Saturday, December 31, 2011

La Michoacana

If you’re looking for a Guadalajara-esque taco place, this isn’t it. Rather, it’s a homey, bare-bones, Mexican-style deli that also serves remarkably fresh and authentic tacos, burritos, tortas, and the usual suspects. But the main draw (at least for me) were the tacos — easily some of the best I’ve had. The tortillas are made fresh in-house and food is ready in under five minutes. That this taco purveyor is almost always occupied by a fair number of locals is a good sign — especially for an establishment that sits in a part of town largely unexplored by the U.Va population. (“It’s like 4 blocks from the Downtown mall sketchy end,” my dining companion noted via text message). 
Here, tacos are nested atop tortillas made in-house. Inside are freshly seasoned meat that can be topped with at least three types of each spice level of salsa. I opted for the green hot salsa that added citrus to the spicy flavor parade. The best tacos are those with a single meat: Tacos Mexicanos or Super Taco. La Michoacana also serves some more unusual meat options, such as pork rinds, tripe and beef tongue. The Taco Loco, on the other hand, with a combination of chorizo, beef and chicken, was inferior to the simpler tacos because the different flavors of the meats were hard to distinguish in a dish too overwhelming with salt. Still, it’s hard to complain for $2.25 a taco.
If you’re still hungry after you finish your main course, you can browse the interior of the deli for exotic flavored popsicles; flavored, glass-bottled sodas; or Mexican candies. Either way, pull up a seat and enjoy some of the best tacos in Charlottesville.
Soft tacos at La Michoacana garnished with a complimentary lime wedge.

(Originally posted Oct. 19, 2011)

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