wife. She walked out the door and into the taco trailer. Apparently, that’s their kitchen and where the magic happens. Well, there and the smoker. The owner tells me all their meat is cooked in the smoker.

“No propane, no charcoal,” he said. “All wood. All the tortillas are handmade here.”

I listened to the soothing music while I waited. A group of men walked in and ordered goat ribs, a Cuban torta and lamb Birria Tacos.

Lamb Birria tacos! How did I miss that on the menu? Oh well there is always next time.

My tacos arrived at the table, and he brought out some salsa verde and red sauce, which I didn’t even touch.

The handmade tortillas were grilled, warm and barely large enough to hold all the meat. I reached for the tongue taco topped with cilantro, and raw and grilled onions. The meat was beyond tender. I took a bite from the asada taco next and swore I could taste the mojo in the background. Finally, I reached for the lamb taco and took a bite. It was incredible. I just fell apart in my mouth. Lamb is a tender cut of meat to begin with, but this was light and heavenly.

I took a sip of my strawberry water. It was cold, sweet and delicious. I watched as he brought out the goat ribs and Birria tacos and was immediately jealous that I didn’t order the ribs. They looked perfect. The Cuban torta looked massive.

A gentleman at another table ordered a burrito. It looked like it weighed 2-3 pounds. Turns out it was a Birria burrito, and I was jealous once again.

I told my mom about the menu, and she agrees, we need to order some lamb ribs, and goat ribs for dinner one weekend, and give them a try.

This place has consistently high reviews on Google, and I’ll be adding my five-star review shortly.

Taqueria and BBQ Del Rancho

What’s your favorite taco place and why? Send me an email at Pattyl@brewermediagroup.com