A new taco shop near Skillman and Abrams is serving up some seriously tasty tacos. Taqueria Latina, the new venture from the owner of Latin Deli, Fernando Barrera, opened for business two months ago. My husband and I recently stopped by for lunch to catch up with Barrera and have a taco — or ten.
First off, the menu is in Spanish. I opted for pastor (pork), rajas (grilled poblano peppers), and pollo marinado (marinated chicken with pineapples) taccos. My husband tried the tripa (tripe), chicharron (fried pork), and chorizo (sausage) tacos, plus a quesadilla.
The tacos are all made fresh — no pre-cooked fast food here — and served Mexican style on homemade corn tortillas with cilantro, lime and radish, replacing traditional Tex-Mex toppings such as cheese and lettuce.
chorizo chilango tacos at Taqueria Latina
The quesadilla tortillas are super thick. The result is hearty and filling, without leaving you in a foggy food coma. To drink, there’s fresh juice, bottled water, and glass bottles of soda. I tried the piña (pineapple) juice. I was afraid it might be too sweet, but it was similar to lemonade.
The standouts for me food-wise were the pollo marinado tacos and the chorizo tacos pictured above. Barrera says that his original chorizo taco recipe seemed like it was missing something, so he added Peruvian pork, resulting in a nice smoky flavor. Barrera’s successful fusion of Latin American flavors — which he says that he has acquired over working many years in the restaurant industry with friends from Miami, Colombia and Peru — has gained a following at Latin Deli, and he will likely do so again at Taqueria Latina.
