Lately I haven’t been feeling well. I think it’s the change of the seasons, or a cold, or allergies. No matter what the cause, all symptoms can usually be cured by a nap and some tacos, which is exactly how I self-medicated today.
I have been a little at a loss about where to get some good tacos in this city, so I’ve been asking around. The chick I got my haircut from last week suggested Little Tijuana, about a block away from where I work, because they are open until 3a.m. and serve a set of 10 delicious mini tacos. Aside from Mexican fare, they also had a ton of other stuff on the menu, including a wide selection of burgers which I will definitely have to go back for.
We decided to bypass the late-night crowd and go during the afternoon, rather than stuff ourselves with tasty treats and then get into bed.
I’ve got to say, that of all the taco places I’ve been to in Minneapolis, this one had the best atmosphere. Everyone who worked there was lovely, they had paper on all of the tables, and little bowls of crayons for extra entertainment, and the decor was really fun. But, like a jerk, I didn’t take any photos of the decor. I’ve got tunnel vision for tacos, what do you want?
The 10 mini chicken tacos that I had heard tale of were actually on the appetizer list, which was pretty awesome because I was able to order two separate dishes made of tacos without having ordered two entrees.
To start us with (before the appetizers) we were offered chips and salsa, with the option of having our chips fried or dry. Because we had no idea what the difference was, we ordered fried. As it turns out, with the fried chips, they take regular chips and put them into the fryer to heat them up, and make them extra crispy. They were a guilty pleasure, because although they were delicious, there was a ton of oil on them. So much in fact, that Little Tijuana’s super tasty salsa wouldn’t even stick to the chips, instead it would just slide off the chips, once dipped, and never made it to my mouth!
The mini tacos were really tasty. I had explained to our waitress that I would be taking some photos because I was from a taco blog (which I had never done before, but made me feel really official), and when our 10 delicious mini chicken tacos came out, so did the owner to explain that the mini tacos came frozen and were fried in oil (as if that would make them less delicious). They were awesome.
By the time my regular tacos came, I was actually pretty full, but I had ordered quite an array of taco types, so I had to endure.
Instead of getting three of one type of taco, I decided to get a sampling of a few different kinds. So, I ordered shredded pork, beef, and fish, all on soft corn tortillas.
I wish I could be super enthusiastic about the tacos. The tortillas were dripping in oil for some reason, each taco was overloaded with iceberg lettuce, bagged shredded cheese, and sliced tomatoes, so unfortunately they all tasted the same.
Out of those three tacos, the fish was by far the best. I’m not sure what sort of fish they use, but the flavor worked well with the simple toppings. The ground beef was my least favorite, because it didn’t have any flavor at all.
I ate the pork last, and although the pork was super juicy and seemed to be in a red sauce, it didn’t taste like anything.
Let me be clear, though. I’m hesitant to give this place a bad review, because when going out to get food, the food is only part of what you’re getting (I know that sounds really silly). The atmosphere was so great, and the food was so greasy, that if it were 2:30 in the morning, and I was drunk as hell, the tacos would probably be the greatest thing I’ve ever eaten in my life. But, because it was the afternoon, and I wasn’t feeling well I was just left with a runny nose, and hands that smell like Canola oil.
Little Tijuana can be found at : 17 East 26th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55404
