You have likely read an article or seen a show where the author or narrator is conflicted about sharing a restaurant or food vendor to the world. This is my version. I have and will continue to only share the best places for tacos in Columbus, but this place is always busy and there are many reasons why, but passion and perfectionism lead they way. There is a general “if you know, you know” vibe amongst the clientele here as no one seems upset to wait for their food, likely because they know it is all delicious.
As is often the case with taco trucks, this is a family affair. Wife and husband, Matilda and Luis Flores have been running Los Pachucos Taqueria for years now. In fact, due to popularity they outgrew their first truck and bought a second much larger one to better serve their customers. They moved across the street to a property they bought with a small building where they prep on Sundays when they are closed. Essentially, the family never takes a day off. I’m often surprised at how positive and up-beat they are despite seemingly being always slammed, but they truly love and are passionate about delivering the best experience to their customers.
Matilda and Luis each spent more than a decade in the restaurant industry learning best practices until one day they decided they wanted to strike out and start their own business. Their major motivation was to provide a better future for their children. Their daughters Antonia, Martha, Pamela and Vanessa have been helping out on the truck since they were little.
While still cooking in restaurants, Luis would check out as many taco trucks as he could, learning what he liked and what he thought he could improve. His father instilled in him the mentality to do everything from scratch, like breaking down an entire lamb for barbacoa or preparing carnitas in the traditional way. A of lot taco trucks will buy their meats already prepared and tweak them to their liking, which isn’t wrong per se, and often produces a tasty taco, but Luis refuses to compromise on anything. It all comes down to the little details. For example, they even shred their own cheese.
Pachucos offers machetes which most trucks do not. Named after the long-bladed knife, the hand-made, thick corn tortillas resemble the blade and are no small feat to consume. They are like a cross between a taco and quesadilla but also include cooked onions and jalapeños. Choose whatever meat or combination thereof you like. I’d recommend sharing with someone as they are absolutely enormous and you will definitely want to try their other offerings. Also to note, is that they reheat well in an air fryer.
The passion and perfection to provide the best ingredients makes everything at Pachucos delicious and their gorditas are no exception. I’ve dined at the fanciest, trendiest and most popular restaurants in Columbus and I would argue that Pachuco’s gordita can stand up to any single food item offered at any of these establishments. I recommend ordering a mixture of asada (steak) and carnitas (pork) which provide a balanced punch of savoriness and juicy fattiness. The layers of flavor continue with a spread of refried beans, chopped iceberg, hand-shredded cheese and crema. The textural contrast of the fillings with the thicker base made with fresh masa that is somewhat soft in the middle compared to the thinnest, crispiest shell that is placed on top like a little hat, really puts their gordita over the top.
In addition to amazing machetes and gorditas, Pachucos offers the typical items found at most trucks including tortas, burritos, quesadillas, sopes and huaraches. Their extensive menu continues with some less typical offerings such as crunchy rolled tacos, burgers, fajitas, an asada plate and birria.
One cannot forget about their tacos as well. There are very few trucks that can compete with Pachucos when it comes to selection of meats for their delicious tacos. Since they prepare everything fresh by hand and they only make enough for any given day, their selection can vary and sell out early. The meats offered can include asada, barbacoa, borrego, buche, cachete, campechano, carnitas, chicharron, chorizo, lengua, pastor, pollo, shrimp, suadero and tripa (learn more about taco fillings here). All of their meats are are worth checking out, but I would start with cachete and suadero as they are hard to find in Columbus. Pachucos offers hand-crafted salsas as well. The verde or green is mild in spice, while the roja or red has the perfect balance of heat and flavor.
The extended family has somewhat of mini taco empire throughout Columbus. Before Pachucos, Luis started Tacomania with his sisters who still operate the truck today. His other sisters run El Tuzo taco truck, one brother runs the Machete truck that moves around Columbus and yet another brother runs the stationary Machete truck. Coming from the same background, one can expect some of the best tacos in Columbus and other high quality food from all of their trucks.
Pachucos can be found at 2095 Lockbourne Rd.
For more information, visit their Facebook page.
For the rest of the family’s trucks, visit the sites for Tacomania, El Tuzo and Machete.