I love Mexican-style tacos, particularly tacos al pastor. Tacos al pastor use pork marinated with pineapples, chilis, and other spices. Sometimes the meat is put on a big skewer like kebab or gyros. Not many tacquerias around here do it this way, which I am fine with as this method seems to dry the meat too much. I have already been to many tacquerias around town but never shared these places with anyone but my friends. So I'd like to share some of these (mostly my favorites) with you all!
The Place
Los Ocampo is a small, local chain of restaraunts, and specifically Tacqueria Los Ocampo is their faster-food/casual/takeout style restaurant brand. I visited their location on Lake Street in Minneapolis tonight for some tacos! Here's my review.
The dining room is really nice as far as casual Mexican restaurants go. There is ample and varied seating, from booths to 4-person tables to bar seating against the window. Each table is clean and has a napkin dispenser which is really handy for certain Mexican food. Other restaurants in the area put a napkin dispenser on the wall or make you ask the cashier for some, c'mon! The bathroom is nice but it could use some towels instead of the hot air dryer. Sometimes it takes a while to get your food order here but tonight, with moderate business, it was quick.
An awesome thing about Los Ocampo is that someone brings you your food to your table after announcing your number (brush up on Spanish numbers though or you might miss it). Not many fast-casual Mexican places do that. They are open really late every day, until 1 AM Sunday-Thursday and 4 AM on Friday and Saturday (!), which was good for me because my options were limited when I visited, most places being closed. The menu is diverse and there are some meats you don't find everywhere like buche (pork stomach). I usually stick to tacos al pastor though. :)
The inside is well-lit and clean, and the menu is awesome.
Erika rang me up and she's super friendly
The Tacos
Three tacos al pastor, pictured as it was served to me
As served
Most of the time tacos al pastor have this reddish crust on them from the marinade and grilling. The makes them even more appetizing. Here the crust is very delicious, sweet, and somewhat tangy. It's like eating candy meat. The tacos were served nice and hot right off the grill, with doubled corn tortillas, also warm from the grill. On top are cilantro and onion, a combination that makes tacos even better. To the side are two piles of lime wedges and sliced radishes. The taco feast was served on a styrofoam plate with a paper liner.
They also bring two cups of salsa, one verde and one roja. The green one is a thicker jalapeño salsa and brings the taco up a notch in heat and several notches in flavor. The red salsa tastes ok, not as good as the jalapeño one, and it's a little runny, so I gave it a try tonight but did not like it as much.
Chowing down
I ate my first taco without any salsa, lime juice, or radish slice. Just by itself, the al pastor meat is delicious. The marinade uses pineapple but you might not know it if you tasted the meat. It just has a wonderful savory and sweet flavor. The texture of the meat is a tiny bit crunchy on the outside from the grill, but still moist and soft on the inside which I really like. The onions and cilantro add a little crunch and the great synergistic flavor too. The corn tortillas seemed fresh and had that delicious masa taste.
After taco #1 I squeezed a lime wedge on the other two, and put the jalapeño salsa in a line on the next. These additions only make the flavor better, and the spice is nice too! I also tried a radish slice in one bite but it doesn't really add anything to the taco for me so I left the radishes off to the side. For the third taco I tried only the red salsa, but after two bites it needed more, so I combined more of the green with it. The combo was different but I like the jalapeño alone.
Conclusion
I finished my tacos, satisfied. Los Ocampo makes them right and they taste excellent. Value is something I think about when I consider tacos (I've been reviewing them in my head for a while), and at $2.75 plus tax each, these aren't the cheapest. But you get a decent amount of tasty meat and a nice clean dining room along with it. Overall it's a nice place to get a taco or three.
4 ½ Pineapple Piggies out of 5
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Yum, this post is making me hungry. Although the restaurant is definitely not the cheapest, if their food is as good as you described it, I would be a regular customer. The description of the meat made my mouth water, crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside.
My favorite Mexican food is Chile Verde, with carnitas. I also enjoy eating grilled jalapenos, even though they make my mouth feel like its on fire. After reading this post, I think tomorrow I am going to have to get some tacos!
Grilled or roasted jalapeños are the pinnacle of what you can put on a taco. Sadly there aren't any tacquerias I've been to that will give you one with your tacos, but you can order one a la carte from some places.
There is a buffet in town which offers several varieties of food, and one section is dedicated to tacos. They certainly are not as good as the tacos you posed about, but they do offer all you can eat grilled jalapenos. I usually eat them until my mouth is on fire, then sometimes my stomach will ache and I regret it later. But yes, I agree, they are great for putting on tacos.
Taco buffet? I am intrigued.
I love authentic mexican food, and that looks about as good as it gets. When you start getting radishes/cilantro/onion instead of the very americanized cheese/lettuce/tomato, you know you're in the right place.
I only discovered this like 3 years ago after moving out of the midwest to southern california. Authentic mexican food is cheap and so amazingly good. It shattered my reality of what mexican food actually is... I was living in a bubble apparently.
If your #tctacotour ever makes it out this way let me know - I've found a few hole-in-the-wall places that are just amazing.
Edit - Oh, and have you ever tried cochinita pibil? I didn't until this year, one of my new favorites.
I've only tried cochinita pibil at one restaurant, a nicer sit-down place. I'll be visiting there for one of these posts, their tortillas are the best.
I was shocked at how good the pickled onions are.
There weren't any pickled onions sadly, but I went to the restaurant I mentioned above and had their cochinita pibil. Turns out that means baby pig, and it totally wasn't worth eating a baby pig. https://steemit.com/food/@pfunk/twin-cities-taco-tour-fancy-edition-la-fresca
Looking scrumptious and this calls me for a good lunch right about... NOW! Thanks, namaste :)
ohhh my, i LOVE TACOS PASTOR!!!!! ill love to eat them at Ocampos!!
Nice blog. I love tacos, work as a cheff. And lock always after some new inspiration.
Glad to have you onboard :)
Ah cool, definitely give making al pastor a try if you haven't yet!
Jess ;)
How come that whenever I am hungry, I see something so delicious on the TV or the internet that I just want to grab it out of the screen or dive head first into the screen myself.
I could eat a million of those tasty, mouth watering, little pieces of delight. This is literally my soul food right here!! YUM YUM!!
@pfunk -- It was so strange to see Los Ocampo in my Steemit feed.. lol! I was just there the other day! :) great share! Cheers and GO #tctacotour!
Nice, it's a hard place to resist going to isn't it. The only reason I'm not there all the time is all of the other places.
Nice to see another Twin Citian here on Steemit, I have been to Los Ocampo many times!
I used to not consider them among my favorites but they're really growing on me.
I'm in Minneapolis too!
Never been to Los Ocampo before, but I like most things in and around the Midtown exchange. Andale Taqueria (across the street from the Richfield Menard's) is one of my favorites, parking is a nightmare though. And Taqueria Hacienda on W. Lake is pretty good too.
Tough to find good Mexican food in the Twin Cities and it's not usually for a good price. When I moved here I was used to El Paso quality and prices, and Taco Cabanas off of every exit.
The last time I went to Hacienda it was not so great, but I intend on giving them another shot. Andale is way up there for me. Though their nachos are so damn good I only get tacos about half the times I visit.
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Hey rainchen
@pfunk = excellent blogger =
Don't forget I do following you as well @rainchen =
Now I am following @pfunk =
There are many followers that follow great posters
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YES@pfunk , Thanks for this post,
The photos of the Tacos yum!!! Makes my mouth watering. Did you takes those photos? Must have good camera for that. Beautiful photos and taste.
Yes upvote and following all posts
I following you guys , now who is following me???Thanks again @pfunk Your follower @bullionstackers
@bullionstackers - I follow you
Great Scott , I do have follower 😇😇😇
Haha, of course you do!
Hey thank you for following me!
Wow, yummy yummy! The way you have described the food just makes me so hungry... and I just had dinner.. :)
Looking forward to your next review!
For being my follower you deserve 👍👍👍
Yeah for Minneapolis Food Scene!!!
It's not too bad, oh ya fer sure.
Steemy tacos - gracias amigos.
De nada :D
Great post, that makes me wanna eat tacos asap :)
I have not tried Tacos(
No tacos?!?! You are missing out my friend! You have to try out tacos with carne asada. The best!
in my city do not sell tacos (
Well, if you can get corn tortillas, lettuce, some tomatoes, and some meat, and touch them up with some Spanish spices, you will be in for a treat.
Woo! Hello from Minneapolis!
Hey!
Love this place, lake street has the best tacos in the twin cities
Yep, it's hard to go wrong when you're east of 35W (unless you stop into Taco Smell)
yeah that works...made me hungry...sweet post!!
sweet baby jesus mother lord that was a delicious read!
I never try orginal taco:( But maybe someday;)
I'm getting hungry when i see how many up votes you got for the tips :)
This post made everyone hungry! :D
Nice to see another Minnesnowtan here! My hubby and I live around the Cloud area :)
I personally don't have a fancy for Mexican food, but my husband does and I will show him your post! Not sure I have seen that chain up here this way though.
If you have time to check out my intro that would be great! https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@jenelyn/hi-i-m-jenelyn-i-m-a-freelance-writer-newly-found-steemit-nerd-and-immigrant-to-the-us-this-is-my-story
Go Vikings!
Hey jenelyn thanks for saying hello in chat. Sorry I neglected the comments in this post! Any good Mexican places in St. Cloud?
Wonderful article
The ingredients look fresh, good tacos always have da fresh stuff inside :) hope you enjoyed it.
looks very tasty , I want to try
it lunch time where am at. am feeling hungry now
The Tacos really look good!
This post made me want to book a flight to Mexico
n0mzzz
Radish and Pineapple are not typical Mexican food staples. Better off going to Chipotle in MN. I was born in MN and live in South Texas where every other restaurant is Mexican. Wise man told me you judge a Mexican restaurant by their cheese enchiladas. I do that as well as by the taste of the hottest chips and salsa and jalapenos served.
It's definitely some kind of cultural fusion thing. Wikipedia says it's from central Mexico where Lebanese immigrants influenced it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_pastor
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