A Bit of Advice From a Friend, Go to La Sabrosa Taqueria

According to the Oxford dictionary, a taco is “a Mexican dish consisting of a fried tortilla, typically folded, filled with various mixtures, such as seasoned meat, beans, lettuce, and tomatoes”.

According to me, a taco is paradise in my hand.

There are few foods I love more than tacos, but I’m also annoyingly picky when it comes to my beloved tacos. The tortillas can’t be dry or crumbly, and the meat must be succulent. Toppings are subject to the type of taco, but if the meat and tortillas stand up, I am happy with just white onion and cilantro. I am so glad that I don’t have that unfortunate gene that makes cilantro taste like soap.

Yum, dinner’s served // Rachel Weatherholt

La Sabrosa Taqueria has been on my radar for some time but since I’m so finicky about Mexican food, I usually wait for word-of-mouth from a trusted friend. One sunny Friday in May we decided to try it, regardless of the fact I had not received my requisite referral.

La Sabrosa is in a building that might have been a 1-hour photo booth back in the day. It consists of a drive thru where you order on one side and pick up on the other side, with a walk-up service window. They have large, clean picnic tables and umbrellas available but we took our food to go.

Order in the back, pick up in the front // Rachel Weatherholt

When we got home we unpacked so I could take some food photos for y’all and then we sat down to eat. After literally inhaling my food, and giving the boyfriend a death glare when he jokingly suggested we take the food back, I’m kicking myself for not having visited La Sabrosa sooner. “Sabrosa” means tasty, which is very fitting.

We ordered three asada tacos, and because I test the mettle of a Mexican restaurant by their carnitas, we ordered one carnitas taco for my gauge. The tacos came topped with cilantro and white onion with escabeche on the side. And because I haven’t had a torta in a while, I ordered a Tortas Cubano.

I started with the carnitas taco and added a few drops of their spicy, smoky red salsa and a healthy dose of their milder verde salsa. After the first bite I wished I had ordered more carnitas tacos. I begrudgingly gave the boyfriend a bite and he agreed: the meat was stellar. Producing those crispy bits that are customary for carnitas while keeping the meat moist and flavorful is a very fine balancing act. La Sabrosa reached my high bar and exceeded my expectations.

Should have ordered more carnitas / Rachel Weatherholt

The boyfriend measures an establishment by the quality of their carne asada. He usually doesn’t share his food willingly, but this time he offered me the first bite. He’s lucky I didn’t run off with the rest of the taco. The steak was very tender and juicy for such a thin cut of meat. I immediately decided that I’ll be ordering asada tacos from La Sabrosa for myself soon.

Tender and juicy asada tacos // Rachel Weatherholt

Lastly, we dug into my torta, which is essentially a Mexican sandwich. Holy cow!!! Or should I say holy pig! This torta was piled high with bacon, ham, Mexican sausage, egg, jalapeno, cheese, tomato, onion, guacamole, and beans. I was going to give the boyfriend half but he only ended up with a quarter of it while I greedily consumed the rest. If you get the tortas to go, I highly suggest you eat it as soon as humanly possible. The bread is deliciously delicate and gets overwhelmed quickly, especially when topped with so much goodness. But it is one of the best breads I’ve had on a torta: not too thick and definitely not dry.