Taqueria La Hacienda makes the bold claim to have the best tacos al pastor in Minnesota. Do they live up to their self-hype? Let's find out.
This taqueria started from humble beginnings in a small Mexican mall's food court. It's now slightly larger, having two more independent locations just down the street and in Burnsville, a Minneapolis suburb. They also operate a food truck. You can't be successful in this business without making good food, so growth is a good sign.
The Place
The front door of the standalone Minneapolis restaurant is tucked away behind the local main east-west drag called Lake Street, sharing a parking lot with a bank. It's easy to miss if you don't know it's there. It is connected in the back to a street-facing building and shares a couple bathrooms with it.
This is a fast-casual counter serve Mexican joint. On the menu are tacos, quesadillas, burritos, tortas, alambres, soups (on the weekends), and platters. There are also juices and horchata. I'm here for the tacos of course, but I may stop back for the alambres. Behind the counter, at the back of the food prep area, is an actual trompo or spit of al pastor meat. The restaurant is clean and bright. As you can see they use festively painted chairs and tiled tables which is an awesome touch. The wait time from ordering to getting the food was quick.
The bathrooms as mentioned before are shared with the attached building, and you need to ask the cashier to press an unlock button behind the counter to get in. The men's room is clean and adequate. The tables and floor are kept clean. The last two times I've been here there have been local cops eating there, also a good sign in my opinion since they know the neighborhood well.
The Tacos
Carne asada
I usually won't get carne asada because it's usually too boring, but I gave theirs a try. Sometimes restaurants can do it better than average, but the only one I know that did is gone (before I could do a review, drats!). The meat did turn out to be a bit boring. The meat was pretty tender though the marinade is weak and it could be better with a bit more grill-added crisp. With the jalapeño salsa verde I asked for, the taco was much better.
The tortillas used are on the small side but are fresh, soft, and are grilled with just the right amount of oil to bring out the best in them. The tacos were served with a ho-hum red salsa and a single lime wedge.
Barbacoa
The barbacoa here is a roasted and shredded beef that is tasty and tender. It has a juicy sauce that is incredibly rich with a sweet tomato flavor. No salsa is needed to augment the flavor on this one. It's a great filling for a taco. The fresh onions and cilantro melt into the meat and sauce stew and balance the flavor wonderfully.
Al pastor
Ok here's La Hacienda's bread and butter, the pineapple and chili marinated pork known as al pastor. The color and texture are promising.
And it delivers. The first bite to the last is tender and moist meat. The flavor of the marinade melding with the pork makes it very savory. The smell is just as pleasing. The meat isn't as sweet as other places' al pastor, but no matter, it still tastes excellent. The texture is a little bit crispy. It could be crispier but if overdone would detract more from the meat than being underdone. The salsa verde goes well with the pastor meat in small amounts. Overall, the pastor here is slightly off perfect for my own tastes but that's an achievement. It's well above the average taqueria!
Conclusion
Adding it up, I've had a middle of the road "meh" carne asada, a unique and delicious barbacoa, and an upper-tier al pastor taco on this visit. The value of the tacos is average. They cost $1.90 plus tax each but are slightly smaller than other taquerias' tacos. I did find that I got an ample amount of al pastor meat but there was room for more carne asada in the small corn tortilla shells. I ordered three when I would have had a more satisfying meal with four. The restaurant's flagship al pastor meat is great but I'm not sure I'd call it the best in the state. Something should be said for it actually coming off a rotating spit. It's damn good though, so I can't blame them for making the claim!
