When I started teaching in Madera last year, I made it my mission to eat every taco in town, not a small mission. Since then, I created a Madera Tacos Review page and began rating and reviewing each taco that I’ve eaten. There are so many things that are not documented and curated out there and each city has its own unique amenities that need to explored. I encourage everyone to pick something your city/town does well and begin to document it. Here is my list of tacos so far:
El Cachanilla
We have a new taqueria sitting on the iron throne of tacos in Madera, and its one that has been recommended consistently each time I’ve asked for suggestions on Instagram. And each time I showed up, excited to try these illusory tacos, they were closed. I went three times. Nobody there. Finally, I went on the weekend and sure enough, not only was it open, but there was a crowd. It’s not often that things that live up to the hype, but these did. In fact, they exceeded expectations. These tacos were the best that I’ve had in town. I tried the Asada, Al Pastor, and the Birria. I am going to forgo discussing the Birria because I plan to eventually do a series where I try to find the best Birria in town. The meat in these tacos was some of the best quality I’ve had and cooked to perfection. The salsa paired perfectly with tacos. The tortillas were tender, but held the meat in a perfect pocket. Just looking at the tacos, they look basic, but they are anything but that. Each individual component was created with care that combines into (so far) the best tacos in town.
Emma’s Taqueria
This is a big review and because of the score I went two days in a row, just to make sure that I got it right. I even went to the lengths of bringing someone with me to confirm. Emma’s is making some amazing tacos and so far they are the best that I’ve had in town. Both times that I went I had some amazing, chocolatey mole tacos that I did not want to end. The carnitas were crispy, succulent, and flavorful. The al pastor had the perfect texture and seasoning mix. The salsa had this beautiful orange, habanero color. I think what I appreciate most was that each taco felt uniquely crafted: most taco places just throw meat on a tortilla and put the same toppings on each. Emma’s approaches tacos with thought about flavor and texture. This is my new favorite taco in Madera!
Mejia’s Taco Shop
Mejia’s is right off of the 99 and the 145 and sits in a strange little corner lot. It honestly doesn’t look like much from the outside. I walked up and ordered at a little window and at first was a little disappointed the lack of meat options: there were far fewer than some of the other places I’d eaten so far in this journey. I left with those feelings and took the tacos to go, but, wow, my first impressions couldn’t more different than what I experienced when I peeled back the foil of my three tacos. They looked a little different (tomatoes on top), but I could see these are the not messing around kind of tacos. Each of these meats were so flavorful and succulent. The Al Pastor was both juicy with delicious bark on the outside. The asada was how I would want asada to be. But the star was definitely the Verde: the flavor of the sauce was bussing, and I don’t use that term lightly. The tortilla could have held together a little more and my Verde had a little extra fat, which are the things that kept this in the 8 range and not the 9’s. Nevertheless, if you haven’t eaten here, get one of these tacos now.
Jordan Mattox 