No. 86
Hernande'z secret to success is extremely simple: hand made tortillas, a very good salsa, and fresh ingredients. They are absolutely the best tortillas in town. I am not surprised they have stopped selling tacos to go (you can't have a taco 1/2 hr later, it would have disintegrated by then).
They have two menus: the slow and the fast, depending on how long you are willing to wait. It is unfortunate the pressure that some customers impose on the speed of preparing food in a restaurant. Some of us would prefer a richer, better cooked meal than a fast one. I think Hernande'z approach is the right one: state, upfront, that some items in the menu will take longer to prepare, and let the customer decide. When you order you get a card. It is a "Loteria" card, which is similar to Bingo but for kids. They will call your card when your food is ready, and bring it your table; you can sit and relax while waiting for your food (other places in Victoria should learn from this simple method of keeping your customers happy while waiting).
I tend to order el Huarache (they call it "La", which is wrong. It is "El"), which is a central Mexico staple. Their version is not very authentic but I enjoy it. A true huarache has beans filling sandwiched in the "masa", not on top. This huarache is closer to a big "sope". Their interpretation is a also "healthier" (it lacks the lard that enriches the authentic ones) and has a good salad to top it. The flavour of fresh cooked corn and the salsa does to me what good comfort food should always do: brings me back memories (in this case, of my years in Mexico). I have tried other items in their menu and I have enjoyed them, but keep going back to the huarache.
A final note: they stay open for most of the day, from 11:30 to 21:00, making it an ideal place for a late snack.
I am a regular.
Verdict: Very good prices, and highly recommended.
Paid: ~7.50
For more information, including location, visit:
Jerson Hernandez grew up in El Salvador and learned to cook at his Grandmother's knee, so if he calls it La Huarache, it's La Huarache and if he makes it differently than what you've eaten in Mexico then I would imagine it's an El Salvadorian Huarache. It's not mexican food.
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