In Mexican Spanish, the word chingon can mean something like cool or tough guy. It's a loosely defined term that is difficult to translate and open to multiple meanings. For the Phoenix taqueria Tacos Chingon on 19th Avenue in Phoenix, the restaurant's name might come across as something like Bad Ass Tacos. Considering the multitude of taquerias that strive for a distinctive name, this one seems about as original as possible, and the tough guy theme makes sense considering this place was once part of the wrestling-themed Maskadores chain of taco shops.
al pastor street tacos
This particular tough guy is located diagonally across the street from the 19th Avenue / Northern light rail station. The site is a strip mall next to a shopping center that incorporates the historic building that once housed the Good Shepherd Home for Wayward Girls. It's in the courtyard of the Good Shepherd building that bike racks can be found near another worthwhile taqueria. Of course, Phoenix can't get enough tacos, so having two taco joints so close to one another is hardly an issue, especially when they have different menus, specialties, and approaches.
barbacoa flour tacos
Tacos Chingon is identified by its colorful sign outside and a single table with a pair of chairs for outdoor dining. The interior still has the luchador look remaining from the Maskadores days. Big images of masks look down from walls defined by corrugated metal, and wooden tables fill the small dining room. A counter where orders are placed is found at the back, and the small space that functions as an open kitchen lies directly behind it. The menu, updated but still familiar from Maskadores, is found on boards overhead, and a chalkboard describes occasional specials.
chingon burrito
Obviously, tacos are a major focus here. They're available in multiple formats with multiple fillings, and nearly everything on the menu is offered as part of a combination plate with rice and a choice of black or pinto beans. The street tacos are perhaps the most traditional, small corn tortillas in dual layers and served four to an order. The flour ones are larger, a pair of single layer wheat tortillas, and hard shell tacos with fried shells are an additional option. All can be accessorized with peppers, cheese, onions, cilantro, corn, pico de gallo, and any of the salsas.
rolled tacos
Those salsas begin with a light, mild red one, and include another red salsa of medium intensity. The orange habanero salsa is hot, quite fiery on its own, but it is surpassed by an even more incendiary serrano green salsa. In terms of taco meats, carne asada is a straightforward starting point. Barbacoa is a more tender, seasoned preparation of beef, and the diablo green is essentially a spicy version of the same. Pork is available in both al pastor and carnitas formats. The former has a bit of char and crunch, while the latter is a bit more tender and yielding.
diablo green quesatacos
Chicken is offered in shredded form as tinga, and it is particularly suitable for rolled tacos, in which it is placed on top of pre-rolled taquitos stuffed with mashed potatoes. The poultry works equally well in the enchiladas, which are neither rolled nor stacked here. Instead, they're folded, making them seem more like quesatacos that are smothered in tangy sauce and drizzled with crema. Those same adornments are part of the chingon burrito, with both red and green sauces and a bit of sour cream creating a multicolored Mexican flag motif on top of the stuffed tortilla.
sopes with carnitas
The generous burritos incorporate rice and beans within their confines rather than leaving them as sides on the plate. Burritos can be fried, turning them into chimichangas, and breakfast burritos incorporate eggs with a side of potatoes. Sopes offer a foundation of crisp, thick masa cakes topped with any of the taco meats. When sampled, they came out a bit too brittle, perhaps from too much time in the fryer, but were otherwise satisfying. Other choices include nachos, taco salads, burrito bowls, or loaded fries topped with any of the meats from the menu.
tinga enchiladas
A new addition to the choices available, one that reflects current culinary trends, is quesabirria tacos. This taqueria's interpretation, made with beef rather than goat, strikes a good balance between the current craze of cheesy, gooey, oily excess and the restraint of more traditional versions. The quesabirria tacos are an outlier here in terms of not coming with sides of rice and beans. Instead, three tacos are served with a cup of consomme – beef broth seasoned with chilies, cilantro, and onions – to be used as a dip or means of adding extra moisture and flavor.
quesabirria tacos
Tacos Chingon has varying dessert selections, which are indicated on a chalkboard at the back of the room when available. Sometimes, the option is cheesecake, sliced and packaged in a refrigerated case with bottled drinks. It does not have any special flavors and instead speaks for itself through its supple texture and crumbly texture. At other times, the dessert choice is churros in flavor combinations such as strawberry caramel. The selection of aquas frescas is typically horchata and jamaica, two beverages sweet enough to serve as liquid desserts.
cheesecake
Other beverage options include a soda fountain, bottled water, and Mexican soft drinks. The restaurant does not hold a liquor license and generally focuses on quick meals for lunch, late breakfast, and early dinner. The masked heads of wrestlers looking down upon the dining room create a "tough guy" or "bad ass" environment, but the bilingual staff at the counter are consistently friendly. No longer part of the Maskadores chain, Tacos Chingon seems to be charting its own course of coolness, reflecting all possible meanings of the word it is named for.
1810 W. Northern Ave. #A2A, Phoenix AZ 85021
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