Southwest Foodie – Cleaving Leaveland

I’ve made it to Seattle where the food is said to be amazing as amazing can be, but I would be doing the Southwest an injustice if I didn’t lament leaving behind the delicious tacos I’ve encountered there. From fried avocado tacos to pickled cactus tacos, here are a few of my favorite taco spots in the Southwest:

Taqueria in Phoenix

Roosevelt’s Row is a little known secret in Phoenix, at least to those who don’t live there. It’s the artist district of the city, where buildings are spray painted with vibrant murals and container galleries open their doors to the public on First Fridays each month. Along with great local art, this neighborhood has a few really great restaurants and bars (looking at you, Bliss ReBar).

For tacos in Roosevelt’s Row, look no further than Taqueria. The menu is full of sumptuous meat and vegetable pairings, grilled to perfection and melted together with fresh queso. I ordered the Nopales with grilled cactus and the Tinga with chipotle chicken and pickled onions. The grilled cactus was interesting, and not for me, but definitely worth a try.

Torchy’s Tacos in Austin

I know I’ve already mentioned Torchy’s in my Austin Food Truck post, and if you follow the @cleavingleaveland Instagram handle, you’ve probably seen Torchy’s pop up a few times. Ummm that’s because it’s DELICIOUS and I make it a rule to visit every time I go. My favorite items are the Fried Avocado, the Dirty Sanchez, the Republican, and the Trailer Park. You can ask to make any taco trashy, which means adding in queso and some other tasty toppings.

For breakfast tacos, I enjoy the Wrangler. But honestly, you need to try the entire menu and then keep going back for more. And don’t forget to ask for the secret menu!

Coreanos in Houston

If you like tacos with a Korean flair (AKA throw some kimchi on it), then you HAVE to check out Coreanos. I encountered this food truck outside of the Day 4 Night music festival in Houston, and I think it was the only thing I ate all weekend. They make a mean burrito and some really tasty tacos, but their biggest hit is definitely the “Kimcheese fries”. I prefer the burritos to the tacos because they remind me of the kebabs I tasted in Europe—halal roasted meat with french fries thrown in, brought together by a zesty mix of spicy and cool creamy sauces.