Taco-making is an art.
Anyone can put meat in a tortilla, but it takes skill to get it right. From making the perfect tortilla to cooking and seasoning the meat to figuring out which salsa would pair best when drizzled on top, everything down to the squeeze of the lime must blend together perfectly to create a flavor explosion.
You can keep it classic with a carne asada taco and a spicy pico de gallo or a taco filled with juicy birria. You can step out of the box and get a crispy al pastor taco topped with chunks of pineapple for a sweet and spicy experience. You can even have giant pieces of fried shrimp smothered in a flavorful crème sauce, wrapped in a freshly made corn tortilla.
On South Park Avenue, Magdalena Alvarez is showing off her taco-making expertise, incorporating the many flavors of Baja California, Mexico to create tacos worthy of being displayed in The Met.
Long before starting Ensenada Street Food, Alvarez was born and raised in Ensenada, a city in Baja California. At 20 years old, she moved to Tucson in search of better opportunities and began working at a local bank.
Since her mother worked as a cook at a restaurant back home, Alvarez learned all the ins and outs of working in a kitchen. She started to miss all the food and flavors from home, which led her to make her own lunch and share her meals with her co-workers.
One day, her boss told her she should open a food truck — and Ensenada Street Food was born. The truck sits at 1602 S. Park Ave., where the space is filled with graffiti-esque murals, colorful tables and a sign that reads, “La Mejor Comida Callejera de La Baja.”
Ensenada Street Food has an extensive menu, featuring favorites like birria and carne asada, as well as vegan choices.
Like Nogales, Ensenada is a border town. The city sits about an hour and a half from San Diego and is like a big melting pot, attracting many tourists and people from other parts of Mexico who tend to migrate there, Alvarez said. Due to the many cultures that gather there, the food is a mixture of all the flavors of the north and south coming together.
To make sure her food in Tucson is as authentic to the street food seen in Baja, Alvarez gets all her spices and ingredients from the border town, allowing her to add a little bit of her hometown to her food.
“It's like a fusion of all the flavors, all the flavors from the south and the north get together,” Alvarez said. “We get the best of each side.”
It’s no surprise that tacos like al pastor and birria are fan favorites, both in Baja and at Ensenada Street Food. For her birria, Alvarez makes sure she uses the best quality meat. She also uses her mother’s recipe as well as spices from Baja to make sure customers feel like they’ve been transported to the city from the first bite.
Two of the most popular tacos at Ensenada Street Food are the al pastor (left) and birria (right).
Her birria tacos come in a corn tortilla that is lightly toasted, adding a nice, subtle crunch to the taco. She then adds a heaping spoonful of birria on top, finishing it off with cabbage, cilantro and onion. The birria was juicy and tender without being overly spicy. You know it's good when the birria's consommé has covered the tortilla and pours out the sides with every bite.
In Baja, al pastor is usually seen on a spit, where the cook shaves off the pork and adds it to a warm tortilla.
“My favorite is the al pastor tacos,” Alvarez said. “When you go and see the trompo, you will fall in love with it.”
While Alvarez is working on a way to make a trompo work in her truck without getting too hot, her al pastor tacos still taste delicious.
The crispy pork is marinated in a special marinade that helps it taste smoky yet sweet. While it may sound weird, Alvarez tops the taco with chunks of pineapple, which is standard for al pastor tacos. However, it’s not as controversial as pineapple on pizza.
The chunks of pineapple complement the pork, bringing some sweetness to dish, meshing perfectly with the spices for a spicy and sweet experience.
Magdalena Alvarez started Ensenada Street Food five years ago after coworkers raved about her authentic Baja food.
While these tacos are staples, Baja is widely known for their fish and shrimp. When it comes to these tacos, they really pull out all the works. The fish and shrimp are breaded and fried, but the real showstoppers are the toppings. Spicy crème sauce, cabbage and pico de gallo are drizzled on top, hitting you with all kinds of flavor.
The shrimp taco at Ensenada Street Food would make Baja proud. Big pieces of fried shrimp sit in two corn tortillas, ensuring that it doesn’t break when all the toppings are put on. Then it's smothered in the crème sauce, mayonnaise, a pico de gallo-type salsa and cabbage.
After one bite of the taco, I was in love. The crème sauce is spicy, which added a nice kick. For some, the toppings may seem heavy — but they are what truly makes the taco spectacular. When I was done eating, I knew I found my new favorite shrimp tacos.
Ensenada Street Food also has a long list of vegan options, including vegan versions of chorizo and birria.
The different flavors and combinations from other areas of Mexico are what make Baja's food stand out from the rest, reminding Alvarez of home every time she tries a new dish.
“You feel like home, like your mom cooked for you,” Alvarez said.
With every meal she makes, Alvarez is bringing the streets of Baja to Tucson, perfecting the art of making tacos.
We're taking a trip around our border country through the lens of Tucson restaurants 🌮 El Tour de Mexico is a series that highlights local eateries who specialize in cuisine from different regions of Mexico.
