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There's a reason they line up at Tacos El Vaquero
Tijuana street tacos get a steaky upgrade
A ribeye taco (on corn tortilla), and a taco hass (with picanha, chili pepper, and cheese) on a flour tortilla
It's almost not fair that the taco I'm holding stands among the best tacos I've eaten in Tijuana — or Mexico City for that matter. Because folded into this warm tortilla are fire-grilled hunks of ribeye. And grilled ribeye tastes amazing on its own. Can you imagine it in hugged in corn masa with onions and hot salsa? For less than six bucks? (MX$110).
It's almost cheating.
But Tacos El Vaquero is really that good. And no secret, at least not to the people here in La Cacho—also known as Colonia Madero—which my colleague (and Tijuana resident) Matthew Suarez tells me is the neighborhood to visit these days. I've spent the better part of the day trying sandwiches, coffee, and other tacos nearby. All of them good, but not ribeye good.
That's probably why, in a short time, Tacos El Vaquero has gone from being a food cart (about a block south of Blvd. Agua Caliente, on the corner of Av. Guillermo Prieto and Gobernador Ibarra) to a hole in the wall counter shop at the same corner.
A line for carne asada tacos that never gets any shorter
Suarez has joined me for some early dinner (I'm sure he's got better photos), and points out that the meaty smoke from Tacos El Vaquero drifts right into what used to be its neighboring food cart, which serves vegan food.
So much about that just doesn't seem right. But tell that to the people in the line we're standing in, to the people who keep showing up. The place is already sold out of its star arrachera taco, touted by ace food writer Bill Ezparza on the Eater website, so I have to "settle" for the ribeye.
But then, when have I ever settled for just one taco? I order a second, and quickly learn the success of this place is no fluke.
I order myself a taco hass, served with a choice of meat, Oaxaca cheese, and a grilled California chili pepper (MX$130, ~$6.87). I opt for the picanha, a popular cut of beef in South America that we would call sirloin cap. It's known to be tender. I try it on a flour tortilla, just because that's an option.
It's just as good. Coupled with that chili pepper and cheese, it's everything I want to eat all the time, cholesterol be damned! If I order it again, with ribeye instead of picanha, just bury me here.
Okay, hyperbole out of the way, Tacos El Vaquero reason enough to head south. Even only eat this these tacos and then turn around and go home. Because you've just enjoyed peak Tijuana 2025, and whether your tastes steer more to tableside Caesar salad or zona rosa, anything else is going to feel like a letdown.
Here's something you might be interested in.
There's a reason they line up at Tacos El Vaquero
Tijuana street tacos get a steaky upgrade
There's a reason they line up at Tacos El Vaquero
Tijuana street tacos get a steaky upgrade
A ribeye taco (on corn tortilla), and a taco hass (with picanha, chili pepper, and cheese) on a flour tortilla
It's almost not fair that the taco I'm holding stands among the best tacos I've eaten in Tijuana — or Mexico City for that matter. Because folded into this warm tortilla are fire-grilled hunks of ribeye. And grilled ribeye tastes amazing on its own. Can you imagine it in hugged in corn masa with onions and hot salsa? For less than six bucks? (MX$110).
It's almost cheating.
But Tacos El Vaquero is really that good. And no secret, at least not to the people here in La Cacho—also known as Colonia Madero—which my colleague (and Tijuana resident) Matthew Suarez tells me is the neighborhood to visit these days. I've spent the better part of the day trying sandwiches, coffee, and other tacos nearby. All of them good, but not ribeye good.
That's probably why, in a short time, Tacos El Vaquero has gone from being a food cart (about a block south of Blvd. Agua Caliente, on the corner of Av. Guillermo Prieto and Gobernador Ibarra) to a hole in the wall counter shop at the same corner.
A line for carne asada tacos that never gets any shorter
Suarez has joined me for some early dinner (I'm sure he's got better photos), and points out that the meaty smoke from Tacos El Vaquero drifts right into what used to be its neighboring food cart, which serves vegan food.
So much about that just doesn't seem right. But tell that to the people in the line we're standing in, to the people who keep showing up. The place is already sold out of its star arrachera taco, touted by ace food writer Bill Ezparza on the Eater website, so I have to "settle" for the ribeye.
But then, when have I ever settled for just one taco? I order a second, and quickly learn the success of this place is no fluke.
I order myself a taco hass, served with a choice of meat, Oaxaca cheese, and a grilled California chili pepper (MX$130, ~$6.87). I opt for the picanha, a popular cut of beef in South America that we would call sirloin cap. It's known to be tender. I try it on a flour tortilla, just because that's an option.
It's just as good. Coupled with that chili pepper and cheese, it's everything I want to eat all the time, cholesterol be damned! If I order it again, with ribeye instead of picanha, just bury me here.
Okay, hyperbole out of the way, Tacos El Vaquero reason enough to head south. Even only eat this these tacos and then turn around and go home. Because you've just enjoyed peak Tijuana 2025, and whether your tastes steer more to tableside Caesar salad or zona rosa, anything else is going to feel like a letdown.
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