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| - After briefly scanning their pictures and skimming the menu, I was a bit skeptical about visiting CRUjiente Tacos. In fact, in many of my reviews, I often make jokes about the whole naivety of people that blindly pay 4-5 dollars for street tacos that are no better than what you can obtain from a reputable taco truck.
But going into CRU, one must realize, this isn't really traditional Mexican tacos - nor are they trying to be. The focus is on chef-driven creations. Some unique, some traditional, but all consistently executed to the highest level possible. And over the course of the last year, my girlfriend and I have become very big fans of what they're doing here.
Taco recommendations are tricky, because while I've not necessarily loved every taco that I've tried here, poor quality is never the culprit. Virtually everything is made well, it's just a matter of personal preference. My favorite is the pork belly, while the 36-hour short rib and Korean fried chicken are ones that I feel everyone should try at least once. All tacos seem to thrive on their simplicity, using just the right amount of ingredients to create balance, where nothing is too overpowering.
They offer a single dessert (buñuelos). It's fine, although I wish they had more options, as I have a feeling the chef could really do some amazing things on the dessert end if they chose to do so. Hell, even their more traditional offerings like guacamole and cheese quesadillas have become staples during our visits. More importantly, the quality is always consistent, which is more uncommon than one would assume in the Phoenix dining scene.
Parking is a total pain, which isn't necessarily their fault. Unfortunately, there are many instances where there is absolutely no parking available in the entire plaza whatsoever, forcing you to either fight for spaces or park across the street and jaywalk across Camelback.
Despite my praises, I will maintain that the tacos aren't really for everyone. If you eat a lot (and drink even more), you'll rack up a massive bill pretty quickly. These ain't cheap. With this warning aside, I really enjoy the process of experimentation with chef-driven creations - which is what this place is all about. Sometimes, just being given a handful of bare-bones tacos to cover at the free-for-all salsa bar gets boring. It's nice to have a great alternative like this available. As a result, it has quickly become a favorite of ours during the last year. And the more I go here, the more I like them.
Highest recommendation!
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