Tacos at Taqueria San Pedro

Well Kirk is off in Thailand - eating and taking pics so we can enjoy his trip also - and Cathy is scampering about sharing her meals and ideas with us too.  But today, ed (from Yuma) wants to talk tacos.

If you remember my post about a taco reconnaissance, we ended that night with hot dogs at Taqueria San Pedro. Everything about that place called for a return visit, but this time we wanted to focus on the tacos.

The menu is easy to find as there is one on each table:

The only items missing from this list are the wonderful aguas frescas and the hot dogs, which are only prepared on weekends. We each ordered up three tacos - a volcanes, a San Pedro, and a pastor.

While we were waiting a complete cafeteria tray covered with condiments arrived with our aguas frescas:

Although the cucumber slices are pretty ordinary, the three salsas (one smoky, probably chipotle, one arbol that's thick with chile chunks, and one pico de gallo) are each good, if not outstanding. The grilled onions and jalapenos are fiery enough to bring tears to one's eyes. The pickled carrots and jalapenos, on the other hand, were relatively mild. The highlight of the tray was the real guacamole, nearly pure avocado purée:

We also tried an order of the frijoles, and they were served whole bean style, not refritos. Good but nothing special:

The tacos, when they arrived, were things of beauty. The taco San Pedro, at the upper right, is a soft corn tortilla topped with a split whole roasted chile covered with cheese and carne asada. As you eat this, the greenness of the chile permeates every bite, without making the flavors too picante.  Many of the same pleasures as green chile cheeseburgers:

Even though I saw no trompo, the al pastor was very good. The spice rub/marinade added sweet and picant red chili notes to the sliced pork steak. The onions and cilantro provided complexity and contrast. This close-up shows the porky freshness of the meat:

The highlights of the tacos, nonetheless, were the volcanes. Based on the few words of Spanish I recognized in my conversation with Pedro, the owner, I thought that these might be vampiros hiding under an alias. And indeed, that's what they were.  This close-up shows all of the usual suspects. The moist and flavorful carne asada, covered with a blanket of melty white cheese, lay on a bed provided by a thick, desiccated, charred, crunchy  corn tortilla:

On another visit, I discovered that Pedro will make volcanes with al pastor. This is how that looks:

Add salsa and guacamole and you have a tasty thing of beauty decorated with enough red and green to make one think about Christmas:

Taqueria San Pedro seems to be open every evening around five o'clock. They close long after I've gone to bed. The folks are friendly and the ambience is as sophisticated and elegant as is possible at a taco stand.

Taqueria San Pedro, 3445 8th St, Yuma AZ

View Larger Map

Comments

[janfrederick]

I officially HATE you ed (from Yuma)! My goodness, I'm on the verge of heading there from San Diego for lunch today. My wife would kill me. These look and sound SO good.

[James]

Wow, man, now those are real tacos... Hilo really needs someplace like this!

[sawyer]

great pictures...have been making a mental list of places to try in yuma. i remmeber that vampiros post you did...still haven't seen or tried one yet

[ed (from yuma)]

Yeh, this is a very nice taco stand. Don't know if you remember the taco recon post, but this is the place with the leather chairs and fancy tables in a ramada.

The volcanes (vampiros) here are as good as across the border at El Chipilon. I just wish the place was open for lunch as well.

It's kindof funny how the seafood coceteles places like Juanita's and Tio Juan start closing in the early evening as the other taco places start opening.

[nhbilly]

I really need to make a taco run. Baja Fish tacos ain't cutting it I need some MEAT!

[kaszeta]

Yes, based upon this post I did Taqueria San Pedro this evening, and the tacos were indeed excellent. I might drag some of my coworkers back with me later in the week.

[Jimmy]

Those tacos look great. I am going to have to go there the next time I visit my parents in Yuma. I can't seem to find good Al Pastor in East County San Diego.

[Andrew]

@Jimmy

If I remember correctly there is a taco shop in Santee. It is by the hometown buffet. Just across from the Home Depot. Tacos Mi Puebla? They had pretty good Al Pastor when I lived there.

I live in Atlanta now and have a hard time finding ANY good mexican food.

By the way, does anyone know what cut of meat San Diego style carne asada is made from?

Everyone tells me flank or skirt steak, but it isn't. You wouldn't be able to buy a burrito for 4 dollars if it was made from those cuts.

[Cathy]

Andrew and Jimmy- Tacos Mi Pueblo in Santee (fill in "Site Search" top left column here).
Carne asada *is* made with very thinly sliced skirt or flank steak. You get maybe 6 ounces of the marinaded meat in a burrito, usually less, so the $4 definitely is a profit. -C

[Jimmy]

I know where that place is, I will give them a try. Andrew, if you want some of the best carne asada give Ramey's Meats a call in Brawley, CA.(760) 344-4420 They will ship anywhere in the United States. They have the best carne asada, pollo asada and tritip I have ever had. My in-law moved to TN and have meat shipped to them all the time.