Laredo Taqueria

The bright green exterior of Laredo is hard to miss. So is the line, which snakes around the building’s back entrance and past the two “front” entrances. We follow the line into the small restaurant, which is decked out in photos of lucha libres and bright floral pieces. Above the cafeteria line, a sign reads, “You want it your way? This isn’t Burger King. You get it our way.”

Ordering is a shambles. We aren’t quite sure if it’s breakfast or lunch (it’s 11 AM) and what’s available. Only the spicy eggs are left for breakfast, so we get one of those. The rest is a hurried yes to everything before we’re at the counter to pay. We double take on the price—$17 for six tacos, a horchata, and Coke—then take our plastic baskets of tacos and red cups filled with ice.

The tacos are all folded in on themselves, so please excuse the less-than-glamorous photos. But there’s really nothing glamorous about the tacos. Before we go outside, one of the waitresses gives us two small white styrofoam cups: one with green salsa, the other red. These are quite spicy and go great with pretty much all the tacos. The green tastes of tomatillo; the red is almost a marinara, but then the spice kicks it back to salsa territory.

The Picadillo (ground meat and potato) is my favorite. The slightly spicy meat goes great with the potatoes, which are tender and perfectly cooked. The tortillas are soft and fresh, and just a tiny bit larger than the average tortilla.

Another interesting spur of the moment choice is the Calabaza Pollo (chicken squash), which is weird but tasty, with, unsurprisingly, sautéed squash and chicken. It’s a bit of a weird mix with the taco but tasty nonetheless.

The texture of the chicarron is too squishy for my liking, but the spicy, smoky flavor is nice, and the layer of refried beans delicious. The eggs are fast-scrambled and tossed with peppers. The spicy fajita is great with the red sauce.

Each taco is better than the next, and pretty varied in flavor. The line continues to dot around the small building, and about half the orderers sit in their car’s air conditioning while they eat. It’s hot inside and outside–but these tacos are worth it.