Taco Review #1: Papalote

First Up: Papalote on 1777 Fulton St.

I've been to Papalote plenty of times since it's so close to my school, but have always just stuck to their yummy burritos so I was very excited to try their tacos.

The restaurant itself is pretty small with limited seating. It has a nice casual atmosphere to it with a friendly staff and quick service. An order comes with two tacos with lettuce and pico de gallo (which I decided to opt out of since I'm not a fan) on top. You can also get "super" tacos which include guacamole, sour cream, and cheese for an extra dollar. The total came to around $7.00, which is pretty decent for two well-sized tacos.

Soon after my friend and I sat down after ordering, chips and salsa were brought to us. The tortilla chips were fresh and lightly salted. They had that fried-in-oil taste to them, without actually being drenched in oil. The salsa seems to have very simple ingredients, but complex flavor. There is a strong taste of chiles and chipotle with just a hint of tomato. It has just the right amount of heat to it as well--spicy, but not overwhelmingly so.

My order arrived fairly quickly and the first thing I noticed was how much green was on my plate. It looked as if someone had decided to add a small salad to my tacos. I don't actually mind lettuce, but since my first bite consisted mostly of the green stuff, I took the majority of it off. The full-sized corn tortillas were nicely grilled, still soft and warm. Even though I did not have a lot of extra toppings, it was evident that the tortillas could still hold up with a lot of toppings.

The carne asada was very nicely chopped and easy to eat. You get a strong grilled/charred flavor and can tell that the meat was cooked to order and well seasoned. Papalote does not have a salsa bar and the only extras they had out were jalapeños, but the salsa that comes with the tortilla chips is really all you need if you want some extra flavor on your taco.

This is a very "plain" taco, but in a good way. The meat is really the star, as it should be. The tortillas act as a nice support and the salsa adds just a little extra. If you're a taco purist and don't like a lot of frill on your tacos, I'd definitely recommend Papalote!