To the uninitiated, Columbus may not seem like its taco scene is on par with cities like Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, etc. However, if you think beyond the brick-and-mortar chain restaurants and start to explore the city, you will find many family-owned taquerias and numerous authentic taco trucks.
One good place to start is with a locally guided tour. Columbus Food Adventures offers a fantastic, comprehensive one. You can also join us on this new monthly written adventure as we take you the best taco spots throughout the city!
What to Bring
Bring cash. Some places take cards, but small businesses generally prefer cash to reduce costly transaction fees. Bring a friend or friends. If you are not familiar with the area or feel unsafe for whatever reason, this may be helpful. Also, if you are close friends, you can order more things and share. Sure, a taco isn’t the most shareable item, but places offer a wide variety of items worth checking out that are easily shareable.
When to Go
When checking out a place for the first time, maximize the possibility for the best experience by avoiding peak lunch and dinner times or simply, don’t go “hangry.” A lot of taco trucks open around 11 a.m. to serve customers who start their day earlier and therefore have an earlier lunch. That said, a good bet would be to try a later lunch at or after 1 p.m. However, the best places are generally busy during all hours of operation (a good rule of thumb when checking out any new place offering food: if it is crowded, it is more than likely good). Most places offer specials on certain days, typically the weekends. Give a place a second chance as well. You never know if they were having an off day or someone critical wasn’t working, etc.
When You Get There
Tacos are the best consumed on the spot, piping hot and with a slight crisp to the tortilla. If you take them to-go, they will steam in the food container and lose their potential crispiness (this is especially critical to birria tacos which are know for their extra crispy tortilla). It is also more environmentally-friendly. When you are ordering, tell them that you are going to eat it there (“para comer aqui”) and most will give you a reusable plastic mini-basket thing or plate that you return to them when you are done. The size of the taco varies by place, but often a higher price will translate into a larger taco. This is not always the case as certain meat options are harder to procure and or prepare and therefore cost a little more.
Start with three or four and choose some different meat or filling options. Revisit your favorites or order some different meat options, but please never order just one taco as it is considered rude.
Be sure to check back and join us on this tasty adventure and refer to the below for a brief index of taco-related information.
Taco Meat/ Filling Glossary
Pollo: chicken
Tinga: chicken cooked in a red chili sauce with varying spices
Asada: steak grilled or cooked on the flat top (cuts vary by place)
Arrachera: typically grilled skirt steak, but can also be flank
Barbacoa de res: roasted or slow cooked beef that is tender and falls apart
Lengua: cow tongue
Tripa: tripe, or cow intestine
Cabeza: cow head. This is not as intimidating as it sounds as it is mostly beef cheek, but can also include various meaty, fatty bits from various parts of the head.
Cachete: beef cheek only
Sesos: cow brain (not included in cabeza tacos)
Birria: stewed beef, but can be lamb or goat
Suadero: a fattier, less grainy cut of beef located between the belly and leg and then cooked carnitas style
Carnitas: various parts of the pig (most commonly shoulder, but can include many other parts) cooked in a confit of its own fat
Buche: pig stomach cooked carnitas style (may be included as one of the various other parts within a carnitas taco, but can be also can be offered on its own)
Chicharron: typically cooked down and soft in texture pork skin, but sometimes belly
Chorizo: ground sausage with spices
Pastor: marinated pork
Campechano: mix of steak and pork (typically chorizo)
Chivo: goat typically offered barbacoa style
Borrego: lamb typically offered barbacoa style
Camarones: shrimp
Vegetarian: some places offer nopales (cactus) as a vegetarian option sometimes mixed with eggs. Flor de calabaza (squash flower blossoms) may be offered as an option for quesadillas. If papas (potatoes) are on the menu, they may swap out them for meat as well.
Non-Taco Items
Gordita: thick circular handmade corn (typically) tortilla that is cut in and filled with meat, onions, cilantro, beans, lettuce and crema
Sope: similar to a Gordita but instead of being cut in half, the inner part is pressed down leaving an outer rim to hold in the toppings
Huarache: similar to a sope, but larger and pressed into the shape of a flip-flop (huarache)
Machete: large handmade thick corn tortilla in the shape of a machete and then folded in half and topped with various fillings
Mulita: smaller version of a quesadilla with thicker corn tortillas that are lightly fried (typically filled with birria)
Quesabirria: birria taco with added melted cheese inside
Gringa: al pastor taco but with a flour tortilla and cheese
Torta: sandwich served on a bolillo roll and filled with various toppings
Pambazo: torta like sandwich that is dipped in red guajillo sauce and lightly fried on the flat top. It typically is filled with potatoes and chorizo but one can customize to their liking.
Tlacoyo: thick small football shaped fresh masa (blue or yellow) that are filled with beans, cheese and or meat
Tlayuda: very large, thin and crispy corn tortilla topped with thin layer of beans, lettuce, avocado and various meats
Menudo: soup containing tripe and hominy cooked with a red chile base that is typically offered weekends only
Consume de res: beef consume or soup consisting of beef stock, tomato and various spices. Can be consumed on its own or as an accompaniment to birria tacos (for dipping).
Elotes: corn on the cob slathered in crema, spices and cotija cheese
Esquites: similar to elites but served in a cup and can be topped with meat
Pollo Asado: marinated and then char-grilled chicken
Aguas Fresca: drinks made with various fruits that are blended with water, sugar and sometimes lime
Horchata: sweet cinnamon rice-based drink
Champurrado: similar to horchata but Mexican chocolate is added and it is slightly thicker and served hot during colder months