Tacos trucks can be anywhere, but sometimes the best ones are found around used car lots and auto repair shops. Collocation makes sense due to the time spent waiting for paperwork to be completed or maintenance to be performed. In those situations, a quick meal of a few tacos can be a welcome break. South Phoenix is full of these businesses, and with them there is a proliferation of taco trucks. One of them, Tacos Rodriguez, recently moved from one location to another, all while remaining just three blocks east of Broadway/Central station on the B Line.
It might seem natural for a taco truck to move from time to time, and a mobile operation certainly has that ability. Nevertheless, many park semi-permanently at a fixed address where their fans can find them. In the case of Tacos Rodriguez, the truck (actually more of a trailer) has recently relocated to a site in front of a collision repair shop, just a block east of its prior location at a used car dealer. As one would expect with auto-oriented businesses, there is no bike rack, but since anyone riding there can simply park next to the outdoors tables, there’s not really a need.
The menu is displayed on a poster near a window where customers place their orders and is occasionally supplemented by handwritten signs.. As with most taco trucks, it’s a straightforward array of popular items with an emphasis on quality over quantity. There are half a dozen meat fillings available for the tacos: carne asada, pollo asado, al pastor pork, tripa, lengua, and cabeza. The first three are all well executed standards, and the second trio are a bit more adventurous. All are tender cuts of meat with the cabeza in particular yielding at the first bite.
Tacos are generally placed on two small corn tortillas, although a single-ply version with carne asada, pollo, or al pastor is available at a discount on taco Tuesday. The toppings are simple: fresh cilantro and minced onions. For additional flavor, two salsa in squeeze bottles are delivered to each of the folding tables where customers eat in the shade under canopies. The green one is pleasingly tangy, and the red is incendiary. Tacos are all sold a la carte, so they can be mixed and matched at will and combined with sides or creamy beans or fluffy rice.
The taco fillings can also be served in burritos, vampiros, and tortas. The burritos are stuffed not only with the chosen meat, but also with rice, beans, avocado, and pico de gallo. Vampiros are crisp tostadas buried under a generous serving of protein along with lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and abundant cucumbers and radishes. Tortas are hearty sandwiches with tender meat, mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato inside the telera if ordered “con toto.” Both the tortas and a Mexican hamburger with the option to add bacon are accompanied by crinkle cut fries.
An additional choice at Tacos Rodriguez is birria. The popular preparation of braised meat is made with beef here and served three ways. First, a plate of birria with tortillas is the most straightforward option. The second option is an order of quesabirria that incorporates three crisp griddled tacos full of tender meat with a side of consomme that is full of umami but not excessively salty. The final choice is a bowl of birria ramen, the cross cultural blend of instant noodles with consomme and meat topped with cilantro, onions, and melted cheese.
Beyond those food truck favorites, the menu has a few other items like guacamole, carne asada fries, and a Sonoran hot dog. Dessert is flan when available. That can include both a plain version and variants with flavors like chocolate and tres leches. The silky puck swims in a pool of cajeta and has a pleasingly supple texture. Drinks, sometimes included in combo meals with other menu items, are found in coolers full of sodas, both American brands and Mexican ones like Jarritos in front of the truck. An upgraded option is a tall cup of icy horchata or jamaica.
The outdoor seating is not glamorous with auto repair occurring on one side and busy Broadway traffic on the other, but shade and fans make it comfortable most of the year. It helps that the bilingual staff are welcoming to both new and returning customers, and an opportunistic cat who lives in the area may occasionally visit to beg for scraps of taco meat. The area around Broadway and Central may eventually develop in a manner that is more dense and less automobile-oriented. If it does, there should always be a place for places like Tacos Rodriguez.
PHX Rail Food 