Photo by Aliza Baran
5 Must-Try Milwaukee Taco Trucks
Where dreams of succulent carne asada and quesadillas made on the tenderest corn tortillas come true
One of Milwaukee’s more humble yet spectacular culinary experiences is found at the window of a mobile kitchen, a taqueria on wheels. Your life and that truck might briefly meet while you’re on the road, your head turned by the lines of customers outside this vehicle parked curbside and the hunger-provoking aromas wafting from inside. Should you stop? While you ponder that question, I tried many taco trucks in and around the city and found five worth going out of your way to visit.
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1. Taqueria la Guelaguetza Oaxaca
13TH AND LAPHAM (OR NEARBY)
Wearing its menu, as food trucks do, like a tattoo, this truck is often parked near South Division High School. You’ll have to crane your neck (maybe get on tiptoes, too) to see inside but in there, you’ll spot a trompo, which cooks thinly sliced marinated pork shoulder (al pastor) on a spit. It produces this silky, tender meat with crispy edges and the perfect fat ratio, piled inside two corn tortillas or on a bolillo roll (which, with toppings, is a torta or sandwich).
As much as I like the al pastor here, I love the tender carne asada (grilled steak) – especially in the alambre, which might be the best thing I’ve ever had at a taco truck. You get a tray of grilled meat topped with melted cheese and sliced avocado, a pile of warm corn tortillas, a fluffy roasted potato, a blistered green chile pepper and two thin salsas (I prefer the red over the green, because it packs some heat) plus a spread of serve-yourself condiments (radish, cucumber, pickled onions) on the ledge outside the window. Cash only. Taco $2.50; alambre $15.
2. Tacos el Charrito
FIRST AND BECHER; NORTH AND MARTIN LUTHER KING; 16TH AND SCOTT; 33RD AND BURNHAM
Four trucks are in rotation – three on the South Side, one in Bronzeville. They run the same menu of tacos, tortas, quesadillas, tostadas, etc. across the board. I’d heard there’s something special about the one on 33rd and Burnham, so there I head. Lunchtime is hopping at this location, and I’m drawn to the “gigante” quesadilla advertised on the truck.
Turns out it is pretty gigantic, and thick too, with so much meat – shaved al pastor, which I’m happy for, since the chicken taco I also order is on the dry side – inside that toasty flour tortilla. Shredded lettuce, chopped tomato and a blob of sour cream complete it, the cream just making the pork, with its tasty flecks of fat, seem richer. Cash only. Taco $2; quesadilla gigante $7.
3. El Tapatio
23RD AND LINCOLN; SEVENTH AND BECHER; 27TH AND NATIONAL; 306. E. PLEASANT ST.
A bright beacon on a hunger-plagued day, El Tapatio covers the usual bases – tacos, tortas, burritos, quesadillas and tostadas. If you’re like me, you might be lured in by the contrast between crunchy fried tortilla and warm, juicy meat, crisp lettuce and cold sour cream that is a tostada. I’ve learned if I indulge in one, it’s for on-the-spot consumption.
The carne asada is great here – rich, smoky and very tender little chunks that fit neatly inside the warm double corn tortillas. I also won’t forget the cup of frijoles “ATM” any time soon. I saw other orders of it going out and needed to know what the fuss was about. It’s this: creamy-soft stewed pinto beans topped with a mound of carne asada, cheese and avocado. It gives off very welcome chili vibes. Cash only. Frijoles ATM $5; tostada $5.50; five tacos $10.
4. El Taco Veloz
82ND AND BROWN DEER
Arriving at the bright red-and-green truck (parked in a lot easily visible from the road) a little shy of dinner time works in my favor. There’s no line, but when I pick up my order less than 10 minutes later, it’s six deep behind me. They have campechanos here, and biting into this mixed-meat taco is like hitting the flavor jackpot – robust spicy-sweetness with a heady unctuousness.
I get a couple of tacos, topped in the classic way with cilantro and onion, and shower them with fresh lime. And we’re not done. The real gift is still to come – a quesadilla al pastor made on an oversize corn tortilla that wraps the meat in chewy, nutty sweetness. The juices from the deliciously greasy pork dribble out the sides, and the thickest part of the tortilla fold is irresistibly doughy. Cash only. Taco $2.75-$3.50; tostada $4.50; quesadilla $10.
5. Mexicano Express
33RD AND BURNHAM
A staple in the Burnham Park neighborhood, which typically has several trucks parked next to a sports field, the roving taqueria with the red facade offers everything from the single taco up to a full dinner of enchiladas, fajitas, flautas and more with rice, beans and salad. Somewhere in the middle is a torta, and it’s a wondrous creation here – the roll is a fluffy yet sturdy bun the size of a baby’s head and everything good in the world is packed inside this big boy: meat (al pastor never fails me), cheese, beans, lettuce, tomato, sour cream and mayo.
The tacos are also good, and as I’m seeing time and again, choosing carne asada or campechano (carne asada mixed with chorizo) yields the biggest flavor rewards, particularly combined with the red salsa (which is like liquid smoke). Taco $2-$3; torta $7-$13.