Drive over the railroad tracks and you'll get to a parking lot with an old feed store and a crumbling brown building that used to be a post office. There's a bright red taco truck with some walls built around it, almost like an Arizona room without the house. 

This is your Vail spot for Mexican food. The truck is called Valeria's, and its menu of flautas and chimichangas reminds me of a late-night burrito place. It's also, surprisingly, the only place I can remember that serves green chile beef tacos. I usually go for the shredded red, but this is a nice change of pace with chunky cubes of soft roast bathed in a mild sauce. Get it on the flour tortillas, which crackle a little bit as you pop them up into your mouth.  

Weird fact: The truck sits across the street from the Santa Rita Shrine, which dates back to 1935 and is apparently the only Catholic church in the U.S. to be built in memory of a Japanese citizen.    

Location: East Colossal Cave Road and East Old Vail Road, just north of the I-10 freeway, Vail 

Phone: no phone

Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, closed Sundays

Payment: accepts debit and credit cards


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Contact Andi Berlin at aberlin@tucson.com. On Twitter: @AndiBerlin