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| - It's no lie that there's definitely not a shortage of taco options on the Westside. That's definitely not an issue. The problem is, however, that few of these places are worth recommending as anything more than just a quick fix with only a few exceptions to note.
Recently opened Tacos Calafia has the potential to change all that. I'm fairly certain that it's owned by the same people that run Tacos Tijuana, only the menu is slightly expanded.
The building used to be home to a sorta-steakhouse called Carvers and probably a few other businesses over the years. It's a pretty big space for a simple taco joint, so you'll have plenty of different seating options available. Calafia specializes in your traditional street tacos that are reasonably priced and executed surprisingly well. They also offer mulitas, vampiros, and the usual quesadillas.
My girlfriend ordered a mulita and two asada tacos. I ordered two pastor and one asada. For some reason, they messed up my order and brought out two asada. Since I didn't feel like battling through the line to complain, I just ordered a couple of extra pastor tacos to sample after I had finished. I also threw in a cheese quesadilla as well.
The asada tacos are fine, although pretty much the same as what you'd find at most places that know what they're doing. Their pastor, however, was excellent - completely living up to the praise that it's receiving from the few reviews this place currently has. I'd still recommend sampling both, but the pastor is clearly the superior of the two in terms of flavor. Additionally, you can have chicken, although I'll save that for another day.
The quesadilla was fine while the mulita actually impressed both my girlfriend and I. It's a great beefier alternative to just the regular tacos. They also were selling champurrado (Mexican hot chocolate) that we both really enjoyed. Although I'm not entirely sure if the item is a permanent staple, it damn well should be!
Are there better tacos in Phoenix? Of course. But in the immediate area, I feel this is probably one of the better options available.
Highly recommended!
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