Tacos embrace a festive, fast, less fussy way of eating

Summertime and street food snacks seem to go hand-in-hand.

Warmer, sunshiny weather usually propels the urge to be on the go, especially after May’s seemingly endless rain and gloomy skies chased us indoors.

Few foods in Mexican cooking are more festive than tacos. Fast, casual and full-flavored, tacos are not only tasty, but these hand-held, wrapped foods (no silverware necessary!) don’t often leave you feeling weighed down. One or two (and, OK, even three or more) tacos are just about right to hush a loud, growling stomach or feed a need when hunger pangs begin storming into scary hangry territory.

Many taco lovers are looking forward to the inaugural Delaware Taco Festival taking place 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 25 at Frawley Stadium, 801 Shipyard Drive, Wilmington. More than 30 taco vendors will be on hand, tequila tastings will be available and mariachi bands are entertaining during the daylong festivities. Visit www.delawaretacofest.com/ for more information.

But you don’t have to wait that long to chow down on some good, local tacos. In recent years, we’ve shared favorite taco spots and readers have chimed in with suggestions. Some things are worth repeating, and these places for tacos, listed in no particular order, are worth a look:

Some of the best tacos can be found in the most humble spots. Jalisco Mexican Grocery Store, not far from Ferris School, off Del. 141 at 1722 W. Gilpin Drive, (302) 993-0450, has a takeout counter called Taqueria El Jalisco. It’s quick, delicious and has long been a favorite nosh spot.

If you’re looking for lengua (tongue), this is the place, but the fillings tucked into the warm corn tortillas also include beef and pork. You can also shop the store for everything from a molcajete, a bowl for making salsa and guacamole, to cowboy boots.

Taqueria Los Primos , 3322 Old Capitol Trail, near Prices Corner, (302) 998-5969, offers a selection of condiments with its tacos, including lime wedges, chopped white and red onions, cilantro and red and green salsas. The tortillas are homemade. Don’t be surprised if you see a local chef or restaurant owner in the dining room. Many Taqueria Los Primos fans have tried to keep it a secret spot, but this is no longer classified information. Consider the secret spilled.

Not all tacos have to be made with beef, pork or chicken to be tasty. Veg heads should enjoy the mushroom tacos topped with chive crema, toasted pumpkin seeds, radish and cotija cheese at Cocina Lolo, a modern Mexican restaurant owned by Bryan and Andrea Sikora, who also run La Fia Market + Bakery + Bistro and Merchant Bar. Lolo, a downtown Wilmington restaurant at 405 N. King St., is located in the bottom floor of the Renaissance Building, across from the New Castle County Courthouse. Meat lovers: Get the carnitas tacos, or marinated pork with charred añejo salsa, pickled onions and queso fresco.

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The walk-up taco window in Hockessin at Rivera Famous Grill, 7313 Lancaster Pike in Hockessin, (302) 635-7361, is next to the Rita’s Water Ice and behind a dry cleaner. Taco take-out options include steak, chorizo, chicken, carnitas, flank, marinated pork, beef head, beef tongue or beef tripe folded between soft corn tortillas. Tacos are garnished with chopped white onions and sprinkles of cilantro. All orders come with a roasted Serrano pepper, Mexican scallions, limes and three kinds of salsa, ranging from mild to scorching.

El Diablo Burritos with locations in Wilmington’s Trolley Square, the Branmar Shopping Center in Brandywine Hundred, and Newark’s Main Street, is best known for, well, burritos. But I wouldn’t pass up the tacos. Everything from juicy braised short ribs to earthy Kennett Square mushrooms are sandwiched between hot flour and corn tortillas.

For years, I’ve been singing the praises of Agave Mexican Restaurant, 137 Second St., Lewes, 645-1232, even though it is probably one of the hardest restaurant seats to score in the state. If you can get in, (and, really, you should try) get the Southwestern-style puffy tacos or grilled mahi mahi on deep-fried flour tortillas. And definitely order a margarita. (Better still? A pitcher of margaritas.) You won’t be sorry.

Kid Shelleen’s Charcoal House & Saloon, 1801 W. 14th St., Wilmington, (302) 658-4600, offers a 30 percent discount on its tacos on Thursdays. (No take-out, dine-in only.) My favorites are blackened fish tacos on soft flour tortillas with guacamole, black beans, pico de gallo and sour cream.

Another great place for fish tacos is Off the Hook, 769 Garfield Parkway, Bethany Beach, (302) 829-1424. The blackened mahi mahi fillets – nicely, but not over-aggressively spiced – lie on a bed of shredded cabbage sprinkled with fresh pico de gallo and house-pickled onions. The contents are folded into flour tortillas, which are griddled, giving the tacos a satisfying char and crunch. House-pickled jalapenos are served on the side along with spicy chipotle mayonnaise.

Anyone who loves tacos in Sussex County has certainly been to El Dorado Mexican Restaurant in Rehoboth Beach, in operation since 2006. Owner Aquiles Demerutis Jr. serves Baja California-style tacos at the shop in the Plaza 24 shopping center off Del. 24 (John J. Williams Highway). In 2014, Food Network magazine featured the shop in its article, “50 States of Tacos.” Call (302) 645-1596.

During a miniature golf marathon early last summer, I took a lunch break at Papa Grande’s in Fenwick Island. You can’t miss the aqua blue building at 38929 Madison Ave. It’s just off Del. 54 (Lighthouse Road) and has views of Lighthouse Cove. The suckling pig tacos were excellent. The very juicy pork tacos were served with warm corn tortillas, cilantro and chopped onions. The dish also came with Spanish rice and beans.

Food trucks are some of your best bets for tasty tacos. (Some only accept cash, so hit an ATM machine before visiting. All have Facebook pages and share locations for the day.)

The Korean taco craze is credited to Chef Roy Choi, who has been operating the Kogi BBQ trucks on the streets of Los Angeles since 2008. At the Kapow Food Truck, Chef Wit Milburn sandwiches Korean-style barbecue beef in tortillas along with kimchi, sesame seeds and green onions. There’s a little sweetness and a little heat with each bite. Milburn also offers hot sauce in case you need a little more ka-pow. He also has Hawaiian grilled chicken tacos and “Luau” tacos with pulled pork in sweet Thai chili sauce.

The Mojo Loco food truck has a variety of specialty tacos with flavors such as mojo pork, adobo chicken and Asian shrimp. And the KOI on the Go food truck offers Asian-fusion gourmet food. It serves fish tacos as well as tacos al pastor (it means shepherd’s tacos) or pork marinated in chipotle sauce with tomatoes, cilantro and pineapple. The trucks are often parked at Barclays in Newark on Tuesdays, Wilmington’s Rodney Square on Wednesdays and the Delaware Center for the Creative Arts at the Wilmington Riverfront on Thursdays.

Tacos Zavala Taco Truck sometimes sits in the Speedy Gas station parking lot along Capitol Trail just outside Newark, about 200 yards past Polly Drummond Hill Road, on your right. Readers have praised the freshly-made soft tortilla tacos that include fillings such as chorizo, tripe, pork and tongue.

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 orptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter@pattytalorico.