Tacoteca — EAT IT AUCKLAND

Fans of Mexican food can rejoice! The arrival of Tacoteca at the City Works Depot has been a long time coming. I’m not sorry to see the old Food Truck Garage go, its demise making way for the best Mexican I’ve had in Auckland in recent years.

Like the people themselves, Mexican food should be punchy and the flavours larger than life. I’d go so far as to say the flavour characteristics of Mexican cuisines makes it the Indian of the Americas. Spice, hazzah! Heat, pa-choo! And let us not forget the earthy flavour of real corn masa. Tacoteca has all of these things in droves, and I enjoyed it so much I visited it not once but twice in the space of a week.

I have been living my best, non-alc life for the past four months and am happy to report those of you doing the same are well catered for at Tacoteca. There are three expertly crafted non-alcoholic cocktails to choose from that possess all the same great qualities of their other cocktails, minus the ethanol. The tepache is a tangy mix of fermented pineapple, cinnamon and star anise, rimmed with spicy and sour tajin, a seasoning of chilli powder and lime. It’s so good, it’s easy to forget its alcohol free.

The menu is modestly sized but packed with powerhouse dishes. You’d be forgiven for thinking guac and chips is just guac and chips, but at Tacoteca, theirs is spruced up with caramelised grilled pineapple, chilli, coriander and the best part, smoky charcoal oil. On both occasions I ordered the taquitos, crispy cigars of rolled up masa tortillas stuffed with potato. The filling lies somewhere between mashed potatoes and tater tots (seriously) which I suspect is the happy result of the tortilla and potato being deep fried together, topped with tangy sour cream, fresh queso cheese and salsa roja. The shatter of crisp tortilla; the softness of the potato; the luxury of sour cream and a final lift with spicy salsa, it’s incredibly moreish.

One must partake of their namesake dish, the taco, of which there were five types to choose from. They are priced per taco and you can order any number and combination your heart desires. Between two to three tacos per person is enough if you’ve had some starters or plan to have dessert. I’ve managed to try every type in the course of my two visits, and whilst all were delicious, my hat goes off to the grilled fish taco and smoky cabbage taco. Charred cabbage and capsicum form the base of the smoky cabbage taco, topped with a thick and nutty salsa macha, pickled radish and peanuts. They’ve managed to create multiple layers of smokiness in the taco that I’m completely obsessed with. It’s refreshing to see fish grilled rather than battered and fried here, and this version comes in a blackened chile de pasilla rub with a sharp avocado, coriander and jalapeno mayo, finely sliced cabbage and pickled onion. Again, smoke is at the forefront of the palate here and its bedmates are refreshing foils.

There are two sweet options to end, and whilst I’m yet to try their paletas (fruit ice blocks), I can wholeheartedly recommend the leche frita with dulce de leche. They’re hot little squares of a set custard encrusted with semolina, sugar and cinnamon creating a beautiful contrast of gritty crunch on the outside and soft almost polenta-esque filling inside. Served alongside decadent dulce de leche, my key tip for consuming these delicious morsels is to smear some dulce de leche on to every bite, lest you sacrifice your crispy coating to the communal leche pot.

Whether you need a snack for your drink, or a more substantial feed, Tacoteca is a must visit for vibrant Mexican food and drink.

Tacoteca
City Works Depot
1/90 Wellesley Street West
Auckland CBD 1010
(09) 320 1336
@tacoteca_