Tacos El Zamy – Yuma

Kirk and Cathy are really busy today, so another post by Ed (from Yuma).

When the long defunct Indian restaurant on 4th Ave. was transformed into a taco shop, the change was instantly apparent:

So of course I had to drop in and see what was going on. On my first visit, if memory serves, they were serving only quesadillas, or pastor, asada, or cabeza tacos, so I ordered three tacos. I was pleasantly surprised when a wheel of condiments showed up on my table:

The guacamole sauce was pretty standard, as was the salsa, cabbage, onion/cilantro, and lime wedges. I enjoyed the thick slices of cucumber which I dipped in the guacamole sauce and topped with a little salsa. My taco shop appetizer.

Looking around, I could tell that the new owners had painted the inside as well as the outside, cleaned the place up, and put in new furniture:

The tacos were decent, if nothing really special:

All the meats, even the very red pastor, were lightly seasoned – the basic flavors coming through.

On my next few visits, it was clear that the restaurant was thriving with customers in the front, back, and side room:

No longer was the young son of the family wandering around amazed at the restaurant and the customers. Many more choices were written on a whiteboard:

Wow, a vampira – gotta try one of those:

Crunchy, meaty, cheesy. Yep.

Covered with fresh chopped lettuce and tomato and sprinkled with crumbly cotija cheese, a beef and frijoles sope was tasty as well:

The beefy rolled tacos (topped with cabbage) had plenty of crunch:

And I could wash everything down with real Mexican Coca-Cola:

Since this is an independent family restaurant, there is some variation from visit to visit. For example, most of the time the chicken taco looks like this:

But one day, the chicken had lingered longer on the grill and had a more interesting crispy texture:

On that same visit, the cabeza was really outstanding, muy rico:

And of course, all of these things came with that same condiment wheel.

And Tacos El Zamy continues to get better. The whiteboard has been replaced by this electronic menu:

And the wheel of condiments comes with an extra spicy salsa on the side:

One thing that hasn't changed is the friendly and personal service. I have always been well treated. For example, when I recently ordered three tacos, my friendly server reminded me that at El Zamy 4 tacos are only $5. I couldn't resist what was basically a $.50 taco, so this platter soon showed up at my table:

The cabeza, chicken, and pastor were pretty much the same as before, but the birria (de res) was wonderful – rich and savory.

I couldn't quit thinking about that birria, so on my most recent visit I ordered the birria plate (after all, this post wouldn't be complete without trying one of the plates, right?):

The wheel of condiments and the warm corn tortillas on the side were fine. And even though the rice was subpar and the beans a bit runny, the birria was really great. I left happy and satisfied.

In many ways, El Zamy is like a taco truck in a building, featuring many of the basic taco truck favorites done well. Unlike a taco truck, the restaurant offers protection from wind and weather. The ambience – such as it is – makes this the kind of place where a Yuman could give Cousin Fred and his wife Nancy from Nebraska a good quality authentic Yuma taco experience without subjecting them to plastic chairs, a dirt parking lot, and inclement weather. And the food is good and prepared with love.

Tacos El Zamy, 2071 S. 4th Ave, (928) 366-3269 or (928) 817-2461

Comments

[ken]

The torillas look nice and thick. House made?

[Soo @ hungryones]

Cool looking building and tacos! I like my tacos with just meat. :-)

[Ed (from Yuma)]

I don't think the tortillas are house made, ken, but we have several local tortillerias in the area, so good tortillas are common.

The nice thing, Soo, is the condiment wheel, so you can decorate your tacos - or not - as you desire.